| Abstract: |
SUMMARYWith change comes conflict. Conflict can be positive or negative depending on the attitude and skills of the participants. As conflict is inevitable, conflict management skills are essential life skills for effective people. Conflict management skills canThis study was carried out to determine conflict management styles utilized by head nurses working in nursing units at Zagazig University Hospitals through assessing the level and type of conflict among staff nurses as perceived by themselves and by theirThe study was conducted in general medical, surgical, emergency and critical care units in Zagazig University hospitals namely; Pediatrics and Medical University Hospital, Emergency and Reception University Hospital. Two groups of subjects were included. The tools of data collection included two types of questionnaires. The first was designed for staff nurses, and consisted of three parts: demographic data, self assessment for the causes of nurses’ conflict, and their opinions of the preferred styles of cThe study has generated the following findings:The highest percentage of the studied staff nurses (51.3%) were working in pediatrics and medical hospital, while 48.7% were working in emergency hospital. About two fifths were from the critical care units (41.6%), and the majority had a secondary nursinAbout two thirds of the nurse leaders’ were from the emergency hospital (65.4%). The highest percentage were from the emergency department (46.9%). They all had a bachelor degree in nursing, and their mean experience years as leaders was 4.7±0.5 SD years.Statistically significant differences were revealed between the two groups in their perception of interpersonal and inter-group conflicts, p<0.001.Regarding the factors associated with conflicts as perceived by staff nurses and nurse leaders, statistically significant differences were demonstrated in many of these factors. These were in the factors related to managerial conduct of superior, leadershRegarding strategies of conflict resolution utilized by nurse leaders and preferred by staff nurses at Zagazig University hospitals, statistically significant differences were revealed between the two groups. The accommodating strategy was more utilized bThe study also has compared the scores given to each conflict resolving strategy by nurse leaders and staff nurses. It showed that nurse leaders had statistically significantly higher scores in accommodating strategy, and lower scores in collaborative andAs regards the relation between the patterns of conflict resolving strategies preferred by staff nurses and their socio-demographic characteristics, the study could not reveal statistically significant associations between any of their personal characteriAs for the relation between the patterns of conflict resolving strategy utilized by nurse leaders and their socio-demographic characteristics, the results have indicated no statistically significant associations between any of their personal characteristiThe study could not reveal any association of statistical significance between the perception of conflicts by staff nurses or nurse leaders and the different strategies they preferred or used for resolving conflicts.Based upon the findings of the study the following recommendations were proposed.Further researcher needs to be conducted in the area of nurses’ conflict and its management strategies adopted by nurse leaders, using different instrumentsAttention should be paid to conflict through in-service education programsNurses’ participation in decision-making should be encouraged, using motivation aspects and reward system in active way to increase self-confidenceMulti-center studies are needed to evaluate nurses’ skills of conflict resolution, assess administrative interventions to manage organizational conflict, assess the dynamics of the hospitals and work environment of nurses to identify the contributing factREFERENCESAdams, (1988): The Relationship between Creative Style of Leader Behavior in Chief Nurse Administrators Unpublished ED., Dissertation. University of San Francisco.Allered, (1995): In Mohamed S.M. (2002). Head Nurses’ Management, Strategies in Conflict Resolution. M. Sc. Thesis Submitted Faculty of Nursing Alex. University.Andrew L.B. (1999): “Conflict Management, Prevention and Resolution in Medical Settings”. Physician Exe; Jul. Aug. 25(4): 38-42.Atia M.I. (1997): The different Strategies that head Nurses and Staff Nurses Utilized in Conflict Resolution at Work. M. Sc. Thesis Submitted to Faculty of Nursing, Cairo University.Atia M.I.S. (1990): Study of Conflict among Nurses and its Effect on their Role Behavior, Unpublished M.D. at High Institute of Nursing. Cairo University.Barker AM. (1990): Transformational Nursing Leadership: A Vision for the Future. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins, p. 47.Barton A.S. (1991): Conflict Resolution by Nurse Managers. J. Nurs. Manage; 22(5):83-6.Bateman T.S. and Zeitham C.P. (1993): Management Function and Strategy. (2nd ed). Australia Sydney Richard, D. Irwin. Inc. PP. 487-489.Bellini L.H., and Shea J.N. (1996): ”Skills in Conflict Resolution” by Xicom, Retrieved from htt:www.cpp.bd.com.Bennis W. (1990): Why Leaders Can’t Lead. San Francisco: Jassey-Bass, p. 158.Bernhard L.A., and Walsh M. (1995): Leadership: the Key to the Professionalization of Nursing. (3rd ed), New York: Mosby, PP. 183-190.Bettiolo E., Coccato P., Fanelli L., Lucato O., Rigo D., Santinello M. (
|
|
|