# Situation: A public health nurse at a Rural Health Unit (RHU) runs the postpartum and family planning clinic. She supervises the rural health midwives, who in turn work with the barangay health workers (BHWs). Two midwives both ask not to cover the weekend family planning outreach. The nurse asks each one why: one attends classes on Saturdays, and the other cares for her father on Sundays. They agree that the first covers Sundays and the second covers Saturdays, and both are satisfied. Which conflict-handling mode was used?

> source: MyMerci (mymerci.kr)  
> url: https://mymerci.kr/pages/nclex_q.php?qn_id=629412  
> language: ko  
> subject: Nursing Practice II — Maternal and Child Health Nursing

## 문제

Situation: A public health nurse at a Rural Health Unit (RHU) runs the postpartum and family planning clinic. She supervises the rural health midwives, who in turn work with the barangay health workers (BHWs).

Two midwives both ask not to cover the weekend family planning outreach. The nurse asks each one why: one attends classes on Saturdays, and the other cares for her father on Sundays. They agree that the first covers Sundays and the second covers Saturdays, and both are satisfied. Which conflict-handling mode was used?

## 보기

1. Collaborating **✔ 정답**
2. Smoothing
3. Compromising
4. Accommodating

**정답: 1**

## 해설

Collaborating explores the interests behind each position and finds a solution that fully meets both parties' needs, a win–win. Each midwife gave up her original position, but the solution fully met the need behind it, which is the mark of collaboration. Compromising would leave each with only part of what she wanted, such as alternating weekends.

## 심화 해설

Conflict-Handling Modes in Nursing Management

The scenario describes a scheduling conflict between two rural health midwives and the public health nurse’s facilitation of a mutually agreeable solution. The correct mode is collaborating, which is distinct from compromising despite surface similarities.

Collaborating involves exploring the underlying interests behind each person’s stated position and generating a solution that fully satisfies both parties’ needs, producing a win–win outcome. In this case, each midwife initially held a position of “I cannot cover the weekend outreach.” The nurse investigated the reasons—one attends classes on Saturdays, the other cares for her father on Sundays—and the final arrangement assigns each midwife to cover the day that does not conflict with her personal obligation. Neither midwife sacrifices anything she actually needs; both receive complete satisfaction of their underlying interests.

Key point! The distinction between collaborating and compromising hinges on whether needs are fully or partially met. Compromising would leave each party with only part of what she wanted, such as alternating weekends regardless of personal schedules. In that scenario, each midwife would occasionally be assigned to a day that conflicts with her class or caregiving duty, resulting in partial satisfaction for both. The solution here avoids that outcome entirely.

Watch out! Do not confuse collaborating with accommodating or smoothing. Accommodating would mean one midwife unilaterally gives up her needs to satisfy the other. Smoothing would involve downplaying the conflict and emphasizing harmony without structurally addressing the scheduling problem. Neither occurred here—both midwives’ needs were actively incorporated into the final plan.

The Thomas–Kilmann framework underlying these modes emphasizes that conflict-handling behavior reflects two dimensions: assertiveness (pursuing one’s own concerns) and cooperativeness (pursuing another’s concerns). Collaborating is high on both dimensions, requiring open communication, identification of underlying concerns, and creative problem-solving to achieve an integrative solution. Research on conflict-handling styles in health professions education underscores that awareness of one’s preferred mode and the ability to flexibly apply different modes enhances team communication and coordination . In primary care settings such as an RHU, where midwives and BHWs operate with limited staffing, the nurse’s ability to facilitate collaboration directly supports continuity of postpartum and family planning services.

| Mode | Outcome | Example in this scenario |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Collaborating | Win–win; both parties’ underlying needs fully met | One covers Sundays, the other covers Saturdays, matching each person’s availability |
| Compromising | Partial satisfaction; each gives up something | Alternating weekends, so each occasionally works a conflicting day |
| Accommodating | One party yields; other’s needs prioritized | One midwife covers all weekends despite her class schedule |
| Smoothing | Conflict minimized; underlying issue unaddressed | Nurse reassures both that “we’ll manage” without changing assignments |

The nurse’s role here is not merely to assign coverage but to elicit the reasons behind each midwife’s refusal. This assessment step is what transforms the situation from a positional standoff into a collaborative problem-solving opportunity. In nursing management and delegation, this skill is essential when supervising staff with competing personal and professional obligations.

## 임상 시나리오

Collaborating in Staff SchedulingMoving from positions to interests for a win-win
When staff present conflicting positions (e.g., "I cannot work weekends"), the nurse manager should explore the underlying interests behind each position. Asking "why" reveals specific constraints like Saturday classes or Sunday caregiving.

The goal of collaborating is to generate a solution that fully satisfies both parties' needs. Assigning each midwife to the day that does not conflict with her personal obligation achieves a win-win outcome with no sacrifice of core needs.

CautionDo not confuse collaborating with compromising, which would leave each with only partial satisfaction, such as alternating weekends regardless of personal schedules. The key distinction is whether needs are fully or partially met.

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## 핵심 개념

- **Collaborating** — A conflict-handling mode that explores underlying interests to find a solution fully satisfying both parties, a win-win outcome.
- **Compromising** — A conflict-handling mode where each party gives up something to reach a partial satisfaction agreement.
- **Accommodating** — A conflict-handling mode where one party sacrifices their own needs to satisfy the other party.
- **Smoothing** — A conflict-handling mode that emphasizes common ground and downplays differences to reduce tension.
- **Win-win outcome** — A resolution where all parties involved have their core needs fully met without sacrifice.

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