Conflict management

2. CONFICT
MANAGEMENT
Shamima Akter
B.Sc in OT, M. Sc in RS
Assistant Professor
Department of Occupational Therapy
Bangladesh Health Professions Institute
Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed
Chapain, Savar

3. Conflict... Conflict... Conflict...
Conflict
 For many people, conflict is inextricably linked
to negative emotions and unpleasant
events.
 As a result, conflict is typically unwelcome
and perhaps unacknowledged by the team.
 The team may sense its presence as the
elephant in the room, an obvious problem that
people ignore.
 Yet conflict is an unavoidable part of working
closely with people and may result in
detrimental effects for team members when
ignored or poorly managed.

4. Conflict... Conflict... Conflict...
Conflict
 It is also one of the Interprofessional
Practice (IP) competencies that manager
must address.
 Conflict may arise from interpersonal
differences, environmental stresses, and
teamwork challenges.
 We hope that the information and suggestions
provided in this module, along with your
willingness to look directly at conflict and your
own reactions to it, will change this perception.

5. Conflict... Conflict... Conflict...
Conflict
 We have adopted a strength-based approach rather
than the traditional problem-based approach to
thinking about and managing conflict.
 We invite you to view conflict in a positive manner,
accepting its inevitable presence and perhaps even
welcoming the opportunities it brings to people with
disabilities and the team.
 By being open to new management strategies,
perhaps you will begin to challenge negative emotions
experienced when you hear the term CONFLICT.

6. Continue..
The Canadian interprofessional Health
Collaborative (CIHC) Framework defines
competency in IP conflict resolution this way:
Practitioners engage self and others to
positively and constructively address
disagreements.
Team members consistently address conflict
constructively by:

7. Continue..
 Valuing the potential positive nature of conflict
 Recognizing potential for conflict and taking constructive
steps to address it
 Identifying common situations leading to conflict (role
ambiguity, power gradients and differences in goals)
 Setting guidelines for addressing conflict
 Addressing and resolving disagreements through
analyzing causes and reaching acceptable solutions
 Establishing a safe environment to express diverse
opinions
 Developing consensus among those with differing views,
allowing viewpoints to be heard regardless of outcomes

8. Conflict management
 It is the process of limiting the negative
aspects of conflict while increasing the
positive aspects of conflict.
 The aim of conflict management is to
enhance learning and group outcomes,
including effectiveness or performance in
organizational setting (Ra him, 2002, p. 208).

9. Continue..
 There has been a substantial work exploring
personal conflict style. The focus of the module
is on team conflict, but it is also important to
reflect on your own personal style that you
bring to the team. The styles have been
categorized as:
 Competing
 Collaborating
 Avoiding
 Accommodating
 Compromising

10. Competing
Characteristics:
 competition or a need to win, creating a win-lose
situation for people
 goal-oriented person with authoritarian traits
 relationships are a low priority
 aggressive, uncooperative, intimidating behavior
may occur
Advantage: If this person’s decision is correct, a
better decision without compromise can result.
Disadvantage: This approach may result in hostility
and resentment.
(Thomas & Kilman, 1977)

11. Avoiding
Characteristics:
 avoid or withdraw from conflict, displaying passive
 behaviour which may lead to a lose-lose situation
 may lead the person to be uncooperative or
unassertive
 may give up personal goals
Advantage: This approach may help to maintain
relationships that would be hurt by conflict
resolution.
Disadvantage: Conflict remains unresolved and
others may take advantage or ignore the

12. Accommodating
Characteristics:
smoothes things out to maintain personal
relationships
unassertive creating a lose-win situation
ignores one’s own goals and gives in to
others
Advantage: Relationships are maintained
Disadvantage: May not be productive as the
person may be taken advantage of by others

13. Compromising
Characteristics:
a concern for goals and relationships
assertive and cooperative behavior but the
result is either a win-lose or lose-lose
situation
willingness to give up some personal goals
if others also give up some of theirs
Advantage: Relationships are maintained and
conflict decreased.
Disadvantage: A less than ideal outcome may

14. Collaborating
Characteristics:
 problems are confronted with value placed on
goals and relationships
 conflict is considered a problem to be solved with
solutions being agreeable to all, resulting in a win-
win situation
Advantage:
Both sides get what they want.
Disadvantage:
This approach takes time and effort to work well.

17. Personal Conflict Style
 Competing/Forcing Shark
 Collaborating Owl
 Avoiding Turtle
 Accommodating Teddy Bear
 Compromising Fox

18. Collaborative Team Conflict
 Conflict reveals opportunities to enhance care.
 Conflict may occur within and between any of
these spheres.
 It is critical to ensure optimal care as conflict
management strategies are developed.

19. Context of Collaborative Team
Conflict

20. Inter Team Conflict
 Conflict may occur between teams within the
same organization or between organizations.
 Management of inter team conflict may be
challenging, but ultimately benefits the
continuity of care.
 Sources of conflict may include:
 Communication breakdowns when a person with a
disability is transferred from one team to another
 Differing philosophies of practice between
organizations or teams.
 Practice/context constraints that influence the type
of care provided. For example acute care versus

21. Intra Team Conflict
Between professional/Within professions
 Conflict that occurs between the professions or
between individuals within the same profession
within one team .
 The literature on team conflict typically reflects
intra team conflict.
 Conflict can arise Sources of conflict may
include:
 role ambiguity – unclear roles; overlaps or gaps in
care delivery
 power gradients – one team member has power
over others
 differences in goals for care

22. Sources of Collaborative Team
Conflict
 Communication structures
 Institutional policies & procedures
 Scope of practice/ Role boundaries
 Role ambiguity
 Accountability
 Hierarchy/power
 Professional culture- whose goal is it?
 Workload
 People with disabilities role in the team
 Personal/spiritual beliefs & values

23. Factors in managing collaborative team
conflict
Individual Team
• Willingness to sit at the
‘conflict table’
• Understanding one’s own
style while respecting
others’ styles
• Ability to see conflict as a
critical ingredient in
building better teams
• Open and direct
communication
• Humility
• Willingness to
acknowledge and address
conflict as a way to build
better teams
• Designated team member
who provides leadership
in conflict management
• Shared responsibility in
finding solutions
• Existence of a Conflict
Protocol
• Modeling by leadership in

24. Strength-based
vs.
Problem-based

25. Appreciative Inquiry – The
Basics
Appreciative Inquiry or AI is defined by
Cooperrider & Whitney (2005) as: the
cooperative search for the best in people, their
organizations, and the world around them.
It is the art and practice of asking questions that
reveal a system’s strengths, dreams and
motivations.
Cooperrider believes that organizations can
achieve their highest potential by asking
questions (inquiring) at all levels of the
organization to reveal and embrace (appreciate)
the positives that exist and those that are yet to

26. Examples of AI questions may
be:
 What is working well?
 What are the strengths in the organization
(person, team, community)?
 What is our ideal future?
 What steps can take us there?
 How will we know we are there?
 How will we sustain positive change?

27. Appreciative Inquiry: Key
Principles
•individual uniqueness, creativity and diversity
•mutual respect
•language and behavior as agents of change
•relationship building
•sharing of personal stories to build on positives

29. Developing a Collaborative Conflict Protocol
Consider the following:
1.Guiding Principles (values/beliefs about conflict)
2.Context of conflict
3.Source of conflict
4.Person focused on outcomes
5.Benefits to the team
6.Appreciative Inquiry approach