Negotiation and Conflict Resolution

Abstract
Conflict affects individuals or groups in different organizations. Conflicts cannot be completely eliminated in the organization. However, strategies can be implemented to help in managing them. This paper discusses a conflict that occurred in Radiant Hospital where nurses complained of a delay in shift changeovers. The night shift team complained of delays caused by the teams that come in the morning. The conflict has been identified as an inan intergroup conflict because it affects the units of nurses. The paper has then discussed the four stages of the conflict that include latent, perceived, felt, and manifest conflict. The paper has then identified two strategies that can be used to resolve the conflict. One strategy that can be used to resolve the conflict is negotiation. The nurse leader should bring all the teams together and discuss ways of resolving the conflict. Another strategy that can be used in resolving the conflict is through the development of a strict changeover schedule. The nurse leader should supervise its implementation to ensure that each team follows it. The nurse leader also needs to create an allowance of thirty minutes to allow the nurses to change the shifts. The paper has then concluded that conflicts can be managed effectively if they are resolved in the first stage and addressed.

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution

Introduction
Conflicts are part of any profession. Therefore, it is essential to have conflict resolution strategies to enable workers to move on and work together efficiently.

While it is difficult to eliminate conflict, employing the right strategies can help in managing the situation. In nursing, professional conflicts are a common occurrence. The nurse leaders have to continually implement management methods to ensure there is efficient delivery of care. This paper discusses a conflict that was observed in a care delivery setting by narrating the event, identifying the type of conflict, and identifying strategies that can be best used to help in resolving the conflict.

Identification of a Recurring Conflict
My previous practice setting was at Radiant Hospital. The nurses were involved in a conflict that threatened to affect the delivery of proper care to the patients. The conflict involved the nurse leader and three nurses that had just completed their night shift duty. The conflict occurred in the nurse leader’s office. The three nurses were complaining to the nurse leader that the nurses that were supposed to relieve them from duty had reported an hour late thus subjecting them to an extra hour of duty. The three nurses were concerned that the trend had escalated, especially among the nurses that were supposed to relieve the ones involved in the night shift. The nurses were thus concerned that the nurses that report to duty to relieve the night shift nurses are making it a habit of reporting to duty late. The trend has resulted in a conflict that is interfering with the motivation of the nurses as well as their delivery of care to patients. The nurse leader indicated that the changeover times for duty had been indicated in the schedule hence every nurse had an obligation to follow them. The nurse leader insisted that the issue has been addressed in the past and therefore every nurse should observe the schedule for their shifts as it has been indicated in the schedule.

The nurses left the nurse leader’s office feeling dissatisfied with the actions that she was putting in place to ensure a smooth changeover among the different shifts. The conversation of three nurses indicated that the conflict had not been resolved. The nurses also vowed to delay their next changeover to compensate for the time taken by the other nurses. Their resolution implies that the conflict will grow since every nurse delayed will seek to compensate their time. The conflict is affecting the relationship between the nurses. It has also resulted in incomplete reports during the handover times and is thus interfering with the quality of care that is given to the patients. The conflict was a problem of delegation because the nurse leader was unable to properly supervise the schedule of reporting of the nurses to duty.

Identification of the Type of Conflict
The conflict in the hospital is an intergroup/organization conflict. It is an intergroup conflict because it has occurred between teams or units of nurses (Cherry & Jacob, 2016). One group is complaining of being subjected to work for extra time by another team of nurses that are supposed to relieve them from their shift. The conflict is a result of a lack of proper leadership. The nurse leader must design strategies and supervise their implementation. The conflict may also be a result of competition between the teams of nurses that work shifts.

Four Stages of Conflict
There are four stages of the conflict that can be used to describe the process of conflict development. The four stages include latent, perceived, felt, and manifest conflict. Latent conflict is a stage that comprises the anticipation of conflict (Finkelman, 2016). There are different things that can be used to predict the occurrence of conflict. They include inadequate communication or competition for resources. The stage results in instability in the organization. It is a stage that results in an increased state of tension. The team or unit may begin verbalizing that there is likely to be a problem in the future if a trend is not corrected in the organization. During the stage of latent conflict, the differences that exist between the units are less pronounced hence do not have a great effect on its efficiency.

