Conflict Resolution Strategies Essay Example

PERSONAL STRATEGIES

The last six to eight weeks have been a great opportunity for me to learn priceless lessons on how to survive and excel in my career as registered nurse. I have become to appreciate the skills I have learned in this class (Business communication) since it has equip me with relevant knowledge on how to grow on personal level and in my professional career. I am now in a better position not only to influence positive change in my place of work but to get along with my colleagues at work and make patients happy. Through the course I have learned that human resources are an integral part of any organization. The human resources have moved from the position of constantly receiving orders and instructions from their supervisors to a point where they are involved in the formulation of the policies which are aimed at driving the organization to success. Thus, this is a new challenge for me as nurse since I rarely participate in policies formulation or give my opinion/ideas on how things should be done at my place of work. This course has taught me, it is my sole responsibility to work with my colleagues to create a Conducive working environment and help the organization reach its goals (Maxwell, 2002). Additional, it’s my duty to portray positive energies which are geared towards improving the working relationship with my supervisor, patient and colleagues to have to a positive atmosphere at the hospital which is supportive.
However, as I work with my colleagues or patients on various health care plans, I have learned it’s not possible to avoid divergence of ideas or have different perspectives on things. This divergent is what brings conflict at the work place (Reece, 2013). This calls for me to apply sound conflict resolution mechanisms to make sure there is harmony at the workplace and I continue to collaborate with others at work. Additional, this demand good communication skills both intra and interpersonal which will enable me to solve the differences amicably and be in a position to express my view and emotions positively. This will help me create meaningful relationship with my colleagues, seniors and patients. Furthermore, these strategies will help me advance my managerial career since I believe management start at the personal level. If I can manage myself and those around me, I am in a good position to manage multi-millions health care facility. The following strategies are essentials for every nurse aiming at achieving great success at work place and have a meaningful personal growth.

We cannot avoid conflict at work place since we have different reasoning capacity and preference in life. Thus, it is important we embrace them and anticipate them anytime in our life. On the other hand, conflicts are healthy practices which should be encourage at the work place since they provide variety of views, opinions and different perspectives on how to handle different issues facing the organization at a particular moment. They help a person learn new ideas and things from colleagues which are indispensable in enhancing personal growth. Thus, as a registered nurse it is paramount to know how to handle conflict when they arise at the work station. Additionally, too much agreement or following routine practices at the workplace create complacency which hinders the development and the growth of a nurse and the whole health care facility.
Conflict can take may take variety of forms from personal conflict, interpersonal, group conflict to inter group conflict. Conflicts usually arise at the work place due to ineffective communication, differences in values, confusing work policies, unreasonable competition for resources and difference in personality. Therefore, when conflict arises at the workstation it recommended to look at the root cause of the conflict not just the iceberg which has trigger the conflict. This will help in solving the conflict as whole and avoid similar conflict in the future. It’s advisable when dealing with different people at the work place it is good to maintain your “cool”, act professional, distinguish a friend from an enemy, listen more than talking and look for ways to solve the conflict. Moreover, people in conflict should try to dialogue and negotiate for ways to solve the conflict. This is to make sure everyone in the conflict comes out as winner (win win situation) where no party feels they have been taken for granted (Reece, 2013). However, if the parties in conflict cannot solve the conflict by themselves, it is advisable to include a neutral third party who will act as an arbitrator to the conflict. The arbitrator should check whether the parties have disagreements, help the parties define or explain the problem with facts, clarify the perceptions of each party on the problem at hand, look for ways which can solve the conflict and implement them in a way which provide a win win for each party in the conflict.

Team building

A task at the work place may require the employees to work in a group/team. As an registered nurse who is involved in team work activities, it vital to understand the dynamics of the groups and how to relate to each member of the group. Nobody in the group is insignificant or does not have anything to offer. Everyone’s action in the group/team determines the success or failure of the group. Thus, each individual effort should be recognized, valued and appreciated. Every individual in the team should try to collaborate with the rest of the team members to see the success of the team (Maxwell, 2002). However, to management the group and making sure it realize its profitability or productivity; it is not an easy task. The group leader must make sure every individual in the group understand the goals, mission, objectives, decision making mechanism and activities of the group. Responsibilities and the task of the group should be distributed equitably depending on the member’s expertise and professionalism. However, teams also face problems of mistrust, conflicts, lack of commitment and unaccountability by some members. Thus, a leader of the group need to recognize these dynamic and address them as group before it’s too late. If these issues are left unsolved they may hinder the progress of team. The leader should encourage the members look at the long term benefits of the group not short-term gain or personal fulfillment. On the other hand, team leader is encouraged to identify the needs, inspiration and the fear of each member in the group and make ways to make sure they are addressed. Thus, leader should motivate the members to get involved in the team activities and create an atmosphere where members feel they are part of the group and they can engage in the group’s activities freely or communicate their concerns without fear (Bender et al., 2012).

Developing a Professional Presence

At work place, the value and impression our colleagues have on us depend on how we behave and project ourselves in public, as they say a book is judge by its cover and first impression last (Bixler et al., 2005). Our professional qualifications won’t matter to colleagues, our seniors and client of the organization if our behavior and mannerism are questionable. Thus, as registered nurse it is crucial I portray professionalism from my style of dressing, attitude, language, culture, competence, integrity, etiquette, facial impression, hand shake, confidence, poise and behavior to command respect from other parties in the organization. Our behavior should fit our work description and the goals we desire to achieve i.e. walking the part and looking the part. If our job description requires us to dress formal we should not dress the opposite. Registered nurses should consider themselves as brand in the market and should try to cut a niche for themselves at the work place.
Building Stronger Relationships with Positive Energy and achieving a balance at the work place through effective and inter-personal relationship and communication
It is globally recognized and accepted that no man is an island. We need others at the workplace in order to succeed or accomplish our goal. Thus, it is important to recognize others at the workplace and appreciate them for who they are and what they are doing. When a colleague has done recommendable job or accomplish something useful in life or in career, it is advisable to show him/her that their achievements are recognized and you support them. However, we must be in control of our emotions. We should take it kindly when our colleagues correct us or criticize us. We must accept our mistakes and ask for forgiveness from our colleges or the client we have hurt in the course of doing our duties (Aryee et al., 2013).

Conclusion

As I progress in my career and in life, I have recognized that I cannot do everything alone. I need the support and expertise of my colleagues in order to accomplish my goals or the assignment at hand. Therefore, it’s essential to know how to communicate effectively with others and work with them on a daily basis. When conflicts arise, am not supposed to be intimidated by them or shy away from addressing them. Conflicts are part of life and I should put in place mechanisms on how to solve conflict when they arise. As I solve these conflicts I should keep my emotions in check so as to avoid escalating the conflict.

Reference

Aryee, S., Chu, C. W., Kim, T. Y., & Ryu, S. (2013). Family-Supportive Work Environment and Employee Work Behaviors An Investigation of Mediating Mechanisms. Journal of Management, 39(3), 792-813.
Bender, L., Walia, G., Kambhampaty, K., Nygard, K. E., & Nygard, T. E. (2012, September). Social sensitivity correlations with the effectiveness of team process performance: an empirical study. In Proceedings of the ninth annual international conference on International computing education research (pp. 39-46). ACM.
Bixler, S., & Nix-Rice, N. (2005). The new professional image. Adams Media Corporation.
Maxwell, J. (2002). The 17 essential qualities of a team player: Becoming the kind of person every team wants. Thomas Nelson Inc.
Reece, B. (2013). Effective human relations: Interpersonal and organizational applications. Cengage Learning.