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It is important to acknowledge that conflict can occur between staff members or between staff and patients or family caregivers. Conflict is inevitable in all groups because individuals have different needs, perspectives, and priorities. These differences can result in two distinct cases of conflict:

• Informational conflict involves differing views, ideas, and opinions related to information. This type of conflict is task related and could involve disagreement about the best method to proceed with the care plan.
• Interpersonal conflict stems from interpersonal compatibility issues and is not usually task related. This type of conflict tends to revolve around the team members themselves, not the actions or information. Tension, annoyance, and animosity are common, and staff stress and burnout can make them more frequent and harder to address constructively.

Attempts should be made to resolve both types of conflict before they interfere with work and undermine quality and patient safety. Informational conflicts left unresolved may evolve into interpersonal conflicts in the long run and severely weaken teamwork.

Disruptive behavior among staff should be actively discouraged. Almost all organizations have guidelines for acceptable behaviors to assist staff in better identifying, reporting, and managing behaviors that cause disruption. Types of disruptive behavior include condescending language or voice intonation, impatience with questions, reluctance or refusal to answer questions or telephone calls, verbal abuse or threatening body language, and physical abuse. Although these behaviors are not always intentional, they are still disruptive.

Reflect on examples of informational and interpersonal conflict you have encountered in your teams. Some of these conflicts might have been allowed to simmer for long periods and other conflicts might have been handled in ways that were counterproductive. Can you provide an example of an informational conflict you've encountered?

Many TeamSTEPPS tools can be used to address conflict in teams. Formative feedback allows you to call attention to concerns the person may be unaware of or not see as important. CUS may be used when the conflict is placing the patient at risk. Two other tools for addressing conflict are the Two-Challenge Rule and the DESC script. When team members have different information, the Two-Challenge Rule can be used to bring up the differing information so it can be addressed. Select to access the discussion of the DESC script.