In Radiant Hospital, the nurses are experiencing a conflict that is past the latent conflict. It is a problem that has been occurring for a long time and has thus developed into a bigger problem. During the stage of the Latent conflict, the problem was not so much pronounced. However, the nurses were able to predict that continued delay in the changeover of shifts had the potential of resulting in a bigger conflict that would result in greater differences between the teams. In fact, the nurse leader attempted to correct the problem by creating a schedule for the different teams of nurses.

Another stage of conflict is the perceived conflict. The stage of conflict is not discussed but perceived. During this time, a group or organization begins to develop an awareness of the existence of a conflict. This stage is not verbalized, unlike the other stages. Perception is important because it helped in the determination of whether there is a conflict or not (Finkelman, 2016). It helps in the creation of more ideas about the conflict, and it may influence how the conflict is resolved.

The conflict that is affecting the units of nurses in Radiant Hospital is also past the perceived conflict stage. When the conflict was at the stage, there was a perception in the hospital that the delayed changeover times would result in a greater conflict. To avoid escalating the conflict, the nurse leader prepared a schedule that will help in guiding the teams on their shift schedules. In the perceived conflict stage, it is felt among the teams that there is a problem. However, they do not discuss the problem verbally.

The next stage of conflict is the felt conflict stage. In this stage, the people within an organization begin to have some feelings about the conflict. People develop anxiety or anger as a result of the conflict (Finkelman, 2016). The teams will start to have feelings of stress. This stage determines the direction that the conflict will take. If the problem is not resolved at this stage, it has the potential of escalating into a bigger conflict. Intervention prevents the conflict from moving to the next stage. Other people decide to avoid resolving the conflict. Avoidance works in some cases. It may be a temporary solution since the differences can fizzle out and the conflict can reoccur. The problem becomes complicated if it reoccurs. The resolution of the conflict depends on the trust that the members of staff have towards one another.
The conflict, in this case, is past the stage of the felt conflict. The problem has thus become more complicated. The nurses have had the conflict for a long time that they now feel that it is upon them to resolve the conflict. The nurse leader failed to adequately provide good leadership that would have helped in resolving the conflict and preventing it from developing into a complicated conflict.

The next stage is the manifest conflict. The conflict becomes very visible at this stage. According to Finkelman (2016), the conflict can either develop to become constructive or destructive. When the problem becomes destructive, it can lead to the worker going against the company policies. In the case of Radiant Hospital, the conflict has reached the manifest conflict stage. The nurses have decided to resolve the conflict by themselves. Their behavior goes against the work schedule hence affecting the quality of healthcare.

Strategies for Resolving the Conflict
For the teams to be effective, the nurse leader has to develop strategies that will allow them to collaborate efficiently. One strategy that can be used to resolve the conflict is negotiation. The nurse leader should bring all the teams together and discuss ways of resolving the conflict. Getting the viewpoint of every team and incorporating them into the process of finding a solution is important because it makes the solutions acceptable to everyone (Hepp et al., 2015).

Another strategy that can be used in resolving the conflict is through the development of a strict changeover schedule. The nurse leader should supervise its implementation to ensure that each team follows it. The nurse leader also needs to create an allowance of thirty minutes to allow the nurses to change the shifts. Implementing a strict schedule will help in reducing the conflicts that may arise as a result of delays in the changeover.

Conclusion
Conflicts are part and parcel of any organization. In this case, the nurse leader avoided resolving the conflict after creating the schedule. He had a belief that after some time the conflict will ease, and the teams will work collaboratively. However, the problem developed to become more complicated. To avoid the conflict in future, I will handle the problem while it is still at the first stage. I will allow the nurses to discuss ways of ensuring that there is no delay in changeovers. I will also reward periodically the team that best performs its tasks to encourage every unit to execute its functions effectively.

References
Cherry, B., & Jacob, S. R. (2016). Contemporary nursing: Issues, trends, & management. Elsevier Health Sciences.Finkelman, A. (2016). Leadership and Management for Nurses: Core Competencies for quality care (3rd ed.). Boston A: Pearson
Hepp, S. L., Suter, E., Jackson, K., Deutschlander, S., Makwarimba, E., Jennings, J., & Birmingham, L. (2015). Using an interprofessional competency framework to examine collaborative practice.  Journal of interprofessional care, 29(2), 131-137.