Date of Conferral
11-10-2025
Date of Award
November 2025
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Management
Advisor
Raghu Korrapati
Abstract
Given the increasing significance of employee turnover, administrative leadership in U.S. Southeastern hospitals stands at a critical turning point. The specific research problem is that leadership behaviors may create an intolerable environment for employees, leading to an intent to leave and turnover. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to explore administrative leadership behaviors that contribute to employee turnover, with a specific focus on leadership behaviors in U.S. Southeastern hospitals. The conceptual framework included grounded theory, which examines underlying social processes, and behavioral theory, focusing on leadership practices and behavior change. Fifteen administrative employees, four men and 11 women, were randomly selected from a pool of 30 participants across Southeastern U.S. hospitals. Colaizzi’s seven-step method guided the analysis of interview transcripts, leading to the emergence of seven themes: (a) leadership behavior, (b) job satisfaction, (c) advancement opportunity, (d) retention and turnover, (e) salary or pay, (f) communication, and (g) relationships. The findings revealed that negative leadership behaviors and traits such as partiality, lack of support, retaliation, rudeness, disrespect, unreliability, and poor communication were closely linked to employee turnover. Healthcare administrative leaders could implement these insights to inform the design of leadership development programs aimed at reducing employee turnover. The implications for positive social change include the potential for healthcare administrative leaders to focus on raising awareness, improving leadership practices, and enhancing understanding of turnover and retention in the healthcare sector.
Recommended Citation
Steele, Kim, "Employee Perception of Administrator Leadership Behaviors in Southeastern U.S. Hospitals That May Contribute to Employee Turnover" (2025). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 18682.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/18682
