CONFLICT

RESOLUTION 2
Sherry Dahlke, PhD, RN
Objectives

■ Explore processes or guidelines for addressing differences of views

■ Discuss conflict in teams
Reasons to find common ground

■ Improved efficiency
■ Better skill mix
■ Greater levels of responsiveness
■ More ‘holistic’ services
■ Innovation and creativity
■ Greater likelihood of user-centered practice
Pitfalls

■ Boundary disputes
■ Status issues
■ Language barriers
■ Competing practice models
■ Complex accountabilities
■ Disputed decision-making powers
■ Imported inequalities
Conflict style

■ Avoidance- because they believe it is hopeless to resolve a conflict

■ Competition- trying to overpower another by forcing their solution
■ Adaptation- relationships are more important than their own goals
■ Cooperation- conflicts are problems to be solved and want both parties to have their goals
met
■ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLbGHQo4qnA

■ Page 24 of A guide to collaborative practice

■ https://sites.ualberta.ca/~hsercweb/intd403/Guide_for_Collaborative_Practice.pdf
Conflict Management Strategy
Tools to communicate conflicts

CUS OBEFA
■ I am concerned ■ Opening- express your concern

■ I am uncomfortable ■ Behavior- describe the behavior

■ Effect- describe what happens as a result of
■ This is a safety issue the behavior
■ Feelings- describe how you feel when the
behavior happens
■ Action- Suggest working together to address
your concern
CORBS

■ Clear- be clear, being vague will increase your anxiety

■ Owned- your own perception, not an ultimate truth
■ Regular- soon after the event, don’t save up grievances
■ Balanced- negative and positive over time
■ Specific- generalized is not helpful
Communication tools to use in conflict
situations
■ In your groups review the communication tools suggested starting on page 26 of the A
guide for collaborative practice. (5 mins)
■ Try at least three tools to communication about a conflict:
– A surgeon is loudly insisting that their patient be moved to a different floor
because they are a busy person and only wants to go to one floor to see their
patients.
– One of your colleagues is always 10 minutes late to work and at times when you
are looking for assistance with patients they are nowhere to be found. You suspect
they are hiding in the service room.
– https://docs.google.com/document/d/1grwgWiKZOkEzFAthnAyNs8D-Y4W9WN6s_
6LIa7pAiwg/edit?usp=sharing
 Conflict Management Strategy
Steps Discuss and Record Say and Record
(Try OBEFA/CUS/CORBS)
Specify your concern  How will you do this?
Who will you approach?
Any helpful communication tools e.g.
OBEFA?

Clarify your differences Where do you and the individual/team

disagree? What are some reasons there
would be disagreement?
What are other perspectives?
What are competing priorities?

 
Agree on commonalities Where do both/all agree?
What is a shared goal? common priority?

We agree that …
Resolve conflict What are the next steps?
What action can be taken to manage the
issue?
 

Normalize How can you normalize the issue? How does  

this conflict provide an opportunity?

 
Conflict is everywhere

■ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyXFirOUeUk

■ Group work
■ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHrN5Mf5sgo
■ In your groups discuss how you might be able to handle such a situation.
How would you discuss your frustration with your manager?
As the manager how would you support your worker?