Work-Arounds: A Matter of Perception

Most nurse leaders view work-arounds as negative behaviors to be corrected. New research examining these behaviors from a complexity science perspective has revealed a different perspective: nurses adapting to and learning from a challenging clinical situation to improve quality of care. Work-arounds, examined from two leadership perspectives, provide insight about the realities and management of nurses' behavior in the implementation of technology solutions. New leadership perspectives are identified to facilitate innovation, adaptability, and learning from work-around behaviors and improve the quality of patient care.