Decision-Making Processes in Groups

Organisational life is characterised by interactions between actors engaged in making decisions, solving problems, building new knowledge. From this perspective the work group is the crucial instrument in organizing and managing these processes. In healthcare settings conflicts of different interests can occur and cause negative effects on multiprofessional groups' performance and people's well-being, depending on the management methods. Negotiation is an important tool for changing conflict into a constructive experience. It is a joint decision making process between different actors who perceive incompatibility of goals, needs, values and in order to cope, it requires complex cognitive, emotional and social dynamics. The course aims to analyse the psychosocial factors affecting the negotiation process in healthcare settings and reaching an agreement.

At the end of the course the student will be able:
- to knowl the psychological theories about different aspects and processes of the work groups;
- to explain social conflicts and the cognitive, emotional, social processes affecting the conflict constructive management or the escalation;
- to analyse and interpret organisational conflicts among healthcare operators and in the patient-operator relationship;
- to apply integrative strategies in conflict management