Humanistic vs. instrumental goals — how mindfulness about goal-conflicts impact IT-related change endeavors in healthcare

Abstract

Health IT is expected to support both humanistic and instrumental goals, by, e.g., improving both quality and efficiency in healthcare. However, health IT is also triggering or reinforcing conflicts between these goals. These conflicts then often result in failure to achieve intended outcomes such as improved healthcare quality, safety, and efficiency. By proposing an activity theoretical perspective on IT-related change, this study assumes that outcomes of such endeavors are dependent on actors being mindful of these conflicts and how the IS and complementary resources. Analyzing data collected in four IT-related change projects, supports this assumption: data shows that outcome relate to the ability of actors to understand the interplay between humanistic and instrumental goals among the diverse stakeholders. Mindfulness regarding these conflicts is necessary to efficiently develop and implement changes to IS that balance conflicting perspectives and realize expected outcomes. The implications encourage research and practice alike to develop interventions that help to increase understanding and mindfulness of the interplay between IS and the other elements of collective activities in healthcare.