Workplace Conflict:
How to Address & Resolve It
Workplace conflict is obviously an unwanted situation  for several reasons. For starters, a healthcare organization that faces  workplace conflict must usually face unhappy, unproductive, and resentful  employees. Absenteeism, lack of work productivity, and verbal confrontations are  also possible results of workplace conflict. Furthermore, a manager dealing  with employees who are part of a disagreement often spends significant time and  resources trying to resolve the problem. Unfortunately, it's inevitable that  workplace conflict will arise at some point in time. With that in mind, mangers  and administrators must always be prepared to address and resolve such  situations.

The following information and tips will help you  identify and resolve workplace conflict quickly and efficiently.

Types of Workplace Conflict
  The first step to resolution begins with identifying the  type of workplace conflict that has occurred. There are several identifiable  conflicts that can occur in the workplace. The primary causes of workplace  conflict include the following:

Resource Conflicts: These  occur when one or more persons within an organization compete for the same  property. Resource conflict may be over territory (i.e., "this is my shift, I  will run things how I see fit.&#xu201D;) or it can be a conflict over items necessary  to complete a job function or task. For example, a company with one computer  that is shared between several employees may find that employees are arguing  over computer times.

Style Conflicts: This  occurs when two or more people disagree regarding an approach to a workplace  goal or task. One employee may have a relaxed approach, while another employee  may want updated status reports and checklists every day.

Perception Conflicts: The workplace is filled with differing backgrounds, attitudes, and perceptions.  What one employee views as great news, another employee may perceive as a  disaster. Conflict occurs when an employee views their perception as the  ultimate truth and refuses to accept any other point of view.

Reaching Resolution
  Once you have identified what kind of conflict has  occurred, you can move on to resolving it. And the chances of resolution are  greatly increased when a facilitator or mediator is brought in to assist the  individuals within the conflict. A facilitator should help individuals communicate  openly and honestly, and more importantly, in a productive manner. The  facilitator must be a person that is not directly involved in the conflict,  such as a manager or a member of human resources.

When a facilitator is chosen, it's critical for him/her  to keep these items in mind:

It must be voluntary. It is important  to note that workplace conflict resolution must be voluntary. The persons  involved in the conflict must be willing to accept and participate in  communication that seeks out a solution. There is not a definitive amount of  time in which a workplace conflict will be resolved. It will simply take as  much time as it takes to help those involved in workplace conflict overcome the  animosity.

There are no  "winners"; or "losers". It is important to remember that  workplace conflict resolution must be blameless. The facilitator does not ask  who is right or wrong, but focuses on the different viewpoints and asks the  involved parties to alter their perceptions with the goal of understanding the  opposing party's viewpoint. This is not the time to make judgements or warning  slips, except when verbal or physical violence has occurred. The process of  workplace conflict resolution must also be confidential.

Policies  must be in place. It is important to note that certain aspects  of management cannot be overlooked. This specifically includes setting  appropriate policies and procedures which highlight and outline the manner in  which workplace conflict is resolved as well as when workplace conflict will  result in termination. For example, the use of derogatory words or physical  threats may often result in immediate termination. This requires that a policy  be set forth so that employees understand when workplace conflict will result in  termination of their job.

  When your healthcare organization has set processes and policies in place for  conflict resolution, you will find that it ultimately improves employee morale  and productivity.  By facilitating  resolution, you are giving employees a problem solving skill set that fosters  communication and values individual perceptions. Furthermore, employees learn a  communication skill that allows them to develop their own resolutions to  workplace conflict, which then lessens the cost and time of management  resources. Together, this helps eliminate problems before they have a truly  negative impact at the workplace.

"Without  continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and  success have no meaning."
-Benjamin Franklin

Senior Housing/Healthcare Remains Strong Despite  Economic Slowdown
Although the economy is definitely at a slowdown, some experts believe that the outlook  for the senior housing/healthcare industry remains remarkably upbeat. Although  no industry is completely recession-proof, owners and operators of senior  housing/healthcare properties are better positioned to deal with an economic  downturn than they've been at other periods in the past. Historically, the  pattern has been for the industry to go through debilitating boom/bust cycles.  However, at this time, experts point out that there's no over-building and  occupancy levels for all product types are high.

All  components of the senior housing sector appear to be in good shape, with  nursing homes, assisted living, and independent living facilities all at their highest occupancy levels in years. Additionally, there has been significant  restraint regarding new construction. Experts note that management has  exercised a conservative approach to credit and real estate. So, even in these  times of economic uncertainty, the industry will not be as vulnerable as some  other segments of the commercial real estate market.

