This study was conducted to determine the relationship between conflict management styles and occupational stress and job satisfaction and job stress during the covid-19 pandemic and demonstrated that the nurses' most common conflict management style was the compromise style.
Nurse’s conflict management styles
Results of the current study were consistent with those of Raykova et al. (2020), which was carried out on the clinical staff of four hospitals in Bulgaria during the covid-19 pandemic. Similarly, they noted that the most common style amongst the staff was the compromise style [47]. In another study, Malawat et al. (2021) demonstrated that firmness could be effective for interprofessional conflict management in the covid-19 pandemic. Every profession can forge a positive relationship with other teams, accept one another, perform professional duties and contribute to decision-making for patients with covid-19 [48]. Another study introduces the solution-based strategy for conflict management and contends that creating a favorable workplace can minimize work pressure and occupational stress amongst nurses, which can be an important strategy in preventing conflicts [23, 49-51]. Moreover, in a study conducted by Aditya et al. in 2021 which was amongst the public sector of the government of Indonesia, results demonstrated that the Collaborative conflict management style had the highest mean and the competitive style of conflict management had the lowest mean among the participants [52] which was in complete agreement with this study. Nonetheless, our findings conflict with the reports of a study carried out by Fasbender et al., which was carried out in Cyprus hospitals and demonstrated that the avoidance style was the most commonly employed [53]. In 2019, in their study, Lahana et al. noted that in the public sector, nurses employed the avoidance style more commonly in comparison with other styles [21].
However, the current study’s findings contrast with several other studies, including that of Baddar et al. (2016), which was conducted in public hospitals in Riaz, Saudi Arabia; the participating nurses used different conflict management styles in their interactions with patients and physicians. Their most common style in interactions with the doctors was competitive; the least employed style was accommodative. Still, the most commonly used style was accommodative with their patients, and the competitive style was rarely employed [19]. The outcomes of a study carried out by Maharjan et al. in 2021, however, demonstrated that the most commonly used style by the nurses for conflict management during the pandemic was the collaborative style, which is in contrast with our findings [54]. A possible reason for these inconsistencies can be the fact that the choice of conflict management style depends on many factors such as the situation of the individuals, conditions and timing of the conflict, authority, situation, and characteristics of the person, importance of the issue, and maturity and experience of the parties involved in a conflict [55]. Conflict management is not dependent on their type and depends on the decisions made by the involved individuals and managers of the organization; nonetheless, in managing group conflicts, negative results can emerge with which not all members agree [55]. The high application of the compromising conflict management style demonstrates that many respondents demonstrate moderate degrees of self-expression and collaboration. Utilizing this style depends on a higher capacity for risk-taking and decision-making, which largely depends on the nature of the medical profession. This style decreases the intensity and spread of the conflict, but only in certain situations for forming interaction strategies in conflict with colleagues or patients. This style demonstrates that each party wishes to jeopardize some precious item in negotiation [47]. This indicates that nurses prefer to retreat from their stance and, in a collaborative manner, while compensating the other party, also secure their benefits. The most crucial consideration in conflict management and its different styles is that confrontation with conflicts is no superior style. Still, different styles may lead to the most favorable solution depending on the situation. In certain conditions, employment of one style is beneficial, but the same style can have negative consequences in other situations and does not resolve the conflict, and even intensify it [51].
Moreover, in the current study, the least employed style was the competitive style. The outcomes of this study are consistent with the results of Raykova et al. (2020) and those of Maharjan et al., which demonstrated that the least frequently used style during the covid-19 pandemic for conflict management was the competitive conflict management style [47, 54]. In the competitive style, one party ultimately wins; the winner is only considered a victory. Usually, in this conflict management style, only one side wins, and the winner only seeks victory without regard for the others. In this conflict management style, which leads to a win-lose situation, the loser is usually disappointed and angry or will be so in the future. This style is generally used when a quick or unusual decision is made, or one party has more insight or knowledge regarding one particular situation. The competitive style is also suitable when a nurse deals with patient care policies, unsafe approaches, unjust behavior, and abuse of power or ethical principles [16].
