Five Tips for Successful Conflict Negotiation in the Breast Imaging Workplace

Abstract

Conflict in the workplace is inevitable and disruptive to the team dynamic, ultimately leading to suboptimal patient outcomes if not addressed. Especially in breast imaging, where an interprofessional team is commonplace, spending time to address conflict is critical to building and maintaining relationships among team members. Although institutions may adopt a just culture, workplace paradigms can be challenged when two or more team members encounter misunderstandings around work-related or personal issues. Multiple factors can contribute to promoting workplace conflict, including a toxic culture (the antithesis of just culture), ineffective leadership, hierarchy, unclear expectations or goals, pre-existing assumptions and beliefs, lack of effective communication, and low levels of trust. Developing skills to engage in the difficult conversations to address and resolve conflict are essential to create an efficient and effective team to care for patients. In this manuscript, we provide tips on how each of us can build skills in conflict management and resolution, illustrated in several vignettes. These tips provide practical advice, which ultimately will translate into allowing us to provide better patient care every day.