Transforming Healthcare Construction: Navigating Change Management for Tech Adoption
In the fast-paced world of healthcare, technology has become a driving force for everything, including construction. Embracing innovative technologies is essential to create state-of-the-art facilities that provide the best care for patients. However, integrating recent technology such as a program management information system into construction processes will only be successful with effective change management.
Adoption of innovative technology can fail for several reasons, but the most common is lack of buy-in from all levels of the organization. Change, especially in the form of modern technology, can be met with resistance from various stakeholders involved in the healthcare construction process. From project managers and healthcare administrators, users initially have concerns about how the technology will impact their roles, processes and overall project outcomes.
One of the largest healthcare networks in the U.S. has over 80 hospital locations and is using Kahua to modernize its capital programs. Its viewpoint is, “Changing business processes for construction industry partners or for employees is really hard, and getting the people to buy in is just as important or more important than getting the process to work.”
So, how can healthcare organizations successfully navigate this transformative journey? Kahua’s eBook “A Guide Through the Valley of Despair” not only identifies the emotions people travel through when adopting technology but also some tips to help them strategically move through it:
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Buy-in from leadership: Management must be evangelists and agents of change.
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Clear strategy: Define what success means to the organization and team members. They must know their goals, priorities and scope of the project to set clear expectations.
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Concise and frequent communication: It is key to have open discussions through the entire process and have a continuous feedback forum.
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Review points: It is important for the team to understand the process and progress. Do not forget to celebrate wins, big and small!
Adopting modern technology in healthcare construction can lead to improved efficiency, cost savings, enhanced safety measures and better project outcomes. However, these benefits can only be realized if the technology is embraced and utilized effectively. Change management ensures that the workforce is adequately trained, and the technology is integrated into existing processes seamlessly, maximizing its potential advantages.
The large healthcare organization mentioned above has a network of 586 users, with 282 of those being internal. During implementation, they asked themselves how they were going to normalize the innovative technology with staff and with their construction industry partners.
The answer: “A lot of it is understanding the benefits. Using this platform as the owner provides the information in a consistent format, the ability to process things quickly, to understand the whole picture. Here is why we are delivering this as the owner. Because at the end of the day we want to have a standardized process. We want to have a standardized way to go obtain that information at the end of the project.”
Healthcare organizations can successfully adopt modern technology with the support of their workforce. Change management not only ensures the successful integration of technology but also establishes a culture of innovation and continuous improvement. Technology can deliver efficiencies to projects that a decade ago we could never imagine.
The large healthcare network now successfully manages over $5 billion in capital programs in Kahua and concluded, “Having that collaboration across our organization has really been a benefit that has helped us and will help us into the future.”
Get your guide for digital transformation change management CLICK HERE.
