Conflict Management Checklist: A Diagnostic Tool for Assessing Conflict in Organizations. (PART 1 CONFLICT MANAGEMENT)‪.‬

CONFLICT INEVITABLY occurs in all work settings because people have different needs, preferences, and values. With the rapid changes in health care delivery and market systems, the opportunity for conflict among health care professionals increases greatly. Roles, incentives, and societal expectations are changing dramatically for most of the health professions, increasing ambiguity and uncertainty. The usual cognitive complexity of work for health care professionals is magnified by the need to redesign systems that increase value, implement new oversight systems, adapt to myriad reimbursement guidelines, and integrate both new knowledge and best practices. The burgeoning regulations of government and payers enhance fear of losing out or not measuring up. And the broad availability of specialized information on the Internet is perceived as an incredible opportunity by some physicians and an unheralded challenge to their cultural authority by others. Conflict is a natural, inevitable part of life. It is both the constant companion and frequent trigger of change. As Dudley Weeks emphasizes In The Eight Essential Steps to Conflict Resolution, many of our views about conflict are misperceptions, not facts.1 Conflict is not inherently a disruption of order, a negative experience, a battle between incompatible self-interests, a struggle between absolutes, or a sign that a relationship is bad. Rather, we can choose to see conflict as a natural and inevitable consequence of growth and diversity and an opportunity for mutually beneficial change. We can view conflict as a call to understand competing, but not necessarily incompatible, preferences and values. And we can anticipate conflict as a periodic occurrence in any relationship that can be channeled toward growth or dissolution.