De Zorgcirkel, specialist in elderly care and provider of heartwarming care, introduced Cirkelnet, a new social intranet to improve communication, information provision and knowledge sharing with employees. The adoption of the platform proved challenging, especially for healthcare workers with fewer digital skills. With this group lived a lot of uncertainty about their own abilities. Thanks to a combination of low-threshold activation, personal guidance and engaged leadership, trust grew and the ease of use of the platform increased significantly.
Adoption in healthcare as a current issue
The healthcare sector is under great pressure: aging, staff shortages and rising healthcare costs require more efficient work. At the same time, more and more digital systems are available that can improve care. However, healthcare professionals often experience insufficient time, training or confidence to use these systems effectively. In addition, the systems do not always fit well with their work processes. This leads to frustration, delay and missed opportunities. Therefore, good adoption is essential for successful implementation within care.
Adoption is not about technology, but about people. New solutions, which often require extra time at the bedside, are not always accepted or well anchored in everyday work, leaving them untapped. That is why it is important that healthcare institutions invest in the conscious implementation of innovations. With special attention to ease of use, support among employees and strengthening their ability to cope with changes.
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The relationship between humans and technology
Data from the support desk, which logs incoming questions, showed that logging in was the biggest barrier to using Cirkelnet. It was mostly colleagues from the care (IG, WMO, living room assistant, hotel service, (district)nurse) who had difficulty installing an authentication application, or had forgotten their username or password. From this we concluded that it was precisely this group of colleagues that needed the most support. As soon as they were helped on their way by logging in to Cirkelnet, they knew how to find their way. We also saw this in the figures: the number of login moments increased significantly.
The introduction of the new intranet not only brought technical changes, but also struck an emotional chord with many employees. For employees who are less digitally skilled, this led to uncertainty and even (digi)shame. Some reported feeling ‘stupid’ or afraid of making mistakes. Or as several employees of the hotel service/housekeeping themselves indicated:
‘I have to ask my husband to let me log in. I really can’t. I’m really digitally illiterate.”
Time pressure also played a role: when colleagues had to continue working while they were still struggling with the system, it caused stress and a feeling of failure.
All these emotions should not be underestimated. They show that implementation is more than a’push of a button’. It touches people in their self-confidence and sense of control. When introducing new systems, it is important that organizations not only focus on instruction, but also give space to guidance, show empathy and offer accessible support. The expectation is that, due to these emotions, only a small part of the colleagues who experience problems with logging in actually approach the support desk. This group most likely represents a larger group that does not approach the support desk.
Up the floor
Adoption, i.e. the sustainable embedding of correct use, is in our view an important part of – and even a prerequisite for – a successful implementation. In the case of adoption, we think of activities such as handing out a (paper) instruction and activation package at launch, digital support via webinars and a support desk. But also by guiding teams in learning new ways of working, which is very much in line with change management.
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In the case of the Care Circle, due to the low-threshold and informal nature of this method, floorwalking also had a prominent role in the adoption strategy of Cirkelnet. Floorwalking means that supervisors are present on the work floor to personally support employees in the use of new digital systems. In this way, there was real attention for employees, they felt seen and supported, and they became more familiar with the new technology.
Just after the implementation of Cirkelnet, so – called summer and autumn tours with floorwalking were organized at the Zorgcirkel. In a few weeks we visited all the locations that had indicated that they needed this. We connected to moments that were convenient for employees, such as existing team meetings, or were present on request during shifts.
From excitement to play
The use of floorwalking contributes to the successful adoption of digital tools in healthcare by lowering the threshold for employees to embrace new technology and improve their digital skills. It is about offering personal attention and support in a sometimes ‘exciting’ digital world.
‘Oh, so now it’s just a button on my cell phone. That’s easy.”
The floorwalking sessions at the Care Circle offered employees the opportunity to ask questions directly and receive practical support, directly on their own phone or laptop. A ‘battle’ also ensued between the different locations over which locations had the most login sessions. Successfully, after the sessions, more than 75% of the employees logged in to Cirkelnet.
In short, our
activities
- Needs-assessment by managers of the different locations and teams about the level of skills and type of questions from employees;
- Offer help by helping to install apps (authentication and those of Cirkelnet), reset credentials, give a tour on intranet and answer other questions about (access to) the intranet;
- Floorwalking: in shared computer rooms, a canteen or in a team meeting;
- Activation: employees could have a professional portrait photo taken during the floorwalking, for example for a profile photo on Cirkelnet;
- By handing out ice creams during the summer tour, we asked attention for the help moments on location and we indicated that it does not have to be ‘exciting’. We helped employees defrost.
In short our
results
- More employees managed to log in to Cirkelnet, from about 30% to 75%.
- By connecting with managers and planning their team meetings, we ensured that they could make their team available. In this way, we created support on location and for the involvement of team leaders.
- Employees were more confident in their digital abilities after the tour, because the topic had become lighter for them.
- We took away unrest and frustration, by hearing employees.
- More positive appreciation for (internal) communication.
- Better understanding of the utility and added value of the circular network.
- Before, during and after the tour, a total of more than 1,500 questions were answered.
Evolve for and with the Care Circle
Evolve has supported De Zorgcirkel in the implementation of Cirkelnet by guiding the entire process from establishment to adoption. We provided project management, developed an adoption strategy with a focus on management, community management, training, support through content creation, activation and adoption campaigns. In addition, Together we ensured that the management of Cirkelnet was properly taken over, so that the platform was sustainably embedded in the organization. In this blog we zoom in on the adoption campaign at the Care Circle, with in particular the Floorwalking summer and autumn tour. Read the full case of our work for the care circle here.
Meer weten?Wil je meer weten over adoptie en projectbegeleiding bij het implementeren van een sociaal intranet (in de zorg) of heb je zelf een vraagstuk waar we je bij kunnen helpen? Neem dan gerust eens contact op met Anouk via anouk@evolve.eu of +31 6 57 58 83 63 |
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