Reflective Nursing: Strategies for Teamwork and Conflict Management

This essay reflects on the importance of teamwork in nursing, highlighting the impact of effective communication, shared goals, and mutual support on patient outcomes. It identifies common barriers to teamwork, such as poor communication and conflicting priorities, and proposes strategies for conflict resolution, including direct communication, mediation, and addressing underlying issues. The essay also offers recommendations for improving team performance, emphasizing relationship-building, clear guidelines, leading by example, and soliciting feedback to foster a positive and collaborative work environment within healthcare teams. This document is available on Desklib, a platform offering a wide range of study resources for students.

Running head: REFLECTIVE NURSING 1
Reflective Nursing
Institution
Course
Date

REFLECTIVE NURSING 2
Reflective Nursing
In providing healthcare, an efficient teamwork can instantaneously and certainly affect patient
outcome and wellbeing. The necessity for well-organized teams in healthcare is growing owing
to the rising co-morbidities as well as ever-increasing involvedness of specialism of care.
However, the effectiveness of teamwork is affected by various facilitators and barriers such as
poor communication, lateral violence, and peer pressures to mention a few. Some facilitators
may include effective leadership, emotional intelligence, and conducive work environment. This
paper presents a clear way through which a team can meet its goals with ease. It will also enlist
some approaches health practitioners can apply resolve conflicts that occur in a team setting.
Included in this paper, also, are some recommendations I would make for a team to enhance its
performance.
For a team of nurses to achieve its set goals and objectives they must communicate well, focus
on goals and results, ensure everybody contributes their share, support each other, stay
organized, and ensure there is good leadership. Team members should communicate openly with
one another share their opinions, ideas, and thoughts. Communication is very vital since it
enables the team to track a progress and perform every task efficiently (Arnold, & Boggs, 2019).
Besides, members should agree on and develop team goals based on intended patient outcomes
and results, instead of simply on the amount of work they are doing. A lucid strategy should be
set regarding how they are going to attain the objectives as a team and also as every individual’s
contribution. For a nursing team to achieve its goals, it should also ensure all members contribute
their sensible portion of the workload and fully comprehend what their roles are where they fit at
a given time. In order to augment their productivity, nurses are encouraged to support each other

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whenever they receive support from the organization. They should also stay organized and
ensure they have good leaders who encourage and motivate them (Mitchell, & Golden, 2012).
Wherever people are as a team, there are always conflicts due to opinions variation,
miscommunications, and misunderstandings. A team of nurses, for example, may have differing
priorities and values, whilst others may resist change. All these things lead to conflicts and
skirmishes and conflicts in a team setting (Almost, Wolff, Stewart‐Pyne, McCormick, Strachan,
& D'souza, 2016). In my team of health practitioners we have experienced such conflicts and as a
result I have mastered various effective conflict management strategies which I believe are great
help to anybody who tries them. Following are some of the strategies I will use to resolve
conflicts in my team:
Dealing with the situation: Most team members prefer to avoid a conflict. I have seen some
nurses actually abandoning groups because of conflicts with their colleagues rather than trying to
resolve them at interpersonal levels. Ignoring a conflict may lead to unresolved feelings of anger,
resentment, stress and hostility. When a nurse learns how to manage conflicts effectively, he/she
becomes happier and healthier, emotionally and physically. Frankel, & PGCMS, (2008) says
he/she develops better relationships and gains respect from the rest of team members.
Using a mediator if needed: If a given situation is specifically bothersome or volatile and other
approaches have failed, I will always invite a neutral third party, for instance, a manager, to take
the role of mediator. However, this tactic works if it is agreeable to all concerned.
Talking it out one-on-one: Meeting two conflicting parties can sometimes be intimidating, but it
is always the best way to go. One-on-one communication is actually is the best approach since it

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allows exchange of information. Using it will give me a chance to make use of eye contact, hand
gestures, a smile, a handshake and other pertinent body language. It will also give me an
opportunity to observe vital non-verbal cues from both parties (Spagnol et al, 2010).
What recommendations I would make for a team to improve its performance?
Concentrate on relationship-building: Health practitioners are more likely to support and
communicate with those team members they know well. Team members who are comfortable
with their colleagues find it easier to ask them for help, collaborate and assist others. It is
therefore vital for team leaders to normalize communication between team members since this
enhances their work relationships (Toles, & Anderson, 2011).
Setting clear guidelines: Ensure every member in the team is fully aware of what is expected of
them. Leaders are encouraged to set guidelines and put them on paper in order to ascertain that
all nurse technicians, nurses, and other caregivers on the team are well versed with all guidelines.
Leading by example: Nurse Leaders are the thermostats which govern the whole mood of the
team. So whether they are positive or negative, I recommend that they follow their own rules and
handle other team members with respect. Letting a team emulate the steps set forth by their
leaders is a crucial necessity of good performance.
Asking for feedback: I encourage nurse leaders to make efforts and foster open conversations to
ask team members what is the hindering them from reaching their full potential. Give them an
opportunity to express themselves because it is good to make feel appreciated by allowing them
to have their say. They should be given a chance to share not only the challenges they are facing
but also their suggestions on the way to make improvements (Clynes, & Raftery, 2008).

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References
Almost, J., Wolff, A. C., Stewart‐Pyne, A., McCormick, L. G., Strachan, D., & D'souza, C.
(2016). Managing and mitigating conflict in healthcare teams: an integrative
review. Journal of advanced nursing, 72(7), 1490-1505.
Arnold, E. C., & Boggs, K. U. (2019). Interpersonal Relationships E-Book: Professional
Communication Skills for Nurses. Saunders.
Clynes, M. P., & Raftery, S. E. (2008). Feedback: an essential element of student learning in
clinical practice. Nurse education in practice, 8(6), 405-411.
Frankel, A., & PGCMS, R. (2008). What leadership styles should senior nurses develop. Nursing
Times, 104(35), 23-24.
Mitchell, P., & Golden, R. (2012). Core principles & values of effective team-based health care.
National Academy of Sciences.
Spagnol, C. A., Santiago, G. R., Campos, B. M. D. O., Badaró, M. T. M., Vieira, J. S., &
Silveira, A. P. D. O. (2010). Conflict situations experienced at hospital: the view of
nursing technicians and auxiliaries. Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da USP, 44(3),
803-811.
Toles, M., & Anderson, R. A. (2011). State of the science: relationship-oriented management
practices in nursing homes. Nursing Outlook, 59(4), 221-227.