Strategies for Preventing, Reducing, and Managing Conflict
Strategies for preventing, reducing, and managing conflict include
incorporating within team practice the following opportunities and processes:
- Built-in process to review decisions, including review and definition of
goals, the direction of the team, and priorities.
- Role clarification through the discussion of such topics as knowledge base,
professional stereotypes, specializations, autonomy, competencies and
responsibilities, and codes of ethics.
- Examination of overlapping roles and renegotiation of role assignments.
- Recognition of professional hierarchies and discussion of their impact on team
functioning (status and delegation of authority issues are a part of this
activity).
- Opportunities for improving interprofessional skills of team members—processes
for handling conflict can be taught and learned.
Through the exchange of views that accompanies conflict, geriatric teams
produce creative care plans and also build trust and understanding between members.
The table Using Conflict to Promote Interdisciplinary Problem Solving, defines the various styles for dealing with conflict along with the notes on
how a facilitator can address each style effectively.