TY - JOUR T1 - Conflict and Conflict Management in Health Services: A Nursing Perspective AU - Işık, Merve AU - Canbolat, Özlem PY - 2025 DA - September Y2 - 2025 DO - 10.59124/guhes.1696375 JF - Journal of Gazi University Health Sciences Institute JO - GUHES PB - Gazi University WT - DergiPark SN - 2687-6353 SP - 78 EP - 87 VL - 7 IS - 2 LA - en AB - Conflict is described as a condition of disagreement or contention between individuals and/or groups, arising from factors such as resource allocation, communication breakdowns, and institutional procedures. In healthcare organizations, conflict is inevitable due to elements like the intense mutual responsibility among staff and the human-centered nature of service provision and reception. Depending on how they are addressed, conflicts may yield either positive or negative outcomes. Effective conflict management requires that involved parties possess an understanding of the nature of conflict. In healthcare institutions, conflicts may originate from various sources, including interdependence, competition over resources, differing objectives, divergent perceptions, conflicting interests, and personality clashes. These conflicts can be classified based on their function, origin, involved parties, and organizational location. Poorly managed conflicts can harm interpersonal relationships and disrupt business operations. Conversely, conflicts that are well-regulated have been shown to enhance organizational performance. Therefore, it is essential to thoroughly analyze conflicts, accurately identify their causes, and manage them using the most suitable approach. This study aims to contribute to the conflict management process by identifying the types of conflicts experienced by nurses in healthcare institutions, examining their underlying causes, categorizing conflict types, and evaluating the impact of conflicts on both staff and organizational functioning. The aim of this study is to provide up-to-date information on conflicts within the nursing profession. KW - causes of conflict KW - conflict in nursing KW - organizational conflict CR - Akgün Çıtak, E. (2022) Conflict Management. In B. Üstün. & S. Demir. (Eds.) Communication in Nursing (2nd Edition) (11-38). Ankara: Akademi Press and Publishing. CR - Al-Ajarmeh, D. O., Rayan, A. H., Eshah, N. F., & Al-Hamdan, Z. M. (2022). Nurse-nurse collaboration and performance among nurses in intensive care units. Nursing in Critical Care, 27(6), 747-755. https://doi.org/10.1111/nicc.12745 CR - Al Kiyumi, M. H. (2023). Conflict Management in Healthcare Leadership; A Narrative Review. Journal of Medicine and Healthcare. SRC/JMHC-308. DOI: doi. org/10.47363/JMHC/2023 (5), 251, 2-9. CR - Alshehry, A. S. (2022). Nurse-patient/relatives conflict and patient safety competence among nurses. INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, 59. https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580221093186 CR - Assi, M. A., & Eshah, N. F. (2023). Conflict management in nursing: Analyzing styles, strategies, and influencing factors: A systematic review. Education Sciences, 14(4), 304. https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep14040304 CR - Başoğul, C. (2021). Conflict management and teamwork in workplace from the perspective of nurses. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 57(2), 610-619. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppc.12584 CR - Bayar, Z., & Mete, M. (2022). Sağlıkta Örgütsel Çatışma Ve Çözüm Yolları. Selçuk Üniversitesi Akşehir Meslek Yüksekokulu Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, (14), 73-84. CR - Bayır, Ö. G., & Gültekin, M. (2015). İlkokul dördüncü sınıf sosyal bilgiler dersinde çatışma çözme becerilerinin gelişiminin incelenmesi. Trakya Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 7(1). CR - Bautista, J. R., Lauria, P. A. S., Contreras, M. C. S., Maranion, M. M. G., Villanueva, H. H., Sumaguingsing, R. C., & Abeleda, R. D. (2020). Specific stressors relate to nurses' job satisfaction, perceived quality of care, and turnover intention. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 26(1), e12774.https://doi.org/10.1111/ijn.12774 CR - Bercovitch, J., & Jackson, R. (2009). Introduction: The Nature of Conflict and Conflict Resolution. In Conflict and Conflict Resolution in The Modern World (pp. 1–10). Palgrave Macmillan. CR - Bou-Karroum, L., El-Harakeh, A., Kassamany, I., Ismail, H., El Arnaout, N., Charide, R., & Akl, E. A. (2020). Health care workers in conflict and post-conflict settings: systematic mapping of the evidence. PloSone, 15(5), e0233757. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0233757 CR - Canatan, H. (2023) Örgütsel Çatışma. Özgüleş, Bünyamin. (Ed.) Sağlık Çalışanlarında Mutsuzluk (1. Baskı) içinde (133-154). Ankara: İksad Yayınevi. CR - Dewi, R. R. C., Yanti, N. P. E. D., Rahajeng, I. M., & Krisnawati, K. M. S. (2023). Nurses’ perceptions about conflict management strategy of head nurse. Nursing and Health Sciences Journal, 2(3). CR - Durmuş, S. (2020) Conflict Management System. Sola Unitas, Istanbul, 1st Edition. CR - Gökyer, N. (2022) Organizational Stress. In S. Özdemir. and N. Cemaloğlu. (Eds.) Organizational Behavior and Management (4th Edition) (391-420). Ankara: Pegem Akademi. CR - Gulo, R. M., & Silitonga, H. (2024). Nurses’ conflict management in Regional Public Hospital of Southeast Aceh District, Indonesia. