An exploration into nurse managers' experiences of their conflict management skills
Abstract
In nursing, a healthy work environment refers to a deliberate context that strives to ensure that patient outcomes are met, organisational goals are achieved and that work and care environments are safe, healing, humane and respectful of the rights, responsibilities, needs and contributions of all people – including patients, their families and nurses (American Association for Critical Care Nurses, 2005:12). Healthy work environments (also known as positive practice environments) support the well-being of healthcare providers in low, middle and high-income countries. It enables a motivated, productive and high performing pool of personnel who deliver high quality care (International Collaborating Partners of the Positive Practice Environments Campaigns, 2008).
Yet, due to globalisation, diversity has infiltrated the workplace, presenting different aspects of culture, gender, age, generations, beliefs, race, historical experiences and qualifications. This makes workplace conflict inevitable (Finance and Accounting Services Sector Education and Training Authority [FASSET], 2013:5). The healthcare industry is not immune against workplace diversity. Nurse managers are central to conflict management and a healthy work environment. This is especially true in South Africa, considering that South Africa is one of the most diverse countries globally.
A literature review was conducted of the most recent national and international literature regarding conflict management and workplace diversity within healthcare and with a specific focus on nurses. The literature review identified a gap on conflict resolution by nurse managers in diverse workplaces in South Africa (a significant publication on conflict management within nursing units was dated as a 1980 publication). Almost four decades later and since the inception of South Africa’s new democracy, workplace diversity has been augmented. The aim of this research was to understand nurse managers’ experiences of conflict management within a diverse South African workplace (military hospital) in order to foster a healthy work environment. The objectives were to explore and describe workplace diversity within the current South African healthcare organisations and to explore and describe the experiences of conflict management and their conflict management skills within a diverse workplace.
This research followed a qualitative, phenomenological, contextual design. The setting was a national, specialised military healthcare organisation representing a kaleidoscope of diversity. The researcher used purposive sampling (Burns & Grove, 2010:355) by selecting nurse managers based on inclusion criteria, who provided the best information about their real life experiences of conflict and conflict management skills. A mediator recruited participants and explained informed consent. Data were collected by the researcher on the military healthcare organisation’s premises by means of unstructured interviews. The data were transcribed and underwent thematic analysis. Data saturation occurred after 13 in-depth individual interviews (N=13). Six main themes and nine subthemes were formulated. A hierarchical, diverse, organisational culture predisposes conflict and impedes on conflict management. Conflict management is complex where nurse managers present specific conflict management characteristics and skills. Nurse managers are positioned between the organisational management and their nursing teams, they experience intergenerational conflict while noticing a decreased passion, meaning and purpose amongst nurses for the nursing profession. Conflict management skills can be learned and enhanced and require an inside-out process. Recommendations are formulated for nurse managers to embrace diversity, to integrate conflict management into their personal and professional growth and to support younger generation nurses in conflict management
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- Health Sciences [2060]