Conflict resolution strategies and applications

As the team leader on the night shift, what are your responsibilities to the staff in this situation? As the team leader, it is clearly my responsibility to ensure that all members of the organization are working together cooperatively and efficiently. The conflict here denotes that there is clearly an impasse whereby the two experienced nurses appear to have little or no respect for their new, younger supervisor. This combines with a history of poor work ethic on the part of the two CNAs to have negatively impacted efficiency and caused the one effective employee to consider leaving the department.

1.Is gender an issue in this scenario? It is impossible to determine whether or not gender is an issue in this scenario. Though we know that Michael is male based on the pronouns used in the scenario, there are no such context clues to denote the gender of the two CNAs working under Michael.

2.What are some of the obvious causes of the conflict situation? Among the more likely causes of the conflict situation is an apparent resentment on the part of the two CNAs toward Michael. We may deduce that this is in some part stimulated by resentment over his younger age, as they are 20 years his senior and now reporting to him.

3.Discuss some of the more obscure reasons that may be contributing to this conflict situation. It is also possible that cultural differences between the CNAs and Michael are contributing to a difficulty in communication. This cannot be determined without intimate conflict mediation however.

4.Describe some of the conflict resolution techniques that you, as team leader, can implement. Mediation would be the primary technique, using my skills as an intermediary to conduct a meeting in which all parties voice grievances and offer suggestions on how the situation might be improved.

5.What is the responsibility of the rest of the staff in this situation to both Michael and the two CNAs? The rest of the staff is responsible to Michael as subordinates. They must therefore provide work support to him based on the gaps left by the other CNAs. Responsibility to the CNAs extends only so far as assisting in shared work responsibilities.