3 Strategies to Reduce Friction and Build Unity

dentify three strategies to reduce friction and build unity between the parties using emotional competence as the framework.

Dr. Myers and classmates, emotional intelligence plays a crucial role in managing teams from varied disciplines in healthcare and is a function well suited for the DNP scholar.  Opposition known as creative friction occurs when differing views arise from members of different disciplines and can cause conflicting views (Chism, 2017).  Emotional intelligence is an important component required for the reduction of friction and to help build unity between parties of differing view and come together for a consensus decision (Chism, 2017).  Using Goleman’s emotional intelligence framework can help bridge these differing views and develop the consensus needed for optimal outcomes (Fianko et al., 2020).  The first strategy to reduce friction using the emotional intelligence framework is to practice empathy.  The leader who practices empathy is one that knows how their emotions affect others and how the feelings of others affect their view of an opposing solution to consensus (Livesey, 2017).  The empathic leader also knows how their feelings affect what they think and say, potentially removing barriers to the understanding of the differing view.  The second strategy to reduce friction using the emotional intelligence framework is to be open to feedback and new perspectives (Livesey, 2017).  Being able to receive feedback candidly and reframe a situation with a new perspective can mean the difference in friction and resolution and should be a strategy the DNP leader is receptive towards.  The third strategy to reduce friction using the emotional intelligence framework is to build trust with other team members through reliability and authenticity (Livesey, 2017).  Team members with an opposing view are more receptive to someone they feel is authentic and reliable and will often see their opposing view as an opportunity to examine a weakness in their logic or viewpoint.

What outcomes would you identify to measure the effectiveness of each strategy?

To measure the effectiveness of empathy as a strategy, you can examine the resolution of creative friction through objectively identifying which barriers were removed to create a consensus.  Teams that do not directly tackle barriers are ones that do not produce outcomes and tend to become complacent in their abilities.  Measuring receptiveness towards creative criticism and new perspectives can be done through reviewing meeting minutes and analyzing responses to differing viewpoints.  The team who is open to criticism will report their receptiveness to new solutions and varying viewpoints to potentially solve problems rather than create more conflict and friction (Fianko et al., 2020).  Building trust as a strategy of reducing friction can be measured through the willingness to compromise in difficult situations.  Teams with varying views on an issue can tend to work through problems quickly by using trust through reliability and authenticity rather than becoming hostile due to differing views and a lack of trust (Fianko et al., 2020).

Consider an adversarial relationship that exists between leaders and departments in your organization.  How does the culture of the organization affect the situation?  What knowledge, skills, and attitudes do you bring to the organization?  What would others say are your leadership strengths?  How can these strengths be used to reduce the adversarial relationship?

There is currently an adversarial relationship between the pharmacists and providers in certain departments in my organization that has created some friction in recent times.  I work at a rural FQHC that employs clinical pharmacists to help care for patients with complex illnesses.  The friction that has appeared in recent times is with providers prescribing medications based on affordability rather than first-line medications for our rural residents who cannot afford medications beyond what their insurance pays for.  This has become apparent in two specific situations or populations, patients with diabetes and COPD.  The clinical pharmacists work actively with patients on an individual basis weekly to monitor blood sugars and response to treatments as well as monitoring pulmonary functions in COPD patients and then suggesting changes and revisions in plans of care to the providers who prescribe for them.  The culture of the healthcare system is to put patients first and provide the care they need, so the pharmacists are trying to do the best thing to improve their clinical conditions, but we are often met with resistance from the patients when they cannot afford the medications, even at cost through our 340B pharmacy program.  The knowledge, skills, and attitudes that I bring to the organization in this circumstance are knowing the most appropriate treatments based on their ability to afford specific medications.  I also bring empathy as a strategy to help bridge these differences and try to understand their feelings based on their differing viewpoints.  This is another example of creative friction that was contained in the readings this week and is often responsible for many adversarial relationships if not properly resolved.

I think others would say that my adaptability is one of my best strengths and that it has helped me reduce conflict, bridge differences, and provide consensus in many circumstances.  Using this skill can help foster the understanding of other viewpoints and bring consensus to a team or situation.

References

Chism, L. A. (2017). The Doctor of Nursing Practice (4th ed.) [e-book]. Jones & Bartlett Learning. https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781284155259 (Links to an external site.)

Fianko, S. K., Afrifa, S., & Dzogbewu, T. C. (2020). Does the interpersonal dimension of Goleman’s emotional intelligence model predict effective leadership? African Journal of Business and Economics Research, 15(4), 221–245. Retrieved March 15, 2021, from https://doi.org/10.31920/1750-4562/2020/v15n4a10 (Links to an external site.)

Livesey, P. V. (2017). Goleman-Boyatzis model of emotional intelligence for dealing with problems in project managment. Construction Economics and Building, 17(1), Article 2204-9029. Retrieved March 15, 2021, from https://doi.org/10.5130/AJCEB.v17i1.5101 (Links to an external site.)