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Applied Science, 9(3), 45–49. CR - Gürhan, N., & Okanlı, A. (2019). The secret of life is communication. Second Edition, Ankara: Nobel Medical Bookstores. 1st Edition.92, Volume 5, Issue 2 (2017). CR - Haji Matarsat, H. M., Rahman, H. A., & Abdul-Mumin, K. (2021). Work-family conflict, health status and job satisfaction among nurses. British Journal of Nursing, 30(1), 54-58. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2021.30.1.54 CR - Hussain, N., Kousar, R., Asif, M., & Bibi, S. (2023). Conflict resolution styles among nursing staff in a public sector hospital – A cross-sectional study. Annals of Punjab Medical College, 17(1), 50–53. https://doi.org/10.29054/apmc/2023.1298 CR - Jing, L., Ma, Z., Ma, Z., Chen, B., & Cheng, S. (2020). Nurse practitioners' work values and their conflict management approaches in a stressful workplace: A Taiwan study. Sustainability, 12(3), 1040. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12031040 CR - Khalili, Z., & Pourreza, A. (2020). Causes of conflict in medical settings: The view of nursing staff. Journal of Hospital, 19(1), 71-79. CR - Kılıç, M. Ö., & Duygulu, S. (2024). Investigating conflict management styles and emotional intelligence of unit charge nurses. Mediterranean Nursing and Midwifery, 4(3), 166–172. https://doi.org/10.4274/mnm.2024.23150 CR - Kızılkaya, S. (2024). The mediating role of job burnout in the effect of conflict management on work stress in nurses. Current Psychology, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-05776-1 CR - Kim, S., Bochatay, N., Relyea-Chew, A., Buttrick, E., Amdahl, C., Kim, L., & Lee, Y. M. (2017). Individual, interpersonal, and organisational factors of healthcare conflict: A scoping review. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 31(3), 282-290. https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820.2016.1272558 CR - Koçel, T. (2023) Business Management. Beta Basım Yayın Dağıtım, 19th Edition, Istanbul. CR - Lahana, E., Tsaras, K., Kalaitzidou, A., Galanis, P., Kaitelidou, D., & Sarafis, P. (2019). Conflicts management in public sector nursing. International Journal of Healthcare Management, 12(1), 33-39. https://doi.org/10.1080/20479700.2017.1353787 CR - Labrague, L. J., Gloe, D., McEnroe, D. M., Konstantinos, K., & Colet, P. (2018). Factors influencing turnover intention among registered nurses in Samar Philippines. Applied Nursing Research, 39, 200-206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnr.2017.11.027 CR - Lee, E. K., & Kim, J. S. (2020). Nursing stress factors affecting turnover intention among hospital nurses. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 26(6), e12819. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijn.12819 CR - Liu, X., Chen, S., Zhang, Q., Wen, X., & Xu, W. (2021). Dynamic association between perceived conflict and communication behavior in intimate relationships: The moderating effect of traumatic experience. PsyCh Journal, 10(4), 614-624. https://doi.org/10.1002/pchj.453 CR - McKibben, L. (2017). Conflict management: Importance and implications. British Journal of Nursing, 26(2), 100-103. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2017.26.2.100 CR - Mohammed, A., Ahmed, M., El-Shaer, A., & Zakaria, A. (2022). Effect of Conflict Management Program on Staff Nurses' Performance. Mansoura Nursing Journal, 9(1), 235-242. https://doi.org/10.21608/mnj.2022.259023 CR - Ören, B., & Dağcı, S. (2021). Yoğun Bakım Ünitelerinde Çalışan Hemşirelerin Karşılaştıkları Sorunlar. Yoğun Bakım Hemşireliği Dergisi, 24(3), 170-183. CR - Özlük, B., Akbal Ergün, Y. & Türkmen E. (2022) Conflict Management. Ü. Tatar Baykal & E. Ercan Türkmen (Ed.) Management in Nursing. (1st Edition) in (127-150). Istanbul: Akademi Press and Publishing. CR - Rahim, M. A. (2023). Managing conflict in organizations. Taylor & Francis. CR - Seyhan, F., & Sivuk, D. (2021). Örgütsel Çatışma, Örgütsel Stres, İş Yaşam Kalitesi, İş Tatmini ve İşten Ayrılma Niyeti Arasındaki İlişki: Sağlık Çalışanlarının Verimliliği Üzerine Bir Araştırma. Verimlilik Dergisi, (4), 185-201.https://doi.org/10.51551/verimlilik.748957 CR - Temel, M. (2017). Sağlık örgütlerinde çatışma: nedenleri, yönetimi ve çözüm önerileri. İ.Ü. Sağlık Hizmetleri Meslek Yüksekokulu Dergisi, ISSN:2147-78. CR - Tokmak, M. (2020). İşgörenlerin Örgütsel Çatışma Yönetimi Tarzının Duygusal Emek Harcama Düzeyleri Üzerindeki Etkisi. Fırat Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 30(1), 291-306. https://doi.org/10.18069/firatsbed.592945 CR - Tüfekci, N. (2018). Örgütsel çatışmanın tükenmişliğe etkisi: Bir kamu hastanesi araştırması. Business and Economics Research Journal, 9(2), 413-429. https://doi.org/10.20409/berj.2018.113 CR - Tuncay, Ö., Yaşar, Ö., & Sevimligül, G. (2018). Conflict management styles of nurse managers working in inpatient institutions: the case of Turkey. Journal of Nursing Management, 26(8), 945-952. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12609 CR - Vatan, F. & Çamveren, H. (2022) Communication Management. Ü. Tatar Baykal & E. Ercan Türkmen (Ed.) Management in Nursing. (1st Edition) in (95-126). Istanbul: Akademi Press and Publishing. CR - Yanık, A. (2021). Sağlık Örgütlerinde Çatışmalar ve Yönetimi. Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Health Sciences/Türkiye Klinikleri Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.5336/healthsci.2020-74929 UR - https://doi.org/10.59124/guhes.1696375 L1 - https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/4856887 ER -