Start by taking time to understand how the issue came about. Are specific needs not being met? if so, whose?
Is there mutual understanding of the issue, or does each side have a different outlook?
Question everything, what is obvious and what might remain below the surface, drawing on those powers of reflection and clinical reasoning that underpin general practice
Where the conflict has caused a breakdown in the registrar-supervisor relationship, the practice manager should offer both parties a comfortable environment to separately discuss the situation.
Leaving judgement at the door and encouraging openness in a “cone of silence” is key to unravelling emotional turmoil and defusing a volatile situation; having a third person perspective can also help identify what tends to become indistinguishable beneath the emotion of a two-party conflict
Look beyond the obvious. For instance, you might consider the possibility that the conflict evident between two specific individuals, like the registrar and their supervisor, could also be affecting others in and around the practice. Is the practice culture in some way failing its staff and/or patients? Have
external pressures seeped into one-on-one relationships? Dig deeper, and document your findings for later reflection with all relevant parties.
Even if one or both parties seem set to dissolve the relationship in conflict, work under the assumption that the common objective is to resolve the issue and ensure it does not resurface. Listen, reflect, communicate, and brainstorm together until you exhaust all options or find the solution.
For the relevant parties to reach agreement on the best solution to their conflict, it’s important to identify solutions each party can live with, find common ground, then assign individual responsibilities in the resolution process.
Continue monitoring the issue and the effectiveness of the solution, noting if the issue resurfaces, take necessary action. Decide on preventative strategies for the future. Some people may not agree on everything, and this may be an issue. So, look for lessons you can learn from the conflict and how you handle it. This will help you know what you can do when the issue resurfaces as well as enable you to develop and nurture your conflict management skills by training
Date reviewed: 30 December 2024
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