A new workforce in the making?

TLDR

The study is grounded in established workplace management theories and a multi‑level diffusion of innovations model. The authors aim to describe human resource issues in a large‑scale healthcare innovation program. A realist approach using interviews, ethnographic observation, and documentary analysis was employed. The evaluation identified five workforce development approaches—recruiting transformation‑skilled staff, redesigning and creating roles, enhancing workforce planning, aligning staff development with service needs, and fostering shared learning—that yielded mixed success and offered HR implications for modernising complex health services, marking the first realist evaluation of such an initiative.

Abstract

Purpose This paper seeks to describe the exploration of human resource issues in one large‐scale program of innovation in healthcare. It is informed by established theories of management in the workplace and a multi‐level model of diffusion of innovations. Design/methodology/approach A realist approach was used based on interviews, ethnographic observation and documentary analysis. Findings Five main approaches (“theories of change”) were adopted to develop and support the workforce: recruiting staff with skills in service transformation; redesigning roles and creating new roles; enhancing workforce planning; linking staff development to service needs; creating opportunities for shared learning and knowledge exchange. Each had differing levels of success. Practical implications The paper includes HR implications for the modernisation of a complex service organisation. Originality/value This is the first time a realist evaluation of a complex health modernisation initiative has been undertaken.