A People-Centric Approach to Digital Transformation

Change is a complex and unavoidable reality of life it is often beneficial but rarely comfortable. For those attempting to execute a system-wide digital transformation in their hospital system, you might be seeing some friction in implementation. While you envision long-term benefits or smoother processes for your clinicians, the reality is that the transformation can take time and may encounter barriers. So how do you make the transition as smooth as possible while securing as much buy-in as possible?

Digital transformation efforts in healthcare can sometimes fall short not because of technology limitations, but because of low adoption, workflow disruption and misalignment across teams. A people-centric approach is key to realizing the intended ROI and operational improvements.

Unfortunately, some systems get bogged down in the logistics of a transformation. They update the equipment, software, and protocols, but don’t go the extra mile to see if the new system is truly successful.

Let’s look at ways your healthcare leadership teams can lead a people-centric approach to digital transformation that helps adoption and success.

Determine the long-term goal with leadership

When we work with our partners at GE HealthCare, I’ve found that in many cases, leadership in a healthcare organization is less aligned on the foundational structure and long-term goals than they might think. The truth is misalignment at the leadership level is a common and costly reasons digital transformations stall or fail to scale.

Before any large-scale transformation happens in your organization, you should have a shared understanding of what kind of organization you want to be, what you value and where you want to go in the future. This doesn’t just include company structure but also identifying the true culture of the organization. What are your organization’s strengths and weaknesses? How does your team respond to change or disruption?

If you have a clear view of your team culture and strengths and combine it with a five-year plan for implementation and growth, you’ll have a clear direction that can help you navigate the short-term adoption challenges.

Find your ambassadors

In any kind of change, there are enthusiastic early adopters and those who are more hesitant. To get momentum for a digital transformation, it’s critical for you to build early momentum and buy-in with team members.

Whether it be testing, process development, or implementation planning, these early adopters can be ambassadors for the organization when the changes roll out to the rest of the team. They can answer questions, provide direction and point their teams toward the long-term goals that the digital transformation will achieve.

To make this sustainable, it even helps to formalize the role. Mobilizing “clinical champions” or super users embedded within departments can accelerate adoption, reduce training burden and provide real-time peer support during rollout.

Walk the floor

It’s hard to quantify the experience of a disjointed digital transformation, but you can certainly feel it if you walk the floors of your hospital system. During the implementation phase, it’s important to get firsthand experiences of the processes in action. Is there a sense of chaos, disorganization or frustration? Are teams waiting on each other or getting in each other’s way?

And most of all, do these changes actually realize the benefits you intended? If patient experience or efficiency isn’t improving, it’s important to identify the problem quickly and adjust the rollout or the approach altogether.

In addition to getting first-hand information on the effectiveness of the launch, you should also seek feedback from team members across the board. Give them a path to give their input on the changes so you can optimize while everyone is still in the transition phase.

Be patient with the “blockers”

You have your early adopters who are leading the charge of the transformation, but it’s just as important perhaps even more important to pay attention to the “blockers”.

Resistance often signals legitimate workflow, safety, or efficiency concerns. Organizations that proactively engage skeptics can identify hidden risks early and improve the overall design of the transformation.

If you recognize that blockers exist on your teams, it can be beneficial to connect with them directly and have a more intimate conversation about their concerns. In many cases, they have valid concerns and need assurance that their fears won’t come to fruition. It’s helpful to ask questions to understand the “why” of their objection or hesitance.

Balance the short and long-term goals

One keyway to win over the blockers and the entire team, for that matter is to be clear about the short and long-term goals of the transformation.

As a change leader, there’s a delicate balance of staying rooted in the long-term vision while also addressing current needs or more urgent issues. When you have leadership support for what the five-year vision is, then you can anchor yourself to it when you make transformation decisions. You’re essentially saying, “This is where we’re going, and this transformation is how we’re going to get there.”

At the same time, course corrections might be necessary along the way. If the transformation isn’t working perfectly or if a new priority arises, make decisions that align with the vision but still adequately address the issue at hand.

In the end, it’s about finding a way to long-term success, not just for the team but also for your investment. Failed or underutilized digital transformations can represent significant sunk costs not only in technology investments, but in lost productivity and clinician trust.

Embrace disruption

Perhaps the most challenging part of a transformation is knowing that there are going to be growing pains. However, the good news is that there are ways to make the most of a “painful” transitional period.

A couple of examples of instances to capitalize on change are staff turnover, organizational shift, or consolidation. If you’re already planning to onboard a batch of new employees or you’re updating protocols or responsibilities, it may make sense to inject a new digital tool or system update and get everyone on the same page.

It’s like if you need to tear out your lawn to lay down new sod or seed. While the lawn is removed, maybe put in a sprinkler system while you have the opportunity. Or, before you move into your new house, get the hardwood floors refinished.

You’ll never fully remove the discomfort that comes with change. However, if you focus on the people and make it as smooth and as practical for them in their daily workflows, you’ll find that the tools and the transformation plan can make it a success.

Just focus on supporting the people, and the powerful new digital strategy will do the rest.