The Inevitability of Conflict
 “4 Realities that Turn Negative Energy into Positive Results”

Lee Iacocca once said, “If you put two people in the same room and they always agree, one of them is no longer necessary.” Nothing is more common in the workplace than conflict. According to Viki Ryan, RN, co-author of The Ultimate Medical Manager; Leadership for Results, conflict in the workplace is on the rise as major changes disrupt familiar routines; accelerated expectations require greater job performance, yet the workforce shrinks as a result of changing demographics and work redesign and downsizing. The stress, pressure, and anxiety created by a more demanding environment, reduced resources, and increased expectations with programs such as pay for performance initiatives, serve as a catalyst for more emotional behaviors than most people are prepared to handle. The lack of skilled communication techniques compounds the problem further.
 The key to managing conflict in the workplace isn’t about knowing it happens; it is about how we handle it. Albert Einstein said, “You can’t solve a program with the same mindset that creates it.” Herein lays the first step toward improved conflict resolutions skills for your staff — improving their ability to look at conflict from a different perspective.
 
Reality #1
Conflict should challenge everyone involved to open their mind and look at things from new angles and perspectives, not just protect their position.

The definition of conflict is a struggle to resist or overcome. In a conflict, as one-person pushes the natural reaction from the other party is to push back with equal or greater force. This push creates a “line-in-the-sand” affect. When a position is being protected, valuable and useful information is being missed. Take a breath and explore more closely what they are presenting. This phrase may take the negative energy completely out of their argument. “I may not be clear  on this, help me understand your point.” You may realize they have a viable alternative or even a better way.

Reality #2
Conflict often turns personal, but don’t take it personally.
 
As a person rants and raves at us, we often get lost in our defense of who we are and completely lose sight of what the conflict is actually about. Regardless of the personal attack, stay focused on the true or real underlying issue. If one says to you, “You are no good scum!” Simply respond, “I’m sorry you feel that way. Have I done something or said something to offend you?”  The opposing party will probably explain their attack, apologize for their comment, or just leave because there is no pay off for them when you don’t fight back.
 
Reality #3
Conflict often starts when one person feels they are all alone in a situation.

Too often people feel like it is them against everything else. They feel everyone and everything is standing between them and doing their job well. Most often, this is a gross misinterpretation of reality. Truth be known, today most people are too busy trying to survive their own responsibilities to invest much time in watching others. To prevent conflict from escalating, try finding some common ground with the person. Phrases such as “I know it seems we are on different sides of the street, but it appears to me we both want to end up at the same place; making certain the patients needs are taken care of. Isn’t that right? What can we do to achieve that result?  People need to feel they are connected to some purpose or cause shared by others. In healthcare, the universal common ground should be the patient, and how we can work together to create a better patient outcome.
 
Reality #4
Conflict is often initiated as the transfer of one person’s bad day to another person.
 

The need to separate the troubles or challenges of one’s personal life from their business life is common sense that rarely becomes common practice. Co-workers, managers, and visitors to the clinic are often embroiled in tumultuous situations before they arrive at work or for their appointment. The least provocation, perceived intrusion, or interruption can set them off like a Titan Rocket. Retaliation or reacting to their inappropriate behavior with similar inappropriate behavior will serve only to fuel the conflict. It would be far more effective to pause, take a breath, and simply respond in a quiet voice (almost a whisper) – “It looks like you are having a bad day, can I help with anything?” This phrase should turn the situation into one of understanding, instead of it becoming adversarial. Your calm response will shock them into a realization that they are allowing one bad situation to trigger or create more bad situations. In Dr Stephen Covey’s book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, he points out that effective people pro-act instead of react when dealing with difficult situations. They spot problems early and solve them before they escalate or become unsolvable. As a healthcare manager, your world is filled with stress and tension and when conflict develops it brings more to an environment that already has enough. The first step to resolution is recognition of the realities of conflict in the workplace. Then and only then can you begin to train yourself and your staff on effective conflict management techniques.
 

For more information and strategies on conflict resolution buy The Ultimate Medical Manager; Leadership for Results.

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