The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the work environment on produc-tivity and the mediating effect of the ability to communicate and concentrate on work (CoCon), and to contribute to the repertory of qualitative methods and techniques. Qualitative methods in Facility Management (FM) research provide rich information and add to the existing body of knowledge. This study’s strength is that it applies researcher triangulation during data collection and analysis. In this study, 26 semi-structured interviews were conducted at nine different organizations in the Netherlands. Interviews, which focused on productivity in traditional offices and activity-based office environments. These interviews were conducted in pairs by honours students and the author. Rigor application of postpositivistic evaluation criteria results in high construct and internal validity of the study.Data analysis by different researchers revealed serious threats to validity. Hence, interrater agreement (IRA) was measured to assess the degree of agreement between raters. It was found that the effect of the work environment on ability to CoCon was strong. The direct effect of the work environment on productivity was weak, as well as the mediating effect of the ability to CoCon. However, all effects are more distinct in innovative offices, in comparison to traditional offices.Use of productivity as a predictor construct is obsolete. It neglects effectiveness, quality of goods and services, quality of work life and innovation. Qualitative research can overcome this omission by falsification. Reductionism, use of a Computer Aided Qualitative Data Analysis System (CAQDAS), researcher triangulation and newly developed visualisation techniques improve the validity and reliability of the current study. Moreover, rigor application of such methodological techniques is a showcase for FM research and enhances scholarly knowledge. Management implications and directions for future research will be given, e.g. management attention to an integral approach to office innovation and the ability to concentrate at work.
Introduction: There is a lack of effective interventions available for Pediatric Physical Therapists (PPTs) to promote a physically active lifestyle in children with physical disabilities. Participatory design methods (co-design) may be helpful in generating insights and developing intervention prototypes for facilitating a physically active lifestyle in children with physical disabilities (6–12 years). Materials and methods: A multidisciplinary development team of designers, developers, and researchers engaged in a co-design process–together with parents, PPTs, and other relevant stakeholders (such as the Dutch Association of PPTs and care sports connectors). In this design process, the team developed prototypes for interventions during three co-creation sessions, four one-week design sprint, living-lab testing and two triangulation sessions. All available co-design data was structured and analyzed by three researchers independently resulting in themes for facilitating physical activity. Results: The data rendered two specific outcomes, (1) knowledge cards containing the insights collected during the co-design process, and (2) eleven intervention prototypes. Based on the generated insights, the following factors seem important when facilitating a physically active lifestyle: a) stimulating self-efficacy; b) stimulating autonomy; c) focusing on possibilities; d) focusing on the needs of the individual child; e) collaborating with stakeholders; f) connecting with a child's environment; and g) meaningful goal setting. Conclusion: This study shows how a co-design process can be successfully applied to generate insights and develop interventions in pediatric rehabilitation. The designed prototypes facilitate the incorporation of behavioral change techniques into pediatric rehabilitation and offer new opportunities to facilitate a physically active lifestyle in children with physical disabilities by PPTs. While promising, further studies should examine the feasibility and effectivity of these prototypes.
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Horizontal collaborative purchasing (HCP) has often been cited as a way for hospitals to address the challenges of the rising healthcare costs. However, hospitals do not seem to utilize horizontal collaborative purchasing on any large scale, and recent initiatives have had mixed results. Focusing on Dutch hospitals, in this paper we present major impediments for collaborative purchasing, resulting in a first component of our proposed electronic horizontal collaborative purchasing model for hospitals; as a second component it contains a collaborative purchasing typology. A first validation round with hospital purchasing professionals, described separately in Kusters and Versendaal (2011), confirmed four applicable purchasing types and fourteen salient collaborative purchasing impediments. The model is operationalized by including possible information technology (IT) solutions that address the specific fourteen impediments. This model is validated through methodological triangulation of four different validation techniques. We conclude that IT has the potential to support, or overcome, the impediments of HCP. The validation also reveals the need to distinguish between more processrelated, as opposed to social-related, obstacles; the immediate potential for IT solutions is greater for the process-related impediments. Ultimately, we conclude that the collaborative epurchasing model (e-HCP) and implementation roadmap can be used by healthcare consortia, branche organizations, partnering healthcare institutes and multi-site healthcare institutes as a means to help identifying strategies to initiate, manage and evaluate collaborative purchasing practices
