On any given day, I treat about 10 or more pets, generally successfully and  always to the best of my ability. And yet it is the occasional failures that stand out in my mind, and the bad days that get remembered best. Yesterday was one of those days! First we received a phone call from a very irate pet owner, refusing to pay for the vaccine we did the previous day, because we vaccinated the wrong dog.  We vaccinated the only dog his driver brought to the practice - a middle aged Dachshund whose boosters were long overdue! It turns out he should have brought the Labrador puppy! He was told to take the "small dog" to the vet for a vaccination. As the Dachshund was the smallest dog on the property, the driver brought him! We vaccinated the Labrador later, and gave him a discount. Now we wait.... .

This crisis averted for the time being, I had to concentrate on operating a very small very old Toy Pom with a heart murmur. Thank goodness she was fine. Hungry and tired after all that concentration, I emerged from theatre, only to walk into a screaming client. The people who cremate pets for us, had failed to return her pet's ashes.  When I phoned the company, they screamed at me as well. Facts are they removed the pet from the freezer, but seems to have lost it. Of course they will never own up to it being their mistake. So why am I feeling personally guilty for something totally outside of my personal control! If there is one thing I should have learn't at university, it is how to let things I cannot or could not control, and are really not my fault, roll of my back and not lose any sleep or develop any stress because of it.

Then someone phoned because a dog I treated for biliary with low parasitaemia the previous evening, died unexpectedly. Although it was getting progressively worse for over 6 hours after being treated, they did not phone while I could still help. Now they do not want to pay  (after hours, blood smear and 4 injections) and I feel really terrible that I apparently did not realize that the dog was most likely developing cerebral biliary.

Finally, as the day was drawing to a close, we received a fax. A very unsuitable staff member, who resigned very emotionally during a performance review, has taken us to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration  for unfair dismissal.  So another drama unfolding!

And we are admitting puppies with Parvo virus almost daily - unvaccinated of course, hopeless prognosis in many cases too.

Ah well, there are those we actually do help as well - best concentrate on them!

Conflict in the workplace

Unfortunately teamwork does not always occur naturally. All involved needs to be invested for it to succeed. People who work together are not automatically a team. They may be a cooperative group who work together. Feelings are not part of work and conflict is accommodated. Information is shared on a need to know basis and trust and openness  is not absolute. Goals and objectives are personal or unclear.

In teams, on the other hand, people trust each other and express their feelings openly. Conflict is worked through and resolved and people support one another. Information is shared freely and objectives are common to all.  Teams cooperate to achieve more than the sum total of the individuals' achievements, they are united by a common purpose and enjoy working together to achieve high quality results. Team members have complementary skills and shared goals for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.

Effective leaders should make things happen. They should inspire and trust people and delegate fairly. Leaders should express their views and be willing to take risks. They must also be able to troubleshoot, use tactical planning, negotiate, trust their judgement, accept responsibility and achieve results.

Know why the team exists.
 Objectives are needed to harness the energy, enthusiasm and skills of all team members. Have statements that capture the imagination and help to achieve the overall vision.
Identify skills and experience. Ideally teams should have a balanced mix of skills and experience. A leader should encourage team members to talk about all skills they have developed, both at home and work. A knowledge of the skills available within your team will make it much easier to assign roles and responsibilities,.

In well functioning teams individuals have a clear understanding of the roles they are expected to play, and although roles may overlap, they do not conflict. Good teams also possess sufficient skills for the roles that are expected of them.

Communication within teams are essential to minimise conflict. Regular meetings are essential for effective communication. There should be opportunities to air grievances and concerns in a secure forum without being interrupted or judged. All staff members should be encouraged to participate. Decision making and problem solving should be structured.  Team meetings should be inspiring and stimulating.

Team progress should be reviewed regularly.

Do not forget to have fun! Work can be all too serious. A team leader should consider ways to make work more enjoyable and exciting and people more enthusiastic.

A team leader should be the centre of power. However another team member may become the centre of power through manipulative or other undesirable behaviour. Conflicts may arise and relationships come under pressure. General resentment and discontent may develop.  This may cause staff to become demoralised and demotivated. Communication may suffer and sick leave may increase. Where a team breaks down because of weak leadership, lack of guidance and poor communication, play-ground -style games may manifest. Insecure people who wish to retain power and feel threatened by others often instigate games. Power is a bargaining chip which people will often try to acquire by manipulation. When power is abused or mismanaged the results will inevitably lead to a dysfunctional work place.

Social loafing may occur when individuals feel less valued and believe that their contribution to the team is dispensable. Role clarification techniques may be used  to overcome these feelings of worthlessness of an individual in the team environment.  In a veterinary practice meeting staff should be divided into same role groups, i.e. vets, nurses, admin staff, receptionists.

Ask each group to brainstorm, using a flipchart, on what they believe the role of one of the other groups is. Reconvene after 10 minutes and ask one of the groups to present their findings, Then give the other groups not under discussion an opportunity to add any comments. Then invite the group under discussion to either endorse, add to or challenge what they have heard. When this last group is satisfied that that its role has been fairly represented, the next group may present until groups have been covered.

A veterinary practice can be a very stressful work environment for both vets and staff. It is normal for conflict to occur and they need to be addressed appropriately and without delay. If conflict is not recognised and dealt with there may be a breakdown of relationships which affects the practice negatively.

By establishing a dynamic team, destructive conflicts can be minimised or avoided. An effective team may make the differences between team members' views and those of vets and management obvious. This may also lead to conflict, but this kind of conflict is necessary for organisational adaptibility, a quality which is essential in a dynamic practice.

keywords: conflict, team, workplace, dynamic, practice, role clairification, leadership, communication.


References
Dale C 2001. Coping with conflict in the practice 3. Prevention is better than cure. In Practice 23, 44-46