Healthcare Professional’s Conflict Management Styles and Perceived Team Effectiveness and Cohesiveness in South-west, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60787/tnhj.v24i2.807Keywords:
Conflict, Healthcare professionals, Conflict management styles, Team effectiveness, Team cohesion, TeamworkAbstract
Background: This study assessed healthcare professionals’ preferred conflict management styles and their association with their perceived team effectiveness and cohesiveness.
Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary health facility, South-west, Nigeria among 300 healthcare professionals selected via a multi-stage sampling technique. The adapted Thomas-Kilmann conflict mode instrument was self-administered to assess respondents’ conflict management styles and based on their highest scores, were categorised into negative (accommodating, avoiding, competitive) and positive (collaborative, compromising) styles. Their perceived team effectiveness and team cohesiveness were assessed using pre-tested self-developed tools with >0.8 Cronbach’s alpha. Factors associated with their preferred conflict management style, their perceived team effectiveness and cohesion were determined at a 5% level of significance.
Result: The majority of 240 (80.0%) of the healthcare professionals adopted negative conflict management styles. A higher proportion of them perceived their teams as cohesive 188(67.9%), and effective 173(62.5%). Being a male (p=0.018), single (p=0.017), with <7 years of work experience post-graduation (p=0.024) and <6 years of experience working in teams (p=0.044) were significantly associated with a preference for positive conflict management styles. Health professionals with <6 years of teamwork experience and occasional or rare occurrences of personal conflicts with teammates had significantly higher perceived team cohesiveness and effectiveness scores. However, their preferred conflict management style was not significantly associated with their perceived team cohesiveness or effectiveness.
Conclusion: The healthcare professionals assessed commonly adopt negative conflict management styles but with no effect on their perceived team cohesiveness and effectiveness. Direct assessment of their team effectiveness and cohesiveness is advised.
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