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| The Surgical Technologist | MARCH 2017 110 ters when the parties involved allow a disagreement to turn into a heated argument and tension escalates the situation. 7 D Y N A M I C S O F C O N F L I C T Understanding the dynamics and forces surrounding con- flict is vital. In the event of conflict, people commonly engage based on three main dimensions: perception, emotional and behavioral. Perception reflects the way the brain is wired. The way people think and perceive situations determines their views on how things should be or develop. Each individual reasons and sees things in different ways. The emotional reac- tions raised in a conflict are usually linked to the individual’s perception or interpretation of situations during the conflict, which can make one feel angry, powerless, hurt, bitter, resolute or happy. Whereas behavior, is the action or response articu- lated to the individual’s perception and feelings. A secondary influential factor that contributes to the way people learn to react when engaged in discrepancies is through environmental associations while growing up. For instance, a child who was taught that a fierce dispute is simply a way par- ents communicate to fix things at home may eventually impact the child’s behavior and lead to engagement in aggressive or violent disputes to win arguments during adult life. S O U R C E S O F C O N F L I C T I N T H E O P E R A T I N G R O O M The OR congregates a widely diverse community with dif- ferent occupational training and professional interests and responsibilities (surgical technologist, nurses, doctors, phy- sician’s assistance, etc). Each comes from diverse cultural backgrounds, having different personalities, interests and interpretations, but they all work together under one roof with one common goal – patient care. Adding to this vastly eclectic group of people, goals, time and pressure, the poten- tial reasons for conflict are endless. The following presents the most basic sources of conflict. Inability to Cope with Work Stress There is the saying, “stress is the mother of all conflicts.” In modern society, work environments use certain levels of stress as motivators to increase productivity. In reality, stress can make people become one of two things: more focused and productive, or stressed to their breaking point. Let’s say a CST is doing a lunch relieve for a carotid end- arterectomy. A circulating nurse, new to the OR, is assigned to the room due to being short-staffed. The circulating nurse keeps running in and out of the room every time the CST or the surgeon asks for something, and every time, the circulat- ing nurse brings the wrong item back. The surgeon becomes furious and takes it out on the CST. The CST replies, “It is not my fault! I have nothing to do with this!” In the sur- geon’s mind, he has every right to act as he does. The new nurse may also deflect blame by saying she was assigned to the room, she did not choose it. During the turmoil, the surgeon tries to run out the door to call for another nurse and accidentally trips on tubes and cables attached to the table. He falls to the ground. After the procedure, the surgi- cal team finds the Foley catheter was pulled out when the surgeon accidentally tripped on the bag. On a typical day, surgical personnel spend many hours working under high levels of stress. Surgical technologists, nurses, surgeons, anesthesiologists and the rest of the per- sonnel must perform complex tasks, overcoming stressful circumstances to provide suitable care to correct patient problems. But, one’s inability to handle these stressful situa- tions can create new problems for patients. Stressful situations can arise in the operating room at any time and test one’s coping mechanisms and character. Responding to these challenges in a calm manner and main- taining focus is not always easy. Eventually, the stress and conflict that can potentially strike and take over can change people’s moods and attitudes, and instill misery and animos- ity among team members. On a personal level, one’s inabil- ity to handle stress may lead to relationship or intimacy problems, unhealthy entertainment and the use of alcohol, tobacco or drugs in order to decompress. Personality Issues As mentioned earlier, it is impossible to get along with and agree with everybody all the time. When personality issues get in the way of the team’s functionality, it may deter the working relationship among members of the surgical team. Unresolved conflicts due to personality clashes are destruc- tive and directly impact effective communication, increase work-related stress and create polarization. Under these circumstances, the team may lose objectivity, become dys- functional or counterproductive and experience a decline in performance, thus compromising the appropriate delivery of patient safety and a satisfactory surgical outcome. Personality conflicts can be hard to handle and perhaps is the biggest challenge for the surgical team if they are not addressed appropriately. Understanding that personality dictates the way people interpret circumstances, deal with stress, communicate with others, respond to conflicts and handle their emotions when solving problems is imperative for maintaining a healthy work environment. It is necessary