EXAMINING THE CHARACTERISTICS THAT SUPPORT NURSES’ INNOVATIVE BEHAVIORS

Statement of the Problem: Nurses engaging in innovative behaviors, such as human-centered design (HCD) and design thinking (DT), are vital to health systems providing high-quality care. Identifying and classifying the individual and organizational characteristics that contribute to nursing innovativeness is essential.Methods: This is a 3-paper dissertation where the results of Paper 1 informed the research process for Papers 2 and 3. Paper 1 was an integrated review of the literature relating to the use of HCD and DT by healthcare providers in practice. Paper 2 measured the innovativeness of nurses who engaged in innovative behaviors. Psychometric testing and an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed. Paper 3 used the data from Paper 2 to examine the concordance of our results with the Diffusion of Innovation adopter categories. A Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was performed to create a new typology of nurses engaging in innovative behaviors. Results: There are inconsistencies among the healthcare providers who use HCD and DT in their clinical practice, especially with nurses. Individual and organizational characteristics were identified which contribute to a nurse’s innovativeness including increased participation in, and offering of, innovation events. There are individual and organizational correlates of innovative behavior that specifically contribute to four factors of innovativeness: Risk Aversion, Willingness to Try New Things, Creativity and Originality, and Being Challenged. Our sample of nurses is slightly different than the normal distribution of the Diffusion of Innovation theory adopter categories, having more early adopters. We determined four LCA classes and their associated factors: Non-innovator, Uncreative, Optimal Innovator, and Wary Innovator. Conclusions: For nurses to be innovative in their practice, individual and organizational characteristics must be present. Participation and exposure to innovative behaviors, such as HCD and DT, increases a nurse’s innovativeness and is associated with greater innovativeness and self-perception as an innovator.

Author dc:creator

• Leary, Marion

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Bauermeister, Jose, A

• Nursing
• Arts and Humanities
• Education

Language dc:language.iso

en

Repository record dc:identifier.uri

https://repository.upenn.edu/handle/20.500.14332/59205

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.upenn.edu:20.500.14332/59205