Preventing a perfect storm in your medical practice: understanding communication, collaboration, and conflict

Practice management can be both challenging and frustrating. In today's world of high turnover, decreased numbers of skilled workers, and increased regulatory requirements, it is more important than ever that practice managers understand the dynamics of creating a climate of motivation. There are three events that, when they hit all at once, can wreak havoc on the effective management of a medical practice. These are: (1) communica-tion breakdown; (2) lack of collaboration between employees and managers; and (3) the inability to prevent, manage, and/or resolve conflict. This article will present strategies to streamline communication, explore ideas on how to collaborate more effectively, and provide insight into the five styles of conflict management.