Task interdependence is another potential source of conflict.
Nursing and housekeeping, for example, are interdependent. Housekeeping cannot completely clean a room until nursing has discharged the patient. Other examples of interdependence are the relationships among shifts and those between physicians and nurses. Interdependent relationships have the potential to ini- tiate conflict.
Structural Conflict One conflict commonly seen in the health care environment is structural conflict. Structured relationships (manager to staff, peer to peer) provoke conflict because of poor communication, competition for resources, opposing interests, or a lack of shared perceptions or attitudes. The nurse manager following up on a patient complaint with corrective counseling or coaching with a staff nurse is an example of structural conflict. The staff member may dispute the complaint and become defensive. In this situation, the manager may impose positional power. Positional power is the authority inherent in a certain position—for example, the nurse administrator has greater positional power than a nurse manager.