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Conflict management style, supportive work environments and the experience of work stress in emergency nurses
Author(s) -
Johansen Mary L.,
Cadmus Edna
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of nursing management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.925
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1365-2834
pISSN - 0966-0429
DOI - 10.1111/jonm.12302
Subject(s) - stressor , conflict management , psychology , role conflict , work (physics) , nursing , nursing management , quality (philosophy) , management styles , applied psychology , social psychology , medicine , clinical psychology , management , sociology , engineering , economics , mechanical engineering , social science , philosophy , epistemology
Aims To examine the conflict management style that emergency department ( ED ) nurses use to resolve conflict and to determine whether their style of managing conflict and a supportive work environment affects their experience of work stress. Background Conflict is a common stressor that is encountered as nurses strive to achieve patient satisfaction goals while delivering quality care. How a nurse perceives support may impact work stress levels and how they deal with conflict. Methods A correlational design examined the relationship between supportive work environment, and conflict management style and work stress in a sample of 222 ED nurses using the expanded nurse work stress scale; the survey of perceived organisational support; and the Rahim organisational conflict inventory‐ II . Results Twenty seven percent of nurses reported elevated levels of work stress. A supportive work environment and avoidant conflict management style were significant predictors of work stress. Conclusions Findings suggest that ED nurses' perception of a supportive work environment and their approach to resolving conflict may be related to their experience of work stress. Implications for nursing management Providing opportunities for ED nurses in skills training in constructive conflict resolution may help to reduce work stress and to improve the quality of patient care.