Engaging to innovate: an investigation into the implications of engagement at work on innovative behaviors in healthcare organizations

The association between appreciative management and work engagement among health- and social care professionals: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

The importance of work engagement has been emphasised due to the increasing demand for health- and social care and the shortage of skilled labour. Improving organisational and managerial factors is important when enhancing professionals' work engagement. The association between management and work engagement has only been established in previous studies at a general level, but the association between appreciative management and work engagement has not received equivalent research interest.

AIM

This study aimed to describe the association between appreciative management and work engagement among health- and social care professionals.

METHODS

The study used a cross-sectional survey design. The data were collected in five health and social services centres in one city in Finland from September to October 2022 using the Appreciative Management Scale 2.0 and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9. A total of 182 health- and social care professionals participated. The data were analysed using correlations, linear regression analyses, independent samples t-tests and two-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs).

RESULTS

A moderate association was found between appreciative management and work engagement and its dimensions of vigor, dedication and absorption. Systematic management had the strongest association and equality had the weakest association with work engagement. Among the dimensions of work engagement, appreciative management had the strongest association with vigour and the weakest association with absorption. Appreciative management and work type predicted 18% of the variance in work engagement. Full-time employees reported higher levels of work engagement and all its dimensions than did part-time employees.

CONCLUSION

The results indicate that appreciative management and full-time work predict work engagement among health- and social care professionals. Due to this positive association, it is important to promote managers' appreciative management skills by educating them to understand how appreciative management enables and supports professionals' vigour, dedication and absorption in health- and social care.

Factors contributing to innovation readiness in health care organizations: a scoping review

Background

Increasing innovation readiness of healthcare organizations is necessary to meet upcoming challenges, including population aging, staff shortages and reduced funding. Health care organizations differ in the extent to which they are innovation ready. This review aims to clarify the concept of innovation readiness and identify which factors contribute to innovation readiness in health care organizations.

Methods

A scoping review was conducted based on the framework from Arksey and O’Malley. PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL and Web of Science were searched for studies that (a) aimed to contribute to scientific knowledge about innovation readiness of health care organizations, (b) were peer-reviewed, (c) reported empirical data and (d) were written in English, Dutch or German. Factors researched in the included studies were bundled into 4 overarching main factors and 10 sub-factors.

Results

Of the 6,208 studies identified, 44 were included. The majority (n = 36) of the studies had been conducted since 2011 and almost half of the studies (n = 19) were performed in hospitals. Of the 44 studies, 21 researched factors contributing to innovation readiness in the implementation stage of the innovation process. The authors used a variety of words and descriptions addressing innovation readiness, with hardly any theoretical frameworks for innovation readiness presented. Four main factors and 10 sub-factors contributing to the innovation readiness of health care organizations were summarized: strategic course for innovation, climate for innovation, leadership for innovation and commitment to innovation. Climate for innovation (n = 16) was studied the most and individual commitment to innovation (n = 6) was the least studied.

Conclusion

Our study identified four main factors contributing to the innovation readiness of health care organizations. Research into innovation readiness of health care organizations is a rather new field. Future research could be directed towards defining the concept of innovation readiness and the development of a framework for innovation readiness. More understanding of the interplay of factors contributing to innovation readiness in all stages of the innovation process and in diverse health care settings can support health care managers to structurally embed innovation. This review contributes to the first stage of theory building on factors contributing to innovation readiness of health care organizations.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-022-08185-x.

Delving into the soft side of TQM: an analysis of the implications of employee involvement on management practices

Purpose

Soft total quality management (STQM) is a requisite for the successful implementation of hard total quality management interventions. However, there is limited empirical evidence on the implications of adopting soft total quality management practices. Inter alia, little is known about the consequences of employee involvement in addressing organizational and management challenges. To fill this gap, the article investigates the effects of employees' involvement on their commitment to organizational excellence.

Design/methodology/approach

Secondary data were collected from the European Company Survey (ECS). A large sample of 15,958 European companies was involved in the analysis. A parallel mediation model was devised to investigate the effects of employee involvement on commitment to organizational excellence. Training and motivation were contemplated as mediating variables to investigate the indirect implications of employee involvement on commitment to organizational excellence.

Findings

Employee involvement contributed marginally towards establishing an increased individual commitment to organizational excellence. Training and motivation played a relevant and statistically significant mediating role, boosting the implications of involvement on commitment to organizational excellence.

Practical implications

Employee involvement is critical for establishing an organizational climate conducive to organizational excellence. However, its implications should be contextualized in light of the mediating role of training and motivation. On the one hand, training is expected to increase employees' participation in the enhancement of organizational excellence. On the other hand, motivation fosters employee engagement in the improvement of organizational dynamics.

Originality/value

The article investigates the implications of employee involvement on commitment to organizational excellence in a large sample of European companies, emphasizing that soft TQM interventions should be implemented according to a systemic perspective in order to pave the way for a viable commitment to organizational excellence.