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1.4. Collective mindfulness and IT implementation
The theory of collective mindfulness has been applied in the field of information
systems (IS) to both explain aspects of IT implementation and as a recommendation for
improvement [15]. For example, in relation to information system development, Butler
and Gray [9] suggest that a collective mindfulness approach may lead to more successful
IT projects (better able to manage project risk). They argue that agile development
techniques, in contrast to formal development methods, may promote mindfulness by
focusing attention on ‘what is needed and what exists, rather than the abstractions of
what is expected or promised’ (with risks of premature cognitive commitments)
[9][p220]. Once systems are implemented and put into use, they are often found to be
‘fundamentally unreliable’ [9][p217]. Butler and Gray [9] argue that collective
mindfulness can explain how organisations using such systems achieve reliability, for
example, by mindfully managing business continuity and disaster recovery and
organising operations of a ‘technical support’ unit. The authors also point out how
paradoxically, systems designed for ease of use may have negative implications on users’
ability to achieve reliable outcomes when they ‘provide results tailored to one
perspective, and avoid revealing alternative perspectives’ [9][p220]. Here they argue
that such design approaches may hinder collective mindfulness when they ‘mask
unexpected variation’, ‘promote efficient routinized behaviour’ and restrict choice
[9][p221].
2. Use of collective mindfulness in health informatics
A rare case of the application of the theory of collective mindfulness in health
informatics, is Aanestad and Jensen’s study [16] of a Norwegian hospital adoption of an
electronic health record (EHR) system. Their interest lies in the post-implementation
adaptation processes, and in particular those changes that ‘technology triggers’ after
implementation is officially over and ‘the dust has settled’ [16][p15]. With respect to the
traditional life-cycle of an IT implementation, understanding these processes is an
important part of the evaluation phase, where evaluation overlaps with, and informs,
further adaptive design and development.
2.1. The case, as recounted in Aanestad and Jensen, 2016 [16]:
A Norwegian hospital rolled-out an EHR system to achieve paperless workflows.
However, the new EHR system did not initially replace patient (paper-based) records as
other information about the patient remained on paper. Thus, in parallel to EHR use,
digital records were printed and kept in storage together with any other paper-based
documents (e.g. incoming letters). After about three years from the initial EHR roll-out,
the organisation decided to address the sustainability issue of this practice by purchasing
scanners, including small ones that clinical departments would use to scan paper-based
documents to add to the electronic record. This was considered a low-cost ‘IT project’,
‘entailing simple hardware purchase and installation’, without the perceived need for
changes in workflows or specifically allocated resources. This scanning project began
with a pilot of four hospital units, but without an implementation strategy. The
researchers were able to observe how this initiative was received by the users in one of
these units (the Women’s clinic).
V.LichtnerandJ.I.Westbrook /CollectiveMindfulnessandProcessesofSensemaking 103
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book Applied Interdisciplinary Theory in Health Informatics - Knowledge Base for Practitioners"
Applied Interdisciplinary Theory in Health Informatics
Knowledge Base for Practitioners
- Title
- Applied Interdisciplinary Theory in Health Informatics
- Subtitle
- Knowledge Base for Practitioners
- Authors
- Philip Scott
- Nicolette de Keizer
- Andrew Georgiou
- Publisher
- IOS Press BV
- Location
- Amsterdam
- Date
- 2019
- Language
- English
- License
- CC BY-NC 4.0
- ISBN
- 978-1-61499-991-1
- Size
- 16.0 x 24.0 cm
- Pages
- 242
- Category
- Informatik