Causes of Conflict, Proposed Strategy and Mediation: The Case Study of TOMY of the 3rd Health District, Greece

Aim of the research was to study the causes of conflicts in the TOMY (Primary Health Care Centers) of the 3rd Health District, the proposed strategy to deal with conflicts and the effect of demographic and professional profile on employee’s views. A primary, quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional, and comparative between subjects was conducted using the reliable and valid questionnaire of Tengilimoglu &Kisa for the causes of conflicts (a=0.777). The research involved 143 employees of the TOMY of the 3rd Health District. Data analysis was performed at a significance level of 5% using independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA. Taking orders from more than one manager and not clearly defined duties by statutory regulations would affect negatively the employee’s production. Inadequate rewards according to job performance and differences in education level would lead to communication problems between different professional groups. The causes of conflicts were recognized more by health professionals, with longer experience. Cooperation and mediation emerged as the most appropriate strategies for dealing with conflicts. The improvement of organization via the meritocratic management of personnel, the division of tasks and the immediate recruitment of personnel of all specialties in all departments, is expected to reduce the phenomena of conflicts.