How do you get your employees on board with the digital transformation? Strategic innovation consultant Suzanne Verheijden shares six golden tips with her audience at the Healthcare & HR Expo.
With 50 chairs, the small room where Suzanne Verheijden gives her presentation is not big enough for the nearly 200 people who want to hear from this innovation expert and owner of Buro StrakZ how best to prepare your employees to use healthcare technology and e-health, to provide care at a distance and to work with digital applications. Verheijden contagiously dishes out useful tips and tricks for making a successful start.
Generational Differences
“Technology trends are evolving very rapidly, and healthcare workers are by no means familiar with all of the applications. Of course, this also has to do with generational differences,” she concludes. “Healthcare professionals still have limited knowledge of AI; for many people, it’s still something they’re getting used to. But as a healthcare organization, you’re definitely looking for employees who are digitally savvy.”
Born Swiping
“Adaptability is the magic word here,” says the innovation expert. “There are eight types of people, and the most enthusiastic ones are adaptable and willing to change. You’re looking for people who quickly absorb new knowledge!” A tool like ChatGPT can help with that, she notes. “Have that program generate ten interview questions to screen candidates based on those two factors.”
It’s also important for the healthcare organization to have a solid technological infrastructure. “Gen Zers were born swiping—their smartphone is their office. But if the Wi-Fi isn’t up to par, they won’t show up.”
Shame
Not surprisingly, age and education say something about an employee's level of digital proficiency, Verheijden says. "The older, the more difficulty someone has with digitization. Those people are often insecure, ashamed of it and then go and ask a colleague who can. But that also wastes time and puts pressure on the quality of care. The result: the outflow of employees is growing and the influx is slowing down."
A Positive Approach
“Motivate your employees,” is her motto. There are various ways to do this. “As a manager, don’t say, ‘We have to go digital,’ because that comes across as a sign of weakness, as if you’re not really on board with it yourself. And don’t say, ‘We’re going to deploy twenty medication dispensers,’ but rather, ‘We’re going to help Mrs. De Vries with her medication adherence.’” Or ‘We’re going to help Mr. de Vries live at home longer.’ So communicate positively. Don’t think in terms of the technology, but in terms of what it delivers.”
Digital Coach
Verheijden cites the appointment of a digicoach as another solution. "That job has existed since 2017 and has proven incredibly successful. A digicoach takes employees who are less digitally proficient by the hand and teaches them how to use new applications with patience and humor."
She also believes that letting them experience firsthand what technology can do for patients or clients works wonders. “Just let them play around and experiment with the care robot, and they’ll naturally realize how useful that device can be.”
On the soapbox
Inspirational leadership is also essential if your organization wants to get employees on board with the digital healthcare world, she notes. “Take the stage, be the thread that ties everything together, and use humor! And wrap up any projects that no longer work or add value.”
As her final golden tip, Verheijden advises people to stop using the word “just.” “Especially for people who aren’t very digitally savvy, that’s a deal-breaker—they don’t see technological developments as something you ‘just’ do in a flash.”
Six golden tips from Suzanne Verheijden
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- Keep this in mind: “If the other person doesn’t get it, I haven’t explained it well enough!”
- Let go of any embarrassment. For example, point out that no one can know everything, that you have to look things up yourself sometimes, and that you’ve made a digital blunder or two yourself.
- Feel free to reassure them by saying that mistakes aren’t usually fatal. Computers don’t crash as easily these days, and files are usually backed up.
- Let the digital beginner do as much as possible on their own, even if it sometimes takes a little persuasion. If you just fix it for them, they won’t learn anything.
- Explain one method for doing something. Don’t offer different options.
- Also, avoid using the word “just.” For digital beginners, nothing about working with a computer is “just.”
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