Conflict management at the workplace is one of the crucial elements related to the organization of work in healthcare facilities. In this regard, McKibben (2017) asserts that conflict is an inevitable part of any human interaction, especially when the collective activity is associated with physical, mental, and ethical complexity found in hospitals. Consequently, if ignored or not handled adequately, the disputes between the colleges at the workplace lead to decreased performance and satisfaction levels of the involved employees (Suifan, Alhyari, & Sweis, 2020). This, in turn, negatively impacts the overall quality of provided patient care. Therefore, it is important to resolve the conflicts as soon as they appear. However, to understand how to manage disputes effectively, one should understand the factors that cause them.
In general, all the antecedents of organizational conflicts may be divided into three groups, namely individual, interpersonal, and organizational. As for the former, Kim et al. (2017) argue that the healthcare professional’s self-esteem, self-focus, emotional intelligence, prevalent responses to conflict, communication styles, and overall worldview determine the frequency and severity of the disputes. In a similar vein, Chang, Chen, and Chen (2017) found that a person’s license level, age, and previous experience of working in other collectives can all affect the behavior during conflict situations. Interpersonal conflicts, on the contrary, are caused by such factors as lack of trust and respect towards a person, power abuse, and ineffective communication (Kim et al., 2017). Finally, organizational conflicts stem from the overall structure and work arrangement. In this respect, such factors as ambiguously defined responsibilities and inadequate hierarchy can cause dissatisfaction and disputes (Kim et al., 2017; McKibben, 2017). Therefore, this type of conflict appears as a result of weak or wrongful management decisions.
I have also participated in several conflicts that can be explained by the factors mentioned above. Firstly, I have a friend who is generally a good person but who is quite self-focused; thus, he often fails to recognize other people’s opinions. Due to that, we usually have to do what he wants, which eventually leads to conflict when I become tired of compromising. Secondly, I have noticed that many conflicts between me and my parents and friends are caused by my inability to control one’s emotions. Finally, once, we had a conflict with my classmates while working on the team project as we failed to discuss the responsibilities of each person before starting.