Nurse Practitioners’ Work Values and Their Conflict Management Approaches in a Stressful Workplace: A Taiwan Study

Abstract

Globalization has created an urgent need to understand management practices in different cultures. This study examines Confucianism-based work values of nurse practitioners in Taiwan and explores their impact on conflict management approaches in order to help health practitioners maintain sustainable work relationships and improve organizational effectiveness in an increasingly stressful workplace. Based on the data from 259 nurse practitioners in Taiwan, this study shows that nurse practitioners in Taiwan consider holistic rewards, self-fulfillment and personal growth, challenge and responsibility, autonomy, and meaningfulness as important work values. Hierarchical regression results further indicate that nurse practitioners with strong group-centered needs, such as needs for holistic rewards, preferred collaborative methods to manage conflicts in the workplace, and individuals with strong self-centered needs, such as needs for personal growth and self-fulfillment and needs for autonomy, preferred competitive methods to manage conflicts. Interestingly, this study also finds that self-centered needs such as needs for self-fulfillment and personal growth, and needs for challenge and responsibility are also related to collaborative approaches. Managerial implications are then discussed for conflict management training for nurse practitioners under stressful work conditions.

Concept analysis of nurses' work values

“…• Values for working conditions 46,63,77,79 • Values for salary 5,10,21,22,25,35,46,47,63,77,79,81 • Values for benefits 63,81 • Values for job security 4,14,21,25,47,79,80 • Values for financial stability 48 • Values for occupational stability 10,32,81 • Values for comfort 4,10,80 • Values for the working environment 10…”

“…The term "values" 18 is defined in the Cambridge dictionary as "the Seibert et al 21 Work values are defined as an individual's concepts or beliefs about desirable end states (e.g., high pay) or types of behavior (e.g., working with people) and are a specific expression of basic values in the work setting. 19 Jing et al 22 Work values refer to work-related norms individuals comply with in performing jobs, working with colleagues, and interacting with other stakeholders in the workplace. 23,24 Work values reveal an individual's evaluative tendency toward work and reflect his/her attitudes toward all job-related rewards, level of participation and engagement, and career ambition.…”

“…For example, organizational commitments, 4,53,80 occupational commitments, 15 and burnout/work engagement 5 have been identified as variables indicating work attitudes that nurses' work values directly influence. Furthermore, workplace selection, 10,81 nursing specialty selection, 32 and the choice of conflict management approaches 22 have been clarified as the judgments and behaviors that nurses' work values influence. Similarly, studies of employees in other occupations have also shown that work values affect organizational commitment 82 and burnout/work engagement.…”

“…Similarly, previous studies on workers in other occupations (e.g., police officers, teachers, firefighters) used literature that had long been used in psychosociology. 65,70,72 • Values for autonomy 11,12,21,22,25,32,35,48,63 • Values for work diversity 21,25,35 • Values for creativity 25,32,77,79 • Values regarding the fun of work 22,47,79 • Values for challenging opportunities 10,22 • Values for achievement and fulfillment 5,11,25,35,63 • Values for self-growth/development 4,5,11,12,22,80,85 • Values for skill and ability development 10,12 • Values for utilizing knowledge and skills 4,35,80 Extrinsic work values…”

Conflict Management, Effect of Gender in Different Enterprises: Empirical Literature Review

“…There is a solid conviction that people essentially vary in their tendency and use of contention in taking care of conflict management styles. It has been demonstrated that males will in general have a specific inclination toward contending systems which are dominating strategy while female workers are bound to utilize non-contending methodologies (avoiding, integrating, and compromising) (Jing, Ma, Ma, Chen, & Cheng, 2020)…”