Explore managing departmental conflict

Conflict Management in Healthcare
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Introduction
According to one author, conflict resolution is a daily occurrence at work that can either propel or disrupt the momentum for a leader, team, or the entire organization (Llopis, 2014). Llopis (2014) goes on to state that conflict can create a toxic workplace. He also pointed out that sometimes when you resolve conflict it creates another one (Llopis, 2014). There is also a difference in the level of conflict. There can be departmental conflict or ones that are organization-wide. The techniques used for managing a departmental issue might include understanding the situation, acknowledging the problem, being patient, and avoiding coercion (Smith, 2018). Managing departmental conflict will be the topic of this week’s discussion.
References
Llopis, G. (2014). 4 ways leaders effectively manage employee conflict. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2014/11/28/4-ways-leaders-effectively-manage-employee-conflict/#40860b1b5e15
Smith, G. (2018). Conflict resolution: 8 strategies to manage workplace conflict. Retrieved from https://www.businessknowhow.com/manage/resolveconflict.htm
Unit Learning Outcome
ULO 1: Evaluate the cause and resolutions of departmental conflicts (CLO 4 and 5).
Directions
Initial Posting
For this week’s discussion question, we will explore managing departmental conflict. You have just taken over the Health Information Management Systems Section. You are coming from a department that for the most part ran smoothly. Everyone knew their role and completed their tasks with little to no issue. You are anticipating the same thing in this department. Shortly after settling in, you are approached by Nancy Wilson. She is letting you know that your predecessor had given her an unapproved flex schedule to allow her to pick up her children from school and she was expecting that it would continue under your leadership. You have also noticed that there is a culture of non-accountability. Staff come in late and leave early with no repercussions. The unit supervisors seem to turn a blind to it. Staff are allowed to do only certain parts of their job by arguing about the parts they don’t want to do. You have one employee, Betty Bunn, who calls out at least once a week, which requires others to cover her duties. You also have a supervisor who is second guessing your decisions with your staff. The department has a reputation for not being efficient or easy to work with because of the staff’s attitude and work ethic. You find yourself in conflict with the staff, supervisor, and departmental policies/procedures as you look to bring the department’s performance up to par. You have voiced your concerns to your supervisor. He indicated that this is a departmental issue and that you have the authority to make the changes you need to handle the issues. You have decided to prepare a table to address each of the issues you have noticed to date, which you will share with your boss. When preparing your table, be very specific. List the conflict you are addressing, who it is with, the impact on the unit, the technique to handle it, and the expected outcome. Also discuss if you believe some staff members should be let go as a way of resolving the conflict.
The initial posting table should be prepared as a Microsoft™ Word document, and then attached to the unit discussion thread. There is no minimum or maximum in terms of the word count; however, the response should explicitly address all required components of this discussion assignment. The document should be prepared as a practical business deliverable (single-spaced) and reflect higher-level cognitive processing (analysis, synthesis, and evaluation).
Support the initial posting with at least 3 references of credible or peer-reviewed sources. The in-text citations and the list of references should be consistent with the APA writing style (7th ed.). To earn the maximum number of points for the initial posting, the overall quality of the writing should be consistent with that expected of a college student and industry professional.