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Managing and mitigating conflict in healthcare teams: an integrative review
Author(s) -
Almost Joan,
Wolff Angela C.,
StewartPyne Althea,
McCormick Loretta G.,
Strachan Diane,
D'Souza Christine
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of advanced nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.948
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1365-2648
pISSN - 0309-2402
DOI - 10.1111/jan.12903
Subject(s) - psycinfo , psychology , psychological intervention , interpersonal communication , cinahl , conflict management , health care , conflict resolution , social psychology , applied psychology , medline , political science , psychiatry , law
Aim To review empirical studies examining antecedents (sources, causes, predictors) in the management and mitigation of interpersonal conflict. Background Providing quality care requires positive, collaborative working relationships among healthcare team members. In today's increasingly stress‐laden work environments, such relationships can be threatened by interpersonal conflict. Identifying the underlying causes of conflict and choice of conflict management style will help practitioners, leaders and managers build an organizational culture that fosters collegiality and create the best possible environment to engage in effective conflict management. Design Integrative literature review. Data sources CINAHL , MEDLINE , Psyc INFO , Proquest ABI /Inform, Cochrane Library and Joanne Briggs Institute Library were searched for empirical studies published between 2002–May 2014. Review methods The review was informed by the approach of Whittemore and Knafl. Findings were extracted, critically examined and grouped into themes. Results Forty‐four papers met the inclusion criteria. Several antecedents influence conflict and choice of conflict management style including individual characteristics, contextual factors and interpersonal conditions. Sources most frequently identified include lack of emotional intelligence, certain personality traits, poor work environment, role ambiguity, lack of support and poor communication. Very few published interventions were found. Conclusion By synthesizing the knowledge and identifying antecedents, this review offers evidence to support recommendations on managing and mitigating conflict. As inevitable as conflict is, it is the responsibility of everyone to increase their own awareness, accountability and active participation in understanding conflict and minimizing it. Future research should investigate the testing of interventions to minimize these antecedents and, subsequently, reduce conflict.