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

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

Design/methodology/approach: 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.

Findings: 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.

Originality/value: 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.