The Importance Of Interpersonal Conflicts In The Workplace

Introduction

Conflicts can occur in any working environment and nursing is not an exception. There exist so many personality conflicts especially since the nursing world is accompanied by many stressful and emotional situations (Twigg, & McCullough, 2014). It is a dynamic process that is either positive or negative within the workplace. Conflicts in the workplace can be as a result of many circumstances such as competition, limited resources, economic and professional differences, under-defined roles and expectations, and miscommunication (Chin et al., 2017). They can also arise as a result of staff to staff interactions or manager to staff interactions. In the health sector, both internal and external conflicts are faced on a daily basis (Almost et al., 2016). Consistent conflicts in the healthcare place often lead to damaged professional and interpersonal relations which may lead to poor patient services due to lack of communication (Zaghini et al., 2016). A nurse’s work tends to be difficult and stressful hence leaving the nursing organizations vulnerable to conflicts (Twigg, & McCullough, 2014). The nurses often experience different types of disputes in their line of duty, one major one being interpersonal conflicts. When conflicts exist in the healthcare setting, it can negatively affect the professional relationships which in turn tamper with patient care due to lack of communication (Cherry, & Jacob, 2016). Interpersonal conflict among nurses is one of the major