Conflict management is a major component of a nurse manager's role. How conflict is defined and subsequently approached can determine if its outcome is a positive, growth-enhancing experience, or, if instead, it will have lingering negative effects destined to resurface, provoking further conflict. When conflict progresses without effective intervention, others are drawn, or triangled in, and it becomes difficult to determine how, why, and with whom the conflict began. Approaches range from total avoidance to a fully invested, collaborative process of resolution. The collaborative response demands significant management involvement; however, its outcome can be the discovery of new and better practice opportunities, benefiting all involved.
冲突管理是护士长角色的一个主要组成部分。如何定义冲突以及随后如何处理冲突，能够决定其结果是一次积极的、促进成长的经历，还是相反，会产生挥之不去的负面影响，注定会再次出现，引发进一步的冲突。当冲突在没有有效干预的情况下持续发展时，其他人就会被卷入其中，或者被牵扯进来，很难确定冲突是如何、为何以及与谁开始的。处理方法从完全回避到全力投入的协作解决过程不等。协作应对需要管理层大量参与；然而，其结果可能是发现新的、更好的实践机会，使所有相关人员受益。
