Original ArticleRev. Latino-Am. Enfermagem 2012 Jan.-Feb.;20(1):143-50 www.eerp.usp.br/rlae Corresponding Author:

Critical incidents of trust erosion in leadership of head nurses1 Investigations show that distrust towards head figures has a particularly negative effect on organizational dynamics. Because of this, the main types of behavior associated with distrust in nursing professionals with leadership duties have been identified, examining which aspect of reliability is most frequently related to distrust. Based on an analysis of 61 critical incidents, selected from 90 hospital employees, the most frequently mentioned behavior types related to distrust were “Public Abuse”, “Not giving permission for time off for a special occasion ” and especially an erosion of trustworthiness in the leader’s integrity dimension. The implications of these findings are discussed, so that nursing professionals can avoid the development of distrust in interpersonal relationships and damage to the appropriate functioning of health services