Conflict management styles used by nurses in Jordan

Abstract

Aim: This paper is a report of a study of conflict management styles used by nurses in Jordan. Background: There are five main styles used to deal with conflict. At present research into their utilisation is dominated by reports from Western countries. This research is the second to investigate their use by nurses in an Arab country and it illustrates similarities with the earlier work, allowing an initial profile to be constructed which may be applicable to the larger Arab world of healthcare. Methods: Cross-sectional quantitative survey of nurses in Jordan using the Rahim Organisation Conflict Inventory (ROCI II) questionnaire. Results/Findings: The nurses were most likely to prefer an integrating style of conflict management, followed in rank order by compromising, obliging, dominating and avoiding. Conclusion: A tentative model of the styles which nurses in Arab countries prefer to manage conflict is proposed, which suggests that they are likely to provide stable workplaces.