Purpose -The aim of this study is to investigate which factors employers should focus on in their employer branding strategies. The present study tested the employer attractiveness scale (EmpAt) and analysed relationships between dimensions in this measurement scale and the use of social media in relation to corporate reputation and intentions to apply for a job. Design/methodology/approach -Electronic questionnaires were distributed to students at three higher education institutions in Norway. The proposed model is analysed on the basis of 366 responses related to three well-known Norwegian engineering firms. Findings -The results indicate that several employer attributes are positive for corporate reputation, which again is related to attraction of potential employees. Specifically, the results suggest that innovation value, psychological value, application value, and the use of social media positively relate to corporate reputation, which in turn is positively linked to intentions to apply for a job. Psychological value, which is the strongest predictor, is also directly related to intentions to apply for a job. Furthermore, the validation of the EmpAt scale resulted in different dimensions than in the original study. New dimensions and a re-arrangement of indicators are proposed. Originality/value -The research is original in the way it combines employer branding and social media, and this will be of value to employers in their recruitment processes.

BackgroundIndustrialized and welfare societies are faced with vast challenges in the field of healthcare in the years to come. New technological opportunities and implementation of welfare technology through co-creation are considered part of the solution to this challenge. Resistance to new technology and resistance to change is, however, assumed to rise from employees, care receivers and next of kin. The purpose of this article is to identify and describe forms of resistance that emerged in five municipalities during a technology implementation project as part of the care for older people.MethodsThis is a longitudinal, single-embedded case study with elements of action research, following an implementation of welfare technology in the municipal healthcare services. Participants included staff from the municipalities, a network of technology developers and a group of researchers. Data from interviews, focus groups and participatory observation were analysed.ResultsResistance to co-creation and implementation was found in all groups of stakeholders, mirroring the complexity of the municipal context. Four main forms of resistance were identified: 1) organizational resistance, 2) cultural resistance, 3) technological resistance and 4) ethical resistance, each including several subforms. The resistance emerges from a variety of perceived threats, partly parallel to, partly across the four main forms of resistance, such as a) threats to stability and predictability (fear of change), b) threats to role and group identity (fear of losing power or control) and c) threats to basic healthcare values (fear of losing moral or professional integrity).ConclusionThe study refines the categorization of resistance to the implementation of welfare technology in healthcare settings. It identifies resistance categories, how resistance changes over time and suggests that resistance may play a productive role when the implementation is organized as a co-creation process. This indicates that the importance of organizational translation between professional cultures should not be underestimated, and supports research indicating that focus on co-initiation in the initial phase of implementation projects may help prevent different forms of resistance in complex co-creation processes.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12913-016-1913-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background Implementation of digital monitoring technology systems is considered beneficial for increasing the safety and quality of care for residents in nursing homes and simultaneously improving care providers’ workflow. Co-creation is a suitable approach for developing and implementing digital technologies and transforming the service accordingly. This study aimed to identify the facilitators and barriers for implementation of digital monitoring technology in residential care for persons with dementia and wandering behaviour, and explore co-creation as an implementation strategy and practice. Methods In this longitudinal case study, we observed and elicited the experiences of care providers and healthcare managers in eight nursing homes, in addition to those of the information technology (IT) support services and technology vendors, during a four-year implementation process. We were guided by theories on innovation, implementation and learning, as well as co-creation and design. The data were analysed deductively using a determinants of innovation framework, followed by an inductive content analysis of interview and observation data. Results The implementation represented radical innovation and required far more resources than the incremental changes anticipated by the participants. Five categories of facilitators and barriers were identified, including several subcategories for each category: 1) Pre-implementation preparations; 2) Implementation strategy; 3) Technology stability and usability; 4) Building competence and organisational learning; and 5) Service transformation and quality management. The combination of IT infrastructure instability and the reluctance of the IT support service to contribute in co-creating value with the healthcare services was the most persistent barrier. Overall, the co-creation methodology was the most prominent facilitator, resulting in a safer night monitoring service. Conclusion Successful implementation of novel digital monitoring technologies in the care service is a complex and time-consuming process and even more so when the technology allows care providers to radically transform clinical practices at the point of care, which offers new affordances in the co-creation of value with their residents. From a long-term perspective, the digital transformation of municipal healthcare services requires more advanced IT competence to be integrated directly into the management and provision of healthcare and value co-creation with service users and their relatives.

This paper develops a framework for the orchestrating process of networks of independent small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs). The existing literature on network orchestration is developed for large networks with a dominant hub firm managing up to 500 members. We argue that SME networks need a somewhat different approach to orchestration. We find the literature on communities of practice appropriate to that aim. The empirical base is a longitudinal study of the development of HealthInnovation, a regional network of independent SMEs. Originally, the network emerged as “a good idea” in the regional university, but it soon proved to be poorly rooted in the regional industry and in the public sector. Nonetheless, as a result of intensive orchestration, it has become a dynamic and innovative network with several important results: two new firms, several new research and innovation projects, and the development of a new subject at the university. In this study, we ask: What are the processes of successfully orchestrating innovative SME networks? We maintain that in order to successfully orchestrate such networks, the orchestration process consists of managing knowledge mobility, managing innovation appropriability, managing network stability, and managing network health. Managing network health is our specific contribution. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011Network orchestration, Network leadership, Network failure, SME networks, Communities of practice,

BackgroundThe paper aims to present how nursing leaders in the municipal health care perceive the interaction with and support from their superiors and peers. The paper further aims to identify the leaders’ vulnerability and strength at work in the current situation of shortage of manpower and other resources in the health care sector. This is seen through the lens of self-determination theory.MethodsQualitative interviews were conducted with nine nursing leaders in nursing homes and home-care services, which, in part, capture the municipal health care service in a time of reform.ResultsThe nursing leaders are highly independent regarding their role as leaders. They act with strength and power in their position as superiors for their own staff, but they lack support and feel left alone by their leader, the municipal health director. The relation between the nursing leaders and their superiors is characterized by controlling structures and lack of autonomy support. As a consequence, the nursing leaders’ relations with subordinates and particularly peers, contribute to satisfy their needs for competence and relatedness, and, to some extent, autonomy. However, this cannot substitute for the lack of support from the superior level.ConclusionThe paper maintains a need to increase the consciousness of the value of horizontal support and interaction with peers and subordinates for the municipal nursing leader. Also, the need for increased focus on “the missing link” upward between the municipal health director and the nursing leader is revealed. The impact of extensive controlling structures and lack of autonomy support from superiors might lead to reduced motivation and well-being.