Essentials of Nursing Leadership and Management, 5th Edition

chapter 7 | Dealing With Problems and Conflicts 95

Generate Possible Solutions

Here, creativity is especially important. Try to dis-
courage people from using old solutions for new
problems. It is natural for people to try to repeat
something that has already worked well, but previ-
ously successful solutions may not work in the
future (Walsh, 1996). Instead, encourage searching
for innovative solutions (Smialek, 2001).
When an innovative solution is needed, sug-
gest that the group take some time to brainstorm.
Ask everyone to write down (or call out as you
write on a flip chart) as many solutions as he or
she can come up with (Rees, 2005). Then give
everyone a chance to consider each suggestion on
its own merits.

Evaluate Suggested Solutions

An open-minded evaluation of each suggestion is
needed, but accomplishing this is not always easy.
Some groups are “stuck in a rut,” unable to “think
outside the box.” Other times, groups find it diffi-
cult to separate the suggestion from its source.
On an interdisciplinary team, for example, the sta-
tus of the person who made the suggestion may
influence whether the suggestion is judged to be
useful. Whose solution is most likely to be the best
one: the physician’s or the unlicensed assistant’s?
That depends. Judge the suggestion on its merits,
not its source.

Choose the Best Solution

Which of the suggested solutions is most likely to

work? A combination of suggestions is often the

best solution.

Implement the Solution Chosen

The true test of any suggested solution is how well

it actually works. Once a solution has been imple-

mented, it is important to give it time to work.

Impatience sometimes leads to premature aban-

donment of a good solution.

Is the Problem Resolved?

Not every problem is resolved successfully on the

first attempt. If the problem has not been resolved,

then the process needs to be resumed with even

greater attention to what the real problem is and

how it can be resolved successfully.

Consider the following situation in which prob-

lem solving was helpful (Case 2)

The nurse manager asked Ms. Deloitte to meet

with her to discuss the problem. The following is a

summary of their problem solving:

■The Issue.Ms. Deloitte wanted to take her

vacation from the end of December through

early January. Making the assumption that she

was going to be permitted to go, she had pur-

chased nonrefundable tickets. The policy forbids

vacations from December 20 to January 5. The

Case 2

The Vacation

Francine Deloitte has been a unit secretary for 10 years. She is prompt, efficient, accurate, courteous,

flexible, and productive—everything a nurse manager could ask for in a unit secretary. When nursing staff

members are very busy, she distributes afternoon snacks or sits with a family for a few minutes until a

nurse is available. There is only one issue on which Ms. Deloitte is insistent and stubborn: taking her

2-week vacation over the Christmas and New Year holidays. This is forbidden by hospital policy, but every

nurse manager has allowed her to do this because it is the only special request she ever makes and

because it is the only time she visits her family during the year.

A recent reorganization of the administrative structure had eliminated several layers of nursing manag-

ers and supervisors. Each remaining nurse manager was given responsibility for two or three units. The

new nurse manager for Ms. Deloitte’s unit refused to grant her request for vacation time at the end of

December. “I can’t show favoritism,” she explained. “No one else is allowed to take vacation time at the end

of December.” Assuming that she could have the time off as usual, Francine had already purchased a

nonrefundable ticket for her visit home. When her request was denied, she threatened to quit. On hearing

this, one of the nurses on Francine’s unit confronted the new nurse manager saying, “You can’t do this. We

are going to lose the best unit secretary we’ve ever had if you do.”