The word ‘co-operation’ means collaboration while the meaning of the word ‘split’ is also reflected in words such as rift, division, controversy, break, separation, dichotomy, discord, collision, quarrel, friction, conflict and enmity. The term ‘co-operation split’ is used when collaborative working relationships, for example in group practices, diverge and therefore separate. It is often a slow process that can also begin as a result of unresolved conflicts.
Here’s an example from the point of view of a joint practice: imagine you’re a doctor and don’t get on well with your co-operation partner, who is also a physician, and you just let it go on. You have enough work and no time for your complicated practice partner. The same is true of your partner. So you both keep quiet, avoiding confrontation. Over time, your employees (your practice team) are drawn into your indirect dispute. The team takes sides, choosing one or the other partner, as a split has already arisen. The result is a divided practice that, in the worst-case scenario, has employees working against each other. Splits in co-operative working relationships foster intrigues, as people are no longer working together. There are even bosses who ask their employees to decide which camp they wish to belong to. The damage caused to the joint practice increases. Patients ‘suffer’ indirectly as a result of the conflict. They are treated differently, enter an oppressive atmosphere and are uncomfortable with it. Conflict consulting, often known as mediation, conflict arbitration, conflict coaching or conflict facilitation, can quickly resolve this co-operation conflict.
Co-operation splits can appear wherever there is a collaborative working relationship. Board-level consulting sessions have revealed that the co-operation split phenomenon is also inherent on management boards. ConsultingConsulting is advice that takes business factors into account. The economic status as well as targeted corporate goals are addressed in the process.... Read more work with manager associations, advice and coaching sessions with doctors’ organisations, and consultancy activities with union bosses and political parties have shown that the same type of split is also to be found in these kinds of collaborative working relationships. Co-operation conflicts of this type can often be identified in positions of responsibility in high-pressure environments.