You will certainly ask the question why I am combining the future of innovation, which drives management in 2023, with better healthcare systems. The main reason is that many companies are hampered by medical issues of their employees because of the pandemic that hit us in 2020.
Innovation strategies and business designs will have to take healthcare into consideration for a better future – a future that is better for the employees and the companies. This might seem like an obvious first step, but we still see far too many healthcare issues.
The aim is to help business to imagine a future in employee healthcare that is…
Inclusive
All the stakeholders in the innovation process should be included in the healthcare systems, from the start, so that they all benefit. This is true not just for reinventing the big structural parts of the system, but also at the product and service level. Inclusive innovation will require new structures of cooperation among stakeholders (both public and private) so that the benefits go to those who need it most, rather than just to those who have the most money.
Accessible
Healthcare will need to get closer to people, by bringing care closer to where they live and work, reducing the complexity of systems, products, and services, and reinventing the current business and care models to allow for more affordable treatments.
Proactive
For as long as any of us can remember, experts have advised that healthcare should be more focused on prevention than treatment. But our healthcare systems are still designed to treat sickness rather than to promote health. As a result, we have all been shaped to think of health as the absence of illness, rather than the consequence of taking preventive action. By now it’s clear that shifting to a focus on prevention requires behavioral shifts, not just among patients, but also from all the stakeholders. For corporate stakeholders, that includes being smarter about behavioral design as part of their innovation plans and strategies.
Augmented
Technology can’t replace human interactions, but it can extend them and make them more efficient and effective. Technology has reached a point where it can allow us to reach everyone everywhere in real time and collect data in different forms. Science has also made significant progress in developing new treatments. What’s needed next? The capabilities to adopt these innovations so that they serve their intended purposes. This includes technology literacy, new ways of working, new infrastructure, and even new clinical protocols.
Holistic
The design of improved healthcare systems, products and services should start with a better understanding of people in all their dimensions, not just the physical and clinical ones. Healthcare systems, products, services, interactions, and experiences should all be designed with mental and emotional health as integral components. They should also account for social determinants (factors such as income, education, and employment) so that intended solutions compensate for existing gaps and consider these social and economic contexts from the start.
In conclusion: creating positive change in people’s lives within our organizations will make them active and motivated stakeholders in our important drive towards innovation, digitalization, data management, ethics focus, and integrity throughout our relationship with public and private partners.
Feedback is more than welcome; if assistance in introducing new healthcare systems is needed, we will link you up with experts; contact me at schumacher@eitsc.com