Grohar-Murray TIF
Chapter 4: Decision Making and Conflict Management
Learning Objective 1:
Define the decision-making process.
1. Which statement indicates understanding of how a nurse could improve decision-making
skills?
1. “We should gather a group together to make important unit decisions to ensure
fairness.”
2. “I should practice making decisions by developing potential solutions and then
choosing one.”
3. “I know I will never be able to improve my decision-making skills because I am
not a strong person.”
4. “We can make a decision and then ask for input from others to make sure it was
the right choice.”
Learning Objective 2:
List the elements of the decision-making process.
2. Which step should be done first for effective decision making to occur?
1. Categorize information in order of importance.
2. Classify information into categories.
3. Gather information to define the issue.
4. Brainstorm ideas about potential outcomes.
3. A nurse working in a rehabilitation center notices clients frequently asking for something to
drink while in the facility. Which action demonstrates the use of the proper process in making a
decision with regards to this problem?
1. The nurse determines what type of drinks most clients might want.
2. The nurse calls local beverage distributors to inquire about service pricing.
3. The nurse asks all employees to write down ideas about possible solutions.
4. The nurse encourages clients to bring a drink from home.
4. The nurse manager is challenged to find an innovative way to adequately staff the unit and
provide quality nursing care. The nurse manager should plan on using which strategy to create an
effective, innovative staffing pattern?
1. Decision making
2. Problem solving
3. Brainstorming
4. Creativity
Cognitive Level: Application
Learning Objective 3:
Analyze the relationship between decision making and leadership.
5. If a nurse leader is using critical thinking skills in deciding which of several options is the
best, which concept would the nurse take into consideration?
1. The easiest alternative
2. The nursing process
3. Different situational effects
4. How the problem is usually handled
Learning Objective 4:
Define conflict.
6. The nursing supervisor overhears a novice nurse manager discussing conflict. Which
statement indicates the nursing supervisor might need to review conflict management with the
nurse manager?
1. “Since all conflicts cause friction and are bad for morale, I need to interject
whenever conflict arises.”
2. “I need to make sure everyone in my department understands I will not tolerate
unresolved conflict.”
2. “I know conflict can occur personally or with others, so I need to make sure to
learn how to best handle each.”
4. “I think the anger that begins with people in conflict would be motivating in some
situations.”
7. Which are associated with conflict? Select all that apply.
1. Directive power
2. Limited resources
3. Synergic power
4. Uneven status
5. Ambiguity
Learning Objective 5:
Differentiate conflict management from decision making.
8. Which example indicates a situation in which more than decision-making skills is indicated?
1. A nurse administrator needs to hold administrative staff meetings on a day when
most are available.
2. The Emergency Department nurse manager is contemplating how to best schedule
the staff to ensure coverage.
3. A nurse manager gets a report indicating that the narcotics count has been wrong
three times in the past month.
4. A floor nurse needs to organize care activities for a team of clients for the day,
including two surgeries and a discharge.
9. The nurse manager knows there is conflict between two of the charge nurses. This nurse
manager makes the decision to postpone an intervention and allow the conflict to escalate.
Which best describes the goal of the nurse manager in making this decision?
1. Allow sufficient time for the conflict to spontaneously resolve.
2. Gain time to identify all possible conflict-solving strategies.
3. Prevent the nurse manager from making a premature decision.
4. Motivate the participants to work through their own conflict.
Learning Objective 6:
Identify categories of potential conflict.
10. The nurse manager asks a staff nurse to work a double shift because the census is high.
Although the nurse realizes the staffing for the night shift is low, the nurse has already made a
family commitment for the same night. Of which concept is this an example?
1. Intrapersonal conflict
2. Interpersonal conflict
3. Intradepartmental conflict
4. Intergroup conflict
11. A staff nurse has experienced disagreements with one of the residents about several client-
related issues. The resident reacts to this conflict by belittling the nurse in front of colleagues. In
following the chain of command, the nurse discusses the situation with the nurse manager.
Which best exemplifies how the nurse should describe this conflict to the nurse manager?
1. Competing role conflict
2. Instrumental conflict
3. Personal competency gap conflict
4. Nurse–doctor conflict
Learning Objective 7:
List conflict-management strategies.
12. The nurse manager is facilitating a collaborative team whose mission is to negotiate
employment contracts with physicians. The nurse manager does not want to compromise the
nurses’ concerns in favor of the doctors, and so should plan on using which strategies to facilitate
this outcome? Select all that apply.
1. Accommodating
2. Collaborating
3. Compromising
4. Confronting
5. Smoothing
13. The nurse manager meets with the staff nurses to discuss ways to improve communication
between the shifts. Which statement by the nurse manager best exemplifies the final stage of
conflict management?
1. “We need to clearly define the nature of the conflict.”
2. “Let’s create a timeline for the implementation of our strategies.”
3. “I will evaluate the outcomes of our strategies on a monthly basis.”
4. “Hopefully, each group can understand each other’s perceptions of the issue.”
Objective 8:
Analyze the relationship between leadership and the management of conflict.
14. Which statement most accurately describes the relationship between leadership and how
conflict is managed?
1. As the nurse leader gains more experience, conflict management will become
easier.
2. When the nurse leader realizes a conflict is occurring, leadership expertise should
focus on resolving the conflict.
3. While the nurse is gaining experience in leadership, conflict management skills
are also improved.
4. Conflict can be managed by anyone, but leadership in nursing is necessary for its
resolution.
15. Which statement indicates that the nurse leader adequately understands the role leaders play
in managing conflict?
1. “As a leader, it is up to me to decide in which conflicts I should intervene, and
which ones I need to let escalate.”
3. “Since I am a nurse leader, in order to gain experience in managing conflict, I
should intervene when conflict occurs in my department.”
4. “Since I am not a nurse manager, I should not have to intervene in any conflict in
which I do not have a role.”
5. “Managing conflict is a responsibility only for managers who have departments
with different job classifications in them.”