10 Conflict and Bullying
LEARNING GUIDE: CONFLICT AND BULLYING
OVERVIEW
This lesson builds on the lesson concerning conflict. This exploration of bullying contrasts bullying with conflict, identifies the challenges concerning bullying as well as strategies to address bullying and/or a difficult conversation.
OBJECTIVES
For this lesson you will:
- Examine the pitfalls of groupthink and how it can impact conflict resolution.
- Identify the scope of incivility and bullying in the healthcare workplace.
- Describe the Respectful Conversations framework for resolving conflict.
COMPETENCIES
| IPEC Sub-competencies – Values/Ethics for Interprofessional Practice | |
| VE8 | Manage ethical dilemmas specific to interprofessional patient/population centered care situations. |
| IPEC Sub-competencies – Interprofessional Communication | |
|---|---|
| CC5 | Give timely, sensitive, instructive feedback to others about their performance on the team, responding respectfully as a team member to feedback from others. |
| CC6 | Use respectful language appropriate for a given difficult situation, critical conversation, or interprofessional conflict. |
| CC7 | Recognize how one’s own uniqueness, including experience level, expertise, culture, power, and hierarchy within the health care team, contributes to effective communication, conflict resolution, and positive interprofessional working relationship. |
| IPEC Sub-competencies – Teams and Teamwork | |
| TT6 | Engage self and others to constructively manage disagreements about values, roles, goals, and actions that arise among health and other professionals and with patients, families, and community members. |
DEFINITIONS
Crucial Conversation – “A discussion between two or more people where (1) stakes are high, (2) opinions vary, and (3) emotions run strong” (Patterson, Grenny, McMillan & Switzer, 2002, p. 3).
Workplace Incivility and Bullying – “is any negative behavior that demonstrates a lack of regard for others” (PACERS Civility Toolkit, 2015).
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
- The following sources with study guides have been curated for student learning.
- For application and demonstration of learning, lab exercises can be found in the second half of this online education resource, Lab Exercises.
READ: Bullying vs. conflict in the workplace
Study Guide: The authors of this resource examine the difference between bullying and conflict. Other take-aways include that bullying in the workplace should not be tolerated and that not all disagreements or fights are bullying events.
REFERENCE: Go2HR. (2021). Bullying vs. conflict in the workplace. (February 05, 2021).
WATCH: Incivility and bullying in healthcare: Overview
Study guide: The American Nurses Association convened a task force to address burnout in nurses. At first glance, this source may be considered nurse-specific, but incivility and burnout are important to all healthcare professions; this is most recently apparent when examining the healthcare workforce during and post the COVID-19 pandemic challenge. As students watch the video consider the definition, setting, and who is involved in a bullying event as well as the consequences of bullying.
REFERENCE: PACERS Civility Toolkit. (2015). Incivility and bullying in healthcare: Overview (Video 1 of 3) [Video].
WATCH: Incivility and bullying in healthcare: Approach to respectful conversions.
Study guide: The American Nurses Association convened a task force to address burnout in nurses. At first glance, this source may be considered nurse-specific, but incivility and burnout are important to all healthcare professions; this is most recently apparent when examining the healthcare workforce during and post the COVID-19 pandemic challenge. As students watch this video, focus on the explanations of the steps for the Respectful Conversation framework which is an evidence-based strategy.
REFERENCE: PACERS Civility Toolkit. (2015). Incivility and bullying in healthcare: Approach to respectful conversations (Video 2 of 3). [Video].
WATCH: Crucial Conversations book summary: How to make it safe to talk about anything
Study Guide: This video summarizes the six important points from the book, Crucial Conversations. This Crucial Conversations framework can be used to negotiate a conflict, to break a cycle of bullying, and describes how to students can present their position in a bullying-type manner.
REFERENCE: McAdam, E. (2019, August 22). Crucial Conversations book summary: How to make it safe to talk about anything. [Video]. YouTube.
LESSON REFERENCES
Patterson, K., Grenny, J., McMillan, R., & Switzler, A. (2002). Crucial conversations: Tools for talking when stakes are high. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0071415831