Exam 23: Conflict: the Cutting Edge of Change

Nurses entering into the workforce today are faced with which of the following relationships that could create organizational conflict?

Mrs.Hill,aged 68,was hospitalized after a stroke.The speech therapist recommended that oral feeding be stopped because of her dysplasia.During visiting hours,Mr.Hill fed his wife some noodles.The nurse noticed this and stopped Mr.Hill from feeding his wife,telling him it was the doctor's decision.An hour later,the nurse returned and found Mr.Hill feeding his wife again.The nurse tried to stop him again.Mr.Hill refused and claimed that the clinical staff was trying to starve his wife; he also threatened to get violent with the nurse.The nurse decided to walk away and documented the event in Mrs.Hill's chart.According to Thomas' Four Stages of Conflict,in which stage could the nurse have been more effective?

Factors that influence the ease with which conflict is resolved include all except which of the following?

The nurse manager is aware that conflict is occurring on her unit; however,she is focused on preparing for a state health department visit,so she ignores the problem.A factor that can increase stress and escalate conflict is:

Jill is the head nurse on a unit in a large hospital.Two of the staff nurses are constantly arguing and blaming each other,and a resolution has not occurred in months.To solve the existing conflict,which is the most desirable conflict resolution?

Two nurses on a psychiatric unit come from different backgrounds and have graduated from different universities.They are given a set of new orders from the unit manager.Each nurse displays different emotions in response to the orders.Nurse A indicates that the new orders include too many changes; Nurse B disagrees and verbally indicates why.This step in the process is which of the following in Thomas' Stages of Conflict?

Jane has transferred from ICU to CCU.She is very set in the way she makes assignments and encourages her new peers to adopt this method without sharing the rationale for why it is better.This is a good example of a process and procedure that creates ________ conflict.

After using a mediator to resolve a conflict between the nurse manager and two staff nurses,the chief nursing officer decides to:

The CEO of Bow Valley Hospital makes the following statement: "The reason we can't hire any more staff is the lack of government funding." This is a good example of which of the following conditions that propel a situation toward conflict?

A nursing instructor is teaching a class on conflict and conflict resolution.She relates to the class that conflict in an organization is important,and that an optimal level of conflict will do the following: Generate:

A group of staff nurses is dissatisfied with the new ideas presented by the newly hired nurse manager.The staff wants to keep their old procedures,and they resist the changes.Conflict arises from:

Sarah is a nurse manager in a surgical unit.She is concerned about a conflict between Lucy,a staff nurse,and one of the maintenance personnel.She explains to Jill that unsatisfactory resolution of the conflict is typically destructive and will result in:

Two staff nurses are arguing about working on holidays.In trying to resolve this conflict,the nurse manager understands that interpersonal conflict arises when:

Which of the following exemplifies the preferred conflict management style of nurse managers?

Sarah,a staff nurse on your unit,witnesses another nurse striking a patient.Sarah wants to remain friends with her colleague and worries that confrontation with her colleague or reporting her colleague will destroy their relationship.Sarah is experiencing which type of conflict?

Lee,the head nurse in ER,has attempted to meet Jillian,one of her staff RNs,for several days to discuss concerns about Jillian's relationships with her team members.Lee hopes to offer Jillian coaching so that Jillian's relationships can be more satisfying for Jillian and her team members.Each time Lee and Jillian set a time to meet,Jillian phones in sick.In this situation,Lee and Jillian are demonstrating:

John is a circulating nurse in the operating room.He is usually assigned to general surgery,but on this day he is assigned to the orthopedic room.He is unfamiliar with the routines and studies the doctor's preference cards before each patient.The fourth patient comes into the room and John prepares a site for a biopsy using a Betadine solution.The surgeon prefers another solution.He notices what John has done and immediately corrects him by rudely insulting John.Which of the following is the most appropriate approach to conflict resolution in this example?

The head nurse and a staff nurse are having a conflict over how to use and apply a new procedure for dressings in the medical/surgical unit.The staff nurse wishes to use the new procedure based on newly released nursing research.The head nurse wishes to use a protocol that has been used in the department for a number of years.The head nurse later makes comments to other staff on her unit about the credibility of the staff nurse.This behavior is associated with:

Which of the following best exemplifies a preferred style of conflict management for staff nurses?

The chief nursing officer plans a series of staff development workshops for the nurse managers to help them deal with conflicts.The first workshop introduces the four stages of conflict,which are: