Abstract
Purpose: Inefficient communication and knowledge sharing have been linked to delayed patient care and reduced staff collaboration1. The integration of applications for healthcare communication and knowledge storage2 can improve clinic efficiency and staff communication3.
Documents and data at an IHS facility are stored on the clinic’s Z-Drive: a collection of folders on a clinic server containing outdated documents. If a staff member is editing a shared document in the Z-Drive, another staff member cannot also be editing the same document. If staff do not save a document correctly, multiple copies of the same document can be saved. These inefficiencies lead to a waste of clinic resources and staff time, and reduce clinic efficiency in delivering quality patient care. We will create a SharePoint site and OneDrive workflow using Kotter’s Method of Organizational Change that will enhance clinic collaboration and patient care4.
Methods of Process: Following a needs assessment with clinic staff, we are creating a SharePoint website and providing education on using OneDrive to complement the data/document migration from the Z-Drive. We will use Kotter's Method, a widely used model for organizational change to accomplish this. Following the first step of Kotter’s Method, we set an official termination date of the Z-Drive to create a sense of urgency among staff members to participate in the early stages of the SharePoint build-out4.
In alignment with Kotter’s method, the guiding coalition will be department supervisors who will help spread the vision for this project4.
In December 2024 we will launch the first draft of the SharePoint site for all staff to use and provide feedback before the official termination of the Z-Drive in January. We will enable action and remove barriers based on Kotter’s Method by setting SharePoint and OneDrive to the staff’s homepage to reduce additional clicks needed to access the sites4.
Anticipated Results/Lessons: We expect the first months with SharePoint and OneDrive to be difficult to navigate for some based on individuals’ reactions to change5. We plan to sustain acceleration by holding frequent check-ins with staff and training when necessary4. We will measure clinic collaboration and data ease of access with staff surveys.
The federal government has not cleared us to put protected health information (PHI) onto SharePoint or One Drive. For this reason, we will give supervisors access to an organized Z-Drive to store documents with PHI.
Notes
References: 1Howick, J., Bennett-Weston, A., Solomon, J., Nockels, K., Bostock, J., & Keshtkar, L. (2024). How does communication affect patient safety? Protocol for a systematic review and logic model. BMJ open, 14(5), e085312. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-085312
2Sensuse, D. I., Lestari, P. I., & Al Hakim, S. (2021). Exploring Factors Influencing Knowledge Sharing Mechanisms and Technology to Support the Collaboration Ecosystem: A Review. DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology, 41(3).
3Deng, H., Duan, S.X. & Wibowo, S. (2023), "Digital technology driven knowledge sharing for job performance", Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 27 No. 2, pp. 404-425. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-08-2021-0637
4Pollack, J., Pollack, R. Using Kotter’s Eight Stage Process to Manage an Organizational Change Program: Presentation and Practice. Syst Pract Action Res 28, 51–66 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-014-9317-0
5Khaw, K. W., Alnoor, A., Al-Abrrow, H., Tiberius, V., Ganesan, Y., & Atshan, N. A. (2022). Reactions towards organizational change: a systematic literature review. Current psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.), 1–24. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03070-6
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
Implementation Science, Primary Care, Document Migration
Recommended Citation
Spellman, Madison and Kappl, Dwight, "Improving Collaboration and Data Storage at an IHS Facility: Kotter’s Method of Organization Change" (2025). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 35.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2025/posters_2025/35
Conference Name
36th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Improving Collaboration and Data Storage at an IHS Facility: Kotter’s Method of Organization Change
Seattle, Washington, USA
Purpose: Inefficient communication and knowledge sharing have been linked to delayed patient care and reduced staff collaboration1. The integration of applications for healthcare communication and knowledge storage2 can improve clinic efficiency and staff communication3.
Documents and data at an IHS facility are stored on the clinic’s Z-Drive: a collection of folders on a clinic server containing outdated documents. If a staff member is editing a shared document in the Z-Drive, another staff member cannot also be editing the same document. If staff do not save a document correctly, multiple copies of the same document can be saved. These inefficiencies lead to a waste of clinic resources and staff time, and reduce clinic efficiency in delivering quality patient care. We will create a SharePoint site and OneDrive workflow using Kotter’s Method of Organizational Change that will enhance clinic collaboration and patient care4.
Methods of Process: Following a needs assessment with clinic staff, we are creating a SharePoint website and providing education on using OneDrive to complement the data/document migration from the Z-Drive. We will use Kotter's Method, a widely used model for organizational change to accomplish this. Following the first step of Kotter’s Method, we set an official termination date of the Z-Drive to create a sense of urgency among staff members to participate in the early stages of the SharePoint build-out4.
In alignment with Kotter’s method, the guiding coalition will be department supervisors who will help spread the vision for this project4.
In December 2024 we will launch the first draft of the SharePoint site for all staff to use and provide feedback before the official termination of the Z-Drive in January. We will enable action and remove barriers based on Kotter’s Method by setting SharePoint and OneDrive to the staff’s homepage to reduce additional clicks needed to access the sites4.
Anticipated Results/Lessons: We expect the first months with SharePoint and OneDrive to be difficult to navigate for some based on individuals’ reactions to change5. We plan to sustain acceleration by holding frequent check-ins with staff and training when necessary4. We will measure clinic collaboration and data ease of access with staff surveys.
The federal government has not cleared us to put protected health information (PHI) onto SharePoint or One Drive. For this reason, we will give supervisors access to an organized Z-Drive to store documents with PHI.
Description
Inefficient communication and knowledge storage have been linked to reduced staff collaboration and untimely patient care1. The Z-Drive at an Indian Health Service facility is an internal drive for knowledge and data storage with outdated handouts and multiple copies of documents. We are transferring data from the Z-Drive to SharePoint and OneDrive to increase staff collaboration and efficiency2 to improve timely and evidence-based care for the Native population serviced at the clinic.