Abstract:
This case study examines the impact of a computer
information system as it was being implemented in one
Ontario hospital. The attitudes of a cross section of the
hospital staff acted as a barometer to measure their
perceptions of the implementation process.
With The Mississauga Hospital in the early stages of an
extensive computer implementation project, the opportunity
existed to identify staff attitudes about the computer
system,
overall
knowledge
and compare the findings with the literature. The
goal of the study was to develop a greater
base about the affective domain in the
relationship between people and the computer system.
Eight exploratory questions shaped the focus of the
investigation. Data were collected from three sources: a
survey questionnaire, focused interviews, and internal
hospital documents.
Both quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed.
Instrumentation in the study consisted of a survey
distributed at two points in time to randomly selected
hospital employees who represented all staff levels.Other sources of data included hospital documents, and
twenty-five focused interviews with staff who replied to
both surveys.
Leavitt's socio-technical system, with its four subsystems:
task, structure, technology, and people was used to
classify staff responses to the research questions.
The study findings revealed that the majority of
respondents felt positive about using the computer as part
of their jobs. No apparent correlations were found between
sex, age, or staff group and feelings about using the
computer.
Differences in attitudes, and attitude changes were found
in potential relationship to the element of time. Another
difference was found in staff group and perception of being
involved in the decision making process.
These findings and other evidence about the role of change
agents in this change process help to emphasize that
planning change is one thing, managing the transition is
another.
