Conflict management among health professionals in hospitals of Cyprus

The relationship between the political skills and negotiation behaviors of front-line nursing managers

BACKGROUND

Frontline nursing managers must possess sufficient political skills to successfully navigate organizational structures and relationships and produce positive results in complex healthcare systems.

AIM

This study explores the relationship between the political skills and negotiation behaviors of frontline nursing managers.

METHOD

The researchers adopted a quantitative correlational methodology to conduct the study in two selected hospitals with 100 frontline nursing managers determined through convenience sampling. Political Skill Inventory and Negotiation Self-Assessment Inventory were used to assess the political skills of nurse managers and measure the behaviors that they rely on most readily during negotiations, respectively.

RESULTS

The study sample had an average level of political skill and relied moderately on compromise during negotiations. There was a strong positive correlation between political skills, accommodation, and collaboration behaviors. Moreover, there was a strong negative correlation between political skills, avoidance, and competition. Further, there was a negative correlation between political skills and compromise behavior of negotiation.

CONCLUSION

Although nursing managers used different negotiation behaviors at different degrees in different situations, they mostly relied on compromise during negotiation. Therefore, hospital administrators should work on improving frontline nursing managers' political skills to improve their negotiation behaviors.

Psychosocial factors associated with conflicts among health professionals in the operating room in a Greek sample

AIM

The purpose of this study is to investigate conflicts and identify the factors that cause the creation of conflicts in the operating room as well as coping strategies for conflict resolution.

BACKGROUND

The operating room is a special and changeable working environment, which is constantly evolving, and requires interdisciplinary team collaboration. Therefore, it is an environment that may cause conflict among employees.

METHOD

The study was conducted at three Public Hospitals of Athens, during the period from 1 April 2018, to 15 June 2018. The research tool used to conduct the research was the questionnaire of Kontogianni et al. (2011). The questionnaire consisted of four sections dealing with conflict issues and their management. The sample consisted of 185 nurses and medical staff. The level of statistical significance was set equal to .05. The questions were analysed through the statistical package SPSS 20.

RESULTS

Τhe majority of participants had conflicts with colleagues (79%), with doctors (69.5%) and with nurses (43.7%). Τhe majority of the sample was unaware of conflict management strategies (60%). One of the important factors that intensify the conflicts is the burdensome workload in combination with the unsatisfactory salary. Avoidance is the preferred conflict management strategy (64.7%), followed by mutual benefit trading (55.4%.) Acceptance is the least appropriate strategy (10.9%).

CONCLUSIONS

In order to deal with conflicts in the operating room effectively, it is necessary for nurses and physicians to be trained in conflict management.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Nursing managers should support the training of nurses in conflict management in order to create a climate of cooperation and reduce conflicts.