6053 Group Assignment
Amblerchick
RoleConflictandAmbiguity1.docx
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Running head:
Impact on Leadership or Health Care Organizations
Role conflict occurs when people are pulled in multiple directions when trying to juggle the responsibilities necessary for each of the many roles for which they are accountable. However, too many demands competing against each other are cause for stress and job dissatisfaction (Rovithis et al., 2017). Health care today is such that nurses are required to wear many hats, so to speak. Nurses have multiple roles, such as care giver, case manager, patient advocate, team leader, mentor, and preceptor. As nurses move into leadership roles, responsibilities can include policy and procedure development, educator, evaluator, disciplinarian, and staffing coordinator. Many times, these roles conflict with each other and can cause added stress to an already stressful job. Learning to separate these roles can be quite difficult.
Emotional exhaustion, failure to reach personal goals, and increased turnover rates can all be linked to role conflict and role ambiguity. Nursing is one of the top 20 most taxing occupations. Burnout happens due to continuous exposure to extremely stressful situations and work environment. Emotional exhaustion can lead to ineffectiveness at work, as well as depersonalization, and a lack of interest in others and the job itself (Kar & Suar, 2014).
Role ambiguity is stress that happens when job duties are unclear. Tasks and responsibilities associated with the role are in question or are completely unknown. Nurses moving into leadership roles tend to have added responsibilities, and often those duties are more generalized and can become overwhelming without clarification (Marquis & Huston, 2017).
Nursing practice requires a professional working relationship with many other healthcare team members. At times, these interdependent working relationships can lead to conflict, conflict that ends up in such a way that the nurse is responsible for bearing the brunt of it. Nurses are the most visible healthcare workers. They provide the most frequent and consistent patient care and are responsible for coordinating patient care among healthcare team members. Problems associated with such coordination efforts can stem from conflicting role requirements, poor leadership and management, interpersonal difficulties with other healthcare disciplines, and inadequate communication (Moreland & Apker, 2016).
The effects of role ambiguity and conflict, as related to nurses, endangers the efficiency of an organization. These struggles can result in high turnover rates, disgruntled staff, mental exhaustion, and a general sense of job dissatisfaction. It is imperative to examine role conflict and ambiguity and discover strategies to positively influence these issues. Appropriate administrative influence on nursing leadership roles to clarify responsibilities can be an effective way to handle conflict (Rovithis et al., 2017).
Implications for Nursing Leaders
Nurse leaders are in the middle of juggling management responsibilities, patient satisfaction and safety, staffing shortages, and the continuously changing healthcare rules and requirements. Stress from the work environment leads to poor job performance, dissatisfaction with the job, which leads to increased turnover rates, and a genuinely low staff morale. Nurses in leadership roles experience role conflict, mental and physical exhaustion, difficult collaborative efforts between other healthcare departments, role ambiguity, and often times a lack of support from upper management (Van Bogaert et al., 2014).
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For a nurse to be a successful leader, support from administration, other departments, and staff are essential. Organizations tend to fail in the area of orienting and growing up new managers. These organizations have made expanded roles for existing managers and have brought new leaders in as well. However, the organizations have not adequately prepared these nurses for the leadership roles they have been assigned to. Planning is an essential part of growing up nurses to guide them into successful leadership roles. Role overload can be a major stressor for nurse-managers when the responsibilities of the role become overwhelming. That is why having clearly defined roles is imperative when transitioning nurses into management positions (Marquis & Huston, 2017). Appropriate training, coaching, and mentoring nurses before placing them in leadership roles will assist in retaining these staff members, ensure job satisfaction, and provide quality leaders to guide the organization in achieving its healthcare mission, vision, and values.
References
Kar, S., & Suar, D. (2014). Role of burnout in the relationship between job demands and job outcomes among Indian nurses. The Journal of Decision Makers, 39(4), 23-37. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0256090920140403
Marquis, B. L., & Huston, C. J. (2017). Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: Theory and application (9th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.
Moreland, J. J., & Apker, J. (2016). Conflict and stress in hospital nursing: Improving communicative responses to enduring professional challenges. Health Communication, 31(7), 815-823. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2015.1007548
Rovithis, M., Linardakis, M., Rikos, N., Merkouris, A., Patiraki, E., & Philalithis, A. (2017). Role conflict and ambiguity among physicians and nurses in the public health care sector in Crete. Archives of Hellenic Medicine, 34(5), 648-655. Retrieved from www.mednet.gr/archives
Van Bogaert, P., Adriaenssens, J., Dilles, T., Martens, D., Van Rompaey, B., & Timmermans, O. (2014). Impact of role-, job- and organizational characteristics on nursing unit managers' work related stress and well-being. Journal of Advanced Nurses, 71(11), 2622-2633. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jan.12449
