Case Study: Conflict-Concepts, Strategies, and Solutions
Assume you are a nurse leader who works for a home hospice care organization. You are tasked with distributing money via donations from organizations, who wish for the money to be used as needed and leave the decision to you and your staff. However, it is not to be used for staff compensation. You ask your staff to attend a meeting to discuss how to best allocate the money based on current needs.
There are various ideas among the group, including those who want to purchase new office furniture, those who want to update computer equipment, and other staff members who feel that it is unfair that they will not seek additional employee compensation. The staff members begin to argue about how the funds should be distributed throughout the facility. They begin to shout, and one staff member leaves the meeting after slamming the door.
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Related question #1
What type of conflict is occurring?
Related question #2
What are the possible causes of the conflict?
Related question #3
What leadership skills can you apply to resolve this conflict?
Unfolding Case Study
Learning Unit 7: Conflict: Concepts, Strategies, and Solutions
(Based on case in Module 7.3)
Remember that Molly told Sofia that the A team was tired of taking their phone messages. Sofia replied that the B team was too busy caring for patients to be bothered by Molly’s frustration. Molly interpreted Sofia’s remark as the B team thinking that the A team isn’t concerned with patient care.
Sofia initially chose to avoid the conflict altogether, feeling that the topic was insignificant and not related to patient safety. Unfortunately, the conflict escalated. Molly told the A team to stop taking B team phone messages. As a result, the B team didn’t receive the message that Mrs. Golightly should receive Phenergan instead of Reglan, and she continued to experience postoperative nausea for far longer than she otherwise would have. It became clear to Sylvia that she should intervene to manage the conflict.
Part I
The following week, Sofia attends the administrative staff meeting. She is informed that the administrative team at the facility would like to introduce a new health care delivery model. This model would shift focus away from primary patient care and include more unlicensed assistive persons. The administration team informs Sofia that this approach will reduce costs and provide extra fiscal resources for new equipment purchase. This new care delivery model is set to start in the next fiscal quarter. Sofia informs her staff, and many are conflicted over the new model. Molly is angry: “I think patient care will suffer! I am tired of being told how to best manage patient care!”
Related question #1
Why do you think this change is creating a conflict with Molly and other staff members?
Related question #2
If you were the nurse in Sofia’s place, how would you have responded to being informed of the change in health care delivery? Review the information in this module on how you could have responded.
Related question #3
Is Molly’s response something you would have expected from a staff member? Why or why not?
Related question #4
What could Sofia do to manage this new conflict between her staff members and the administration team?