title: Understanding avoidant leadership in health care: findings from a secondary analysis of two qualitative studies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To illuminate ways that avoidant leadership can be enacted in contemporary clinical settings.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Avoidance is identified in relation to laissez-faire leadership and passive avoidant leadership. However, the nature and characteristics of avoidance and how it can be enacted in a clinical environment are not detailed.
  
  
  METHODS
  This paper applied secondary analysis to data from two qualitative studies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We have identified three forms of avoidant leader response: placating avoidance, where leaders affirmed concerns but abstained from action; equivocal avoidance, where leaders were ambivalent in their response; and hostile avoidance, where the failure of leaders to address concerns escalated hostility towards the complainant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Through secondary analysis of two existing sets of data, we have shed new light on avoidant leaderships and how it can be enacted in contemporary clinical settings. Further work needs to be undertaken to better understand this leadership style.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We recommend that organizations ensure that all nurse leaders are aware of how best to respond to concerns of wrongdoing and that mechanisms are created to ensure timely feedback is provided about the actions taken.
authors: University of Technology, Sydney, Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. debra.jackson@uts.edu.au
authors: Debra
authors: D
authors: Jackson
authors: Marie
authors: M
authors: Hutchinson
authors: Kath
authors: K
authors: Peters
authors: Lauretta
authors: L
authors: Luck
authors: Deborah
authors: D
authors: Saltman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D009718:Nurse Administrators