Posted 8:50 a.m. Wednesday, June 25, 2025
UWL, Mayo leaders collaborate on healthcare technology research
A partnership between UW-La Crosse faculty and Mayo Clinic Health System leaders is helping to shape an improved healthcare experience for all.
Their latest collaboration, a research article co-authored by faculty from UWL’s College of Business Administration and Mayo Clinic leadership, addresses a key challenge in modern healthcare: managing conflict during the adoption of health information technology (HIT).
Published in the Journal of Leadership in Health Services, the article, “Leadership's Role in Conflict Management during Health Information Technology Adoption Decisions: Qualitative Study,” explores how hospital leaders can navigate internal tensions and streamline the implementation of complex technologies. These challenges are common across healthcare systems, regardless of size, and effective leadership is critical to ensuring successful adoption.
The project was born out of a shared interest between UWL management professors Uzay Damali and William Ross, and Mayo Clinic Regional Chair Tanner Holst, a UWL MBA graduate who also teaches in the university’s Management Department.
“Since joining the Management Department at UWL in 2017, I’ve focused on healthcare management through teaching, research and directing our Healthcare Management program,” Damali says. “A recurring theme in conversations with hospital leaders was the complexity and risk of tech adoption, and the conflict that can cause. That inspired me to team up with Dr. Ross, who is an expert in conflict management.”
Damali and Ross’ academic perspective was complemented by Holst’s leadership experience in digital health and primary care at Mayo Clinic, as well as insight from Derek Daly, CEO of Tomah Health. Together, the group brought a unique blend of practical and scholarly expertise.
“I’ve been healthcare-focused my entire career,” Holst says. “The faculty brought a broad academic expertise across industries that added a unique lens to this healthcare-centric publication. By combining academic perspective with real-industry application, the collaboration was an excellent experience all around.”
Holst also praised the collaborative environment at UWL.
“The curiosity of the faculty pushed me to think differently,” Holst says. “Spending time in a learning environment like UWL has been an uplifting experience. The energy, the passion for students and learning and the interest in helping my industry perform was very evident.”
The study found that while hospitals vary in size and structure, effective conflict management strategies — often rooted in servant leadership — were remarkably consistent across contexts.
“Leaders in both small rural hospitals and large urban health systems commonly mediated among stakeholders to guide HIT choices to successful adoption,” Damali explains.
Beyond the insights offered in the publication, all three collaborators see value in the partnership itself.
“Academic partnerships are essential to advancing leadership models,” Holst says. “We are creating new expertise in how to drive innovation in a very challenging industry.”
Damali and Ross agree.
“This kind of intellectual engagement enhances our teaching and the value we provide to students,” they say. “We’re grateful to be part of a university, college and department that actively supports and encourages these efforts.”