Nurse’s job satisfaction
The mean job satisfaction score of the nurses in the current study was moderate. A survey by Savitsky et al. (2021) demonstrated that most Israeli nurses had to increase their workload during the pandemic due to staff shortage. Nurses who cared for patients with covid-19 had lower job satisfaction [56]. A study carried out by Afulani et al.(2021) reported high levels of dissatisfaction amongst health workers of South Africa during the covid-19 pandemic [57]. Moreover, in another study, Said et al. (2021) reported that during the covid-19 pandemic, the job satisfaction of Egyptian nurses was low [58]. However, there is inconsistency in the literature in this regard. For instance, a study in Spain demonstrated that nurses who worked during the covid-19 pandemic had high job satisfaction. They proposed that this may be attributed to their high levels of flexibility, awareness of their role, and importance in battling the pandemic [59]. This difference can also be attributed to nurses who work in resourceful environments not being exposed to the same challenges those face with limited resources and underdeveloped clinical infrastructure. The observed job satisfaction differences in different studies indicate that job satisfaction in various clinical environments can be additional, and the results of studies conducted in one center cannot be generalized to other facilities. Therefore, as the differences in the healthcare facilities can influence the views and satisfaction of the nurses, ongoing and regular job satisfaction surveys are necessary. Job satisfaction is one of the challenging consequences of the covid-19 pandemic. Prolonged work pressure during the covid-19 pandemic decreases job satisfaction among nurses; managers should adequately investigate this, and they need to design and implement effective strategies in this regard.
Nurse’s job stress
The mean job stress scores of the nurses were moderate to severe. In their study, Afulani et al. (2021) demonstrated that during to covid-19 pandemic, 70.5% of care providers had high occupational stress [57]. Previous studies have demonstrated that job stress, perceived unpreparedness, and fear of covid-19 infection contraction can lead to low levels of job satisfaction [58]. As the number of cases increases, their fear of being exposed to the infection, contracting it, and transmitting it to family and friends has increased amongst healthcare workers [60, 61]. Abedi et al. (2021) and Roohafzaee et al. (2021) demonstrated that job stress amongst covid-19 ward nurses was high; besides, approximately 70% of the nurses had less than five years of work experience which affected their stress control capacities and high levels of stress amongst them and concluded that through the employment of more experienced nurses job stress may be reduced [35, 62]. In another study, Said et al. (2021) reported the job stress levels of Egyptian nurses were as high as 75.5% [58]. Furthermore, the findings of the current study in terms of the stress levels amongst Iranian nurses are consistent with other studies carried out in Iran [41, 43, 44, 63]. With the commencement of the covid-19 pandemic in 2019, a great shock was imposed on healthcare systems all around the world, and one of its consequences was nurses’ shortage and their fatigue due to long shifts, cancellation of many personal and recreational activities, and high workload which can lead to increase in the work stress in nurses. For this reason, maintaining physical and mental health during the pandemic is very important and should be noted by nursing and hospital managers.
Relationship between conflict management style and job satisfaction
In assessing the relationship between conflict management style and average job satisfaction, results demonstrated a statistically significant relationship between conflict management styles and physical environment. Still, no such relationship was observed with other dimensions of job satisfaction. Specifically, the physical conditions of the competitive style were significantly less than the compromise and avoidance styles, and the physical environment of the avoidant style was significantly higher than that of the collaboration and accommodative styles. In a study conducted by Amerioon et al. (1395) carried out amongst staff of Kerman hospitals, the findings indicated no significant relationship between compromise conflict management style and job satisfaction. Moreover, no significant relationship was observed between accommodative management style and job satisfaction. Using one certain style in conflict management will not always be effective, and factors such as timing, conflict situation, the personalities of the involved parties, and the reasons for the conflict can be influential in the selection of the appropriate style of conflict management, and can ultimately increase job satisfaction amongst the organization staff [64]. Some studies indicate a negative connection between conflict management styles and job satisfaction, and others have demonstrated positive correlations between conflict management styles and job satisfaction [65]. The noteworthy point is that staff who can handle conflict management effectively have high productivity and job satisfaction [52]. In a study carried out by Ayunda Pratiwi (2017) amongst staff of the public hospital Derimon (Indonesia), the outcomes demonstrated that the accommodative and compromise styles had a significant positive relationship with job satisfaction. Also, the collaboration, competitive, and avoidance styles did not relate to job satisfaction. Because collaboration is superior in terms of problem-solving in comparison with other styles, it increases job satisfaction and forges long relationships and cooperation between the supervisor and inferior staff. Besides, with increased supervisors’ satisfaction, more cooperation can be forged with better dependence. Still, the current study’s findings demonstrated that cooperation conflict management by the supervisor has no significant effect on job satisfaction [12]. Besides, the results of the current study were in line with the findings of Alzahrani (2013) and Williams (2011). They observed that collaborative style has no significant effect on job satisfaction, but this result may be due to job satisfaction which many factors can influence [66, 67]. Pratiwi (2017) emphasized that job satisfaction is not only influenced by the