Nurses' conflict management styles and effecting factors: Alanya sample

Objective: The aim of the research is to determine the conflict management styles and factors that nurses utilize to deal with conflicts with their superiors and peers. Method: The study was conducted with 136 nurses working in a private and public hospital in Alanya, Antalya, who were not on annual or sick leave and who volunteered in the voluntary data collection process to participate in the survey. A Personal Information Form and Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory II-A and II-C forms were used to collect data. The data were analyzed with SPSS 17.0 statistical package program. Frequency, percentage distribution, arithmetic average, t test, variance analysis (ANOVA), Kruskall-Wallis analysis and Cronbach Alpha coefficient were used in the analysis of the data. Results: It was concluded that the nurses had conflicts due to insufficient communication, work burden and uncertainty of authority, respectively. It was also found that the nurses used the compromise style most frequently, the dominant style the least frequently. It was further reported that in their conflicts with their peers, they used integration style most frequently and avoidance style least frequently. They used a variety of conflict management styles in conflicts with their superiors depending on educational status, position at work, socioeconomical status, self-esteem in conflict management, duration of professional service, intent to leave the institution, and intent to leave job while the conflict management styles in conflicts with their peers differed according to gender, educational status and workplace. Conclusion: It was reported that nurses used different conflict management styles in their conflicts with their superiors and peers, and these styles varied according to certain demographic characteristics. Key words: conflict, conflict management styles, conflict with peers, conflict with superiors, nursing