Leadership’s role in conflict management during health information technology adoption decisions: qualitative study

This study aims to explore how hospital leadership manages conflicts arising from the risks and complexities of adopting Health Information Technology (HIT).

This qualitative study uses Yin’s (2014) case study methodology, drawing on in-depth interviews with leaders from a research hospital system and a critical access hospital to develop a conceptual model of leadership’s role in managing HIT-related conflicts.

This study identifies 30 factors related to HIT-related conflicts. Critical access hospitals face higher risks due to resource constraints, though their impact on stakeholders is lower. Increased complexity, shaped by close-knit cultures and reliance on external networks, is offset by reduced bureaucracy, enabling quicker decision-making. Leadership in both settings uses servant leadership and similar conflict management strategies, including process, content and motivational controls. Furthermore, heightened HIT-related conflicts correlate with adoption and implementation delays, prompting proactive leadership interventions.

This research fills a gap by examining how hospital leadership mediates conflicts during HIT adoption in a research hospital system and a critical access hospital.