interpersonal relationship between nurses, colleagues, and supervisors, and internal personal factors and external factors can also be influential in job satisfaction levels [12]. Considering that the physical environment has an important effect on the nursing job and the quality of patient care, consequently on job satisfaction, this dimension of job satisfaction needs more attention. In defining the relationship between physical environment and conflict management styles, this can be asserted that conflict management style is a pattern of reaction towards the other party; therefore, the influence of different styles on job satisfaction and the physical environment depends on personal factors. Therefore, one can attribute the difference in the opinions of individuals to the difference in the personal characters of those who follow a certain style of conflict management. Therefore, job satisfaction of physical environment in the staff with a competitive style is less than compromising and avoidant style, as in this style, one wishes to win at any price and ignores demands and needs of the other party and have an authoritative position without interaction and is authoritative, all these characteristics can lead to lack of understanding others and cooperation in problem-solving, particularly in the matters related to the physical dimension of the organization, and consequently, they have a superior to inferior view and are often unsatisfied with the situation. Moreover, the results of the current study demonstrated that the satisfaction of the physical environment in those who choose the avoidance conflict management style is more than those who follow collaboration and accommodative conflict management styles. In continuation of the discussed issues, it can be added that those with an avoidance style do not try to achieve their goals, do not see problems and do not solve them, and believe that if they ignore conflicts, they can be resolved spontaneously. They have a non-concerned view of the issues and, therefore, in terms of physical conditions, follow the same approach, as they cannot see problems and appear satisfied or express their views in a manner that causes no problems.
Relationship between conflict management style and job stress
Besides, there was no statistically significant relationship between job stress and any dimensions of the conflict management styles. The result of the current study about job stress was inconsistent with what Marzbani et al. (2020) reported. Their results demonstrated that the competitive conflict management style had a significant inverse relationship with the job stress of the managers. In other words, with a decrease in competitive, the job stress of managers is increased. Also, the style of collaborative and compromise has an inverse and significant relationship with the job stress of managers, that is, with the decrease of the style of collaborative and compromise, the job stress of managers also increases. Moreover, the avoidance style of managers has a significant and direct relationship with their job stress, in a way that with the increase in avoidance, the job stress of managers increases (marzbani, 2020). In another study, consistent results with this research were reported, and the compromising style had no significant relationship with the conflict management styles [9]. Besides, in a study by Golparvar et al. (2013), it was demonstrated that amongst conflict management styles, only the avoidance style had a significant and positive relationship with job stress [68]. The study by Johansen et al. (2016) demonstrated that only the avoidance conflict management style could predict job stress because the nurses’ selection of conflict management style depends on their personal experiences with job stress [30]. The authors believed that using the collaboration conflict management style has no effect on the job stress of the staff as in this style, the staff assesses all possible choices and considers similarities and differences between different styles to find the reason for the conflict. Therefore, staff who have respect and trust in one another, kindly mention one another’s weaknesses, and endeavor to do their jobs in the best possible manner can enhance the quality and quantity of their work which consequently decreases their job stress [46]. Although in the current study, the relationship between conflict management styles and job stress on nurses was not significant, nurses need to keep in mind that stress can lead to conflict on an ongoing basis, as when conflict cannot be managed properly, organizational decisions are disrupted and, consequently, the person sees a disruption in the organized behaviors of himself which ultimately leads to mental instability [69]. It can be asserted that the relationship between job stress and conflict can be considered as a mutual interaction in a way that both conflict with the supervisors and staff job stress is formed, and the job stress per se leads to confusion which can lead to the decreased capabilities of the person in adaptation and harmonization with the situation and job situation [69].
Study limitations
Conflict studies and data collected in the workplace presented several problems, including low interest from respondents, which may be due to several reasons: People's reluctance to discuss problems because they may not fully understand the conflict. As during the completion of the questionnaire, some nurses did not know about conflict resolution styles and it was unfamiliar to them. Another limitation in the current study was the use of self-reporting as a data collection method, and the actual behaviors of nurses were not directly observed. Behavioral measures such as direct observation, peer evaluation and related methods can be added in future studies in order to assess actual conflict management styles. Also, the number of male and female participants was not equal. For this reason, we could not make a gender-based comparison. Another limitation was the small sample size, so the findings may not be representative of the entire population from which they are derived and may not be generalizable to other populations. Also, considering that the study was conducted during a specific period of time, job satisfaction and stress may not be accurate, especially because it coincided with the epidemic of the Covid-19 virus, so it can change in other times and conditions in the same population.