Conflict experience and conflict resolution styles among nurses in a private tertiary hospital

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the conflict experience and conflict resolution styles among nurses in a private tertiary hospital in Roxas City. The respondents of the study were the 87 nurses, 17 of these were middle level managers and 70 were staff nurses assigned in different areas in a private tertiary hospital in Roxas City. This is a descriptive-relational that used a one-shot survey design. Data were collected through a self administered questionnaire which were distributed to the respondents after permission was granted by the hospital administrator and the chief nurse. The data were processed and analyzed through Statistical Package for Social Sciences Program (SPSS). Descriptive statistics of frequency counts, percentages, rank and means were utilized. To test the significance of relationships between and among variables, Cramer’s V was used and interpreted using Garrett’s interpretation. Majority (71.3 percent) of the respondents was below 29 years old, female, single, and assigned in the wards. Most of the respondents were staff nurses. Most of them had moderate conflict experience in the workplace. As to the category of conflict, most of the respondents experienced interpersonal conflict to a great extent. The preferred resolution style of most respondents was collaboration. In some situations however, they chose to use compromise and accommodating but only few respondents of this study were using avoidance and competition. There is a slight relationship between age, sex, civil status, area of assignment, job position and conflict experience. Thus, it is likely that the respondents will experience conflict regardless of their personal characteristics. A relationship was also noted between the respondents’ conflict experience and their conflict resolution styles. Respondents who have greatly and moderately experienced conflict used collaboration as their principal resolution style. Respondents who experienced conflict the least, used only accommodation as their resolution styles. The researcher concludes that majority of the respondents were females, single, working as staff nurses and assigned in the wards. The researcher also concludes that the workplace is a chaotic field and conflict in the workplace cannot be avoided. There were many respondents who experienced conflict, especially interpersonal conflict. Generally, the respondents of this study use collaboration in resolving conflict. No matter what category of conflict they experienced, collaboration is still the preferred style amongst them.