Aces in Places 5 characteristics of a Super User
When enabling care services through the acquisition of new technology, and making that vital change from paper or admin-centric systems to a digital solution at the point of care, it’s important to remember how change requires management directions and supporting structures. One of those being the Super User or IT Champion. We prefer the first term, as IT has very little to do with succeeding in “going digital”.
Motivation as the primary change catalyst
By including your care staff in the journey towards paperless goals, you are strengthening the understanding of “why” the organisation is changing, and some of the staffs’ tasks with it. Hence, it is important that everyone understands how this new technology is going to simplify their work and solve important business or resident challenges.
A dive into the Super User gene pool
Super Users are not necessarily technology-experts, instead, they are open-minded and ready to take on responsibility for communicating with and assisting co-workers, so everybody knows why and how things are done. The Super Users are the frontrunners, who can lead by example, so they encourage colleagues to participate enthusiastically, and their entire organisation adapts to the change together.
“Aces in places” is about finding out what people are good at and then letting them do more of this, while indirectly showing their colleagues how best practice is inculcated. To develop this way of doing things requires a bit more structure but it is worth the effort. Super Users are:
- Open-minded and ready for change
- Responsible and willing to lose face (never faith)
- Positive social capital ➝ glass half full kind of person
- Patient with others, eager to learn
- Confident early adopter (not necessarily IT experts)
- Remember to include staff with different professions and from all shift layers
Super Users and management go hand in hand when it comes to leading the change. They plant the seed, organically grow this and keep motivating peers by sharing “how and why to…” information. This kind of bottom-up approach helps reduce uncertainty arising during implementation and in the initial phase of operating the new technology, before settling into a more natural state of use. This adoption is the goal of identifying Super Users and getting on board with the new technology.
