Author Question: A nurse manager overhears two staff nurses talking about a third nurse, who has the day off. The ... (Read 191 times)

jCorn1234 · **on:** Jun 25, 2018

A nurse manager overhears two staff nurses talking about a third nurse, who has the day off. The nurses are making unflattering comments regarding the nurse in front of several other nurses who work on the unit.

The nurse manager discretely asks to speak to the nurses' in private and states, This behavior isn't OK, especially in a hospital like ours with a 'zero-tolerance policy.' If you have an issue with this nurse please deal with that nurse directly. If you'd like me to help you with this, please let me know, and the four of us can meet. The nurse manager's behavior modeled strategies for which type of work-place conflict?

A) Stress
B) Sexual harassment
C) Horizontal violence
D) Intrapersonal conflict

Question 2

The nurses in the emergency department (ED) and the staff nurses on the neurological unit are experiencing conflict.

The ED nurses are not pleased with the amount of time is takes for the neurological unit's admitting nurse to receive face-to-face hand-off communication for clients who are being admitted to that unit. Which type of conflict is being experienced by these nurses?
A) Intrapersonal conflict
B) Interpersonal conflict
C) Intergroup conflict
D) Interorganizational conflict

swimkari · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 25, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Answer: C

In quietly and respectfully calling out the nurse about her disparaging comments directed at an absent coworker, the nursing director modeled strategies to address horizontal violence (HV), a form of workplace bullying. HV is described as aggressive acts committed against a nurse by one or more nursing colleagues and can be verbal or physical. The director's positive steps to address HV included: reminding the nurse about the hospital's zero-tolerance attitude toward bullying; reinforcing the code of conduct that identified the nurses' behavior as bullying; demonstrating to other nurses that she took the issue of bullying seriously; and offering to help the nurse appropriately address with her colleague the behavior that had prompted the disparaging comment. There is not enough information presented to know if workplace stress or sexual harassment were issues, and intrapersonal conflict refers to conflict within an individual, which is not necessarily evident in this scenario.

Answer to Question 2

Answer: C

Because the inter-unit conflict described is occurring between two teams of nurses, this scenario is describing intergroup conflict. It is likely driven by each team's wish to provide quality care for their patients in a context of limited resources or lack of role clarity. Intrapersonal conflict describes stress or tension within the individual that results from real or perceived pressure associated with incompatible expectations. Interpersonal conflict is characterized by conflict between individuals (rather than service areas as in this situation). Interorganizational conflict typically involves competition between two organizations existing in one market. Without a further description of how the conflict is being manifested and managed by the two teams, the conflict can't be identified as covert (or overt) at this time.