Communication that builds teams: assessing a nursing conflict intervention.

Area of Science:

• Organizational Psychology
• Nursing Management
• Communication Studies

Background:

• Effective communication is vital for high-functioning nursing teams.
• Structurational divergence (SD) theory identifies institutional factors causing communication breakdowns and conflict cycles.
• Previous research has applied SD theory within nursing, highlighting its relevance to healthcare settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design, implement, and evaluate an intervention aimed at reducing structurational divergence (SD).
• To improve nurses' work life and foster healthier team relationships through enhanced communication and conflict management skills.
• To equip nurses with tools for better understanding and managing workplace conflicts.

Main Methods:

• An intensive 9-hour training course was developed, focusing on conflict/SD analysis and dialogic conflict/SD management.
• 36 working nurses from diverse settings participated in the intervention.
• Quantitative pre- and posttests were administered to participants, with a comparison group used for evaluation.

Main Results:

• The intervention significantly reduced negative conflict attitudes and behaviors, including personalization, persecution feelings, negative relational effects, ambiguity intolerance, and triangulation.
• Participants demonstrated increased positive attitudes towards productive dialogue and conflict management, such as conflict liking and positive beliefs about arguing.
• Compared to non-participants, participants showed lower conflict persecution, higher recognition of positive relational effects, lower negative relational effects, higher conflict liking, lower ambiguity intolerance, and reduced triangulation.

Conclusions:

• The training intervention effectively equipped nurses with tools to manage workplace conflicts and improve team dynamics.
• Participants reported enhanced understanding and empowerment in managing conflicts, leading to more positive workplace relationships.
• This intervention offers a practical approach to improving system-level function and fostering productive relationships within nursing teams.