Determinants of Implementation Effectiveness

TLDR

Health sector innovations are complex, often requiring coordinated use by multiple members, yet they frequently fail during implementation and the literature offers limited guidance on how to manage this complexity. This study adapts a manufacturing‑based implementation framework to health sector organizations and investigates its applicability and implications for researchers and managers. The authors applied the framework in comparative case studies of four cancer clinical research networks to identify determinants of implementation and explain observed differences in effectiveness. They found that management support and innovation‑values fit are key determinants, fostering an implementation climate that enhances effectiveness.

Abstract

Many innovations in the health sector are complex, requiring coordinated use by multiple organizational members to achieve benefits. Often, complex innovations are adopted with great anticipation only to fail during implementation. The health services literature provides limited conceptual guidance to researchers and practitioners about implementation of complex innovations. In the present study, we adapt an organizational framework of innovation implementation developed and validated in a manufacturing setting and explore the extent to which it aptly characterizes implementation in health sector organizations. Through comparative case studies of four cancer clinical research networks, we illustrate how this conceptual framework captures key determinants of the implementation of new programs in cancer prevention and control (CP/C) research and helps explain observed differences in implementation effectiveness. Key determinants include management support and innovation-values fit, which contribute to an organizational "climate" for implementation. We explore the implications for researchers and managers.