In the  meantime, senior housing/healthcare borrowers shouldn't get the idea that  capital sources have dried up. Going forward, capital will continue to be  available, albeit more constrained in 2008. The crisis in confidence has  impacted various lenders in different ways, and underwriting criteria has  become more stringent across-the-board; but credit will be available from  sources attracted to the industry by its long-term outlook. Overall, investors  and commercial lenders notice that demographics for the industry continue to  move in a positive direction and that the product that has emerged in the  marketplace today has a much broader appeal to users than it did 25 years ago.

4 Tips That Will Spark Critical Thinking
Many  employers talk about the value of critical thinking and encourage their  employees to sharpen their critical thinking skills. In theory, this all sounds  great, but have you ever wondered what "critical thinking" really is?

Simply put,  critical thinking is creative thinking.  Critical thinking can be used to  address problems that can't be solved in traditional, analytical terms.  Critical thinking can also be used to bring a fresh approach to monotonous  tasks and projects.

Many people  live under the false assumption that you can only be creative if you have a  certain type of job or work in a certain type of environment. This, of course,  is simply not true. Although some environments are more conducive to  creativity, the ultimate factor to creative/critical thinking is you.

You can  incorporate more critical thinking into your life by simply changing some of  your perceptions and approaches to your daily routine. Take note of the  following tips:

1. Go back to your childhood. To increase your creativity, spend  some time with your kids, (or your family or friend's kids) watching the world  from their eyes. Children are extremely inquisitive by nature, and look at  things from a completely different angle. A child's solution to a problem may  be extremely simple or completely off-the-wall. At any rate, chances are that a  child's point-of-view is very different from yours; pondering those points of view  will help you become a critical thinker.

2. Go outside. Spending time outdoors observing  the delicate intricacies of the natural world can help spark your creative  "juices."  

3. Reward yourself.  Free your mind with a good book, go to a  museum, or go to a concert. Opening yourself up to other creative arts will  help you uncover your own creative side.

4. Do things that you've never done  before. Thinking  outside the box requires that you get outside the box first! Take a photography  or art class. Train for a 10k. The options are limitless. The point is to do  something that is new and interesting.

Healthcare  professionals can undoubtedly learn to become creative; and to use that  creativity in their tasks and in their care.  Start to recognize where you  are creative and focus on integrating that creative spirit into your assessment  and caring skills. Don't let your creativity fade just because you may work  within a bureaucratic system-make creativity the defining character of your  career!

"Creativity can solve  almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality,  overcomes everything."
-George Lois

Below are  some current and old state laws that will definitely leave you scratching your  head!

Alaska:

• No  person may look at a moose from an airplane
• No  child is to build a snowman taller than himself on school property
• Fairbanks: it's against the law to park your  horse on city streets. It is O.K. to park your dog sled.

Arkansas:

• A  teacher who wears her hair in a bob will not get a raise
• No  one may mispronounce the name "Arkansas"

California:

• Women  may not operate a motor vehicle while dressed in a robe
• Animals  are banned from mating publicly within 1,500 feet of a tavern,
  school, or place of worship
  
• Baldwin Park: It is illegal to ride a bicycle in  a swimming pool
  
• Glendale: Horror Films may only be shown on  Monday, Tuesday or
  Wednesday
  
• LA:  No persons shall hunt moths under street lights
  
• Santa Ana: No two people may congregate on a  sidewalk for a
  conversation

Florida:

• Women  may be fined for falling asleep under a hair dryer
  
• Key West: Turtle races are prohibited
  
• Tampa Bay: Rats may not leave the ships  docked at the bay

Illinois:

• Chicago: One may not take a French Poodle  to the Opera
  
• Joliet: One may not mispronounce the name "Joliet"
  
• Kirkland: Bees may not fly over the city or  through its streets
  
• Zion: No one may teach pets to smoke  cigars

Louisiana:

• Biting  someone with one's natural teeth is considered assault, whereas
  biting someone with false teeth is aggravated assault
  
• No  one may gargle in public
  
• Catching  lizards at night is prohibited
  
• No  one may wear an alligator costume
  

New Jersey:

• No horse racing is allowed on the turn pike
• Manville:  It is illegal to feed whiskey or offer cigarettes to animals at
  the local zoo

Permission to re-publish an article is given provided the following conditions are met:

• Clint Maun receives proper recognition as the author of the article.A link to Clint Maun's www.clintmaun.com and www.maunlemke.com websites are published at the end of the article.The piece is not modified in any way.

• Clint Maun is informed of the re-publication at clintm@clintmaun.com and receives a copy of the publication with reprint.