Identity Change through Affordances Actualization: Evidence from Healthcare Workers

Abstract

As more and more digital technologies are used in healthcare organizations, the way healthcare workers work and doctor-patient communication are changing. These changes will lead to identity change of healthcare workers. Some scholars try to understand technological changes in terms of the affordance theory. However, there are few relevant studies that incorporate specific application scenarios. In this paper, we explore the specific performance of the digital technology affordance and the impact on healthcare workers’ identity in China. We conducted in-depth interviews with 14 healthcare workers and used grounded theory to summarize three kinds of digital technology affordance, namely functional affordance, process affordance and performance affordance. The findings suggest that on the one hand, digital technology affordance increase the efficiency of healthcare workers and enhance collaboration among colleagues, thus reinforcing the healthcare workers’ identity. On the other hand, over-reliance on digital technology may also lead to unnecessary hassles that worsen healthcare workers’ identity. Our study enriches the affordance theory and identity theory, and has constructive implications for the quality of healthcare services in a digital context.