Leadership & Management in Nursing NCLEX Practice Quiz with rational answers(B)

Katherine is a young Unit Manager of the Pediatric Ward. Most of her staff nurses are senior to her, very articulate, confident, and sometimes aggressive. Katherine feels uncomfortable believing that she is the scapegoat of everything that goes wrong in her department. Which of the following is the best action that she must take? • A. Identify the source of the conflict and understand the points of friction. • B. Disregard what she feels and continues to work independently. • C. Seek help from the Director of Nursing. • D. Quit her job and look for another employment. Correct Answer: A. Identify the source of the conflict and understand the points of friction This involves a problem-solving approach, which addresses the root cause of the problem. Seek to understand the underlying emotions of the employees in conflict. Employers can manage workplace conflict by creating an organizational culture designed to preclude conflict as much as possible and by dealing promptly and equitably with conflicts that employees cannot resolve among themselves. • Option B: Do not ignore conflict, and do not avoid taking steps to prevent it. Unresolved issues of interpersonal tension and conflict can create emotional stress for employees, politicize the workplace and divert attention from the organization’s mission. • Option C: Before escalating the conflict to the Director of Nursing, the unit manager should first try to de escalate the problem. If a manager has mechanisms in place to resolve conflict at its early stages, employees will generally see their employer as fair in their dealings with them and will likely be more satisfied with their jobs. • Option D: If the manager does not act, conflicts will escalate into larger problems, discrimination and harassment complaints may increase, and the employer’s reputation could be damaged. When employees mistrust management or perceive the organization as acting unfairly, turnover may increase. This can lead to recruiting and training expenses for new hires and the costs attributable to slippage of performance until new employees become fully proficient in their jobs.