title: Managing and mitigating conflict in healthcare teams: an integrative review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review empirical studies examining antecedents (sources, causes, predictors) in the management and mitigation of interpersonal conflict.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Providing quality care requires positive, collaborative working relationships among healthcare team members. In today's increasingly stress-laden work environments, such relationships can be threatened by interpersonal conflict. Identifying the underlying causes of conflict and choice of conflict management style will help practitioners, leaders and managers build an organizational culture that fosters collegiality and create the best possible environment to engage in effective conflict management.
  
  
  METHODS
  Integrative literature review.
  
  
  METHODS
  CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Proquest ABI/Inform, Cochrane Library and Joanne Briggs Institute Library were searched for empirical studies published between 2002-May 2014.
  
  
  METHODS
  The review was informed by the approach of Whittemore and Knafl. Findings were extracted, critically examined and grouped into themes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-four papers met the inclusion criteria. Several antecedents influence conflict and choice of conflict management style including individual characteristics, contextual factors and interpersonal conditions. Sources most frequently identified include lack of emotional intelligence, certain personality traits, poor work environment, role ambiguity, lack of support and poor communication. Very few published interventions were found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  By synthesizing the knowledge and identifying antecedents, this review offers evidence to support recommendations on managing and mitigating conflict. As inevitable as conflict is, it is the responsibility of everyone to increase their own awareness, accountability and active participation in understanding conflict and minimizing it. Future research should investigate the testing of interventions to minimize these antecedents and, subsequently, reduce conflict.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Almost
authors.affiliation: Clinical Professional Development, Professional Practice, Fraser Health Authority, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Angela C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Wolff
authors.affiliation: Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Althea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stewart-Pyne
authors.affiliation: Cambridge Memorial Hospital, COPD Clinic, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Loretta G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: McCormick
authors.affiliation: London Health Sciences Centre, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Strachan
authors.affiliation: Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: D'Souza
mesh_terms: D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D015279:Organizational Culture; D010348:Patient Care Team; D017132:Workplace
keywords: antecedents; conflict management; healthcare teams; integrative review; interpersonal conflict; nurses; nursing; predictors