Understanding employee voice behavior through the use of digital voice channel in long-term care : protocol for an embedded multiple-case study

Kepplinger, Anja; Braun, Alexander; Fringer, André; Roes, Martina

doi:10.2196/48601

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-30691

Publication type:	Article in scientific journal
Type of review:	Peer review (publication)
Title:	Understanding employee voice behavior through the use of digital voice channel in long-term care : protocol for an embedded multiple-case study
Authors:	Kepplinger, Anja Braun, Alexander Fringer, André Roes, Martina
et. al:	No
DOI:	10.2196/48601 10.21256/zhaw-30691
Published in:	JMIR Research Protocols
Volume(Issue):	13
Page(s):	e48601
Issue Date:	2-Feb-2024
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	JMIR Publications
ISSN:	1929-0748
Language:	English
Subjects:	Digital voice channel; Employee participation; Employee voice; Health care provider; Home care facility; Long-term care; Nursing home
Subject (DDC):	610.73: Nursing 658.45: Corporate communications
Abstract:	Background: Specific challenges in the health care sector, such as hierarchical structures, shortages of nursing staff, and high turnover of nursing staff, can be addressed by a change process of organizational culture into shared governance. Data from business organizations show that the use of digital voice channels provides employee voice. This approach makes concrete the opportunity for employees to raise their voices by answering surveys and making comments in an anonymous forum, which subsequently positively influences staff turnover and sick leave. Since there is no clear understanding of how a digital voice channel can be used in long-term care to address employee voice, a research gap has been identified. Objective: The purpose of ADVICE (Understanding Employee Voice Behavior; the acronym for this study) is to understand how the use of a digital voice channel performs in long-term care (residential long-term care and home care facilities). The aim of this study is to understand how the digital voice channel can support staff in making their voices heard and to see what managers need to use the voice channel to change the work environment. Methods: An embedded multiple-case study will be used to explore the experiences of 2 health care providers who have already implemented a digital voice channel. ADVICE is organized into two main phases: (1) a scoping review and (2) an embedded multiple-case study. For this purpose, focus group interviews with employees, discursive-dialogical interviews with managers, meeting protocols, and data from the digital voice channel will be analyzed. First, all units of analysis from every embedded unit will be separately analyzed and then comprehensively analyzed to obtain a case vignette from every embedded unit (within-analysis). In the second stage, the analyzed data from the embedded units will be compared with each other in a comparative analysis (cross-analysis). Results: The results will provide insight into how digital voice channels can be used in long-term care to address employee voice. We expect to find how the digital voice channel can empower nurses to speak up and, consequently, create a better work environment. Data collection began in August 2023, and from a current perspective, the first results are expected in summer 2024. Conclusions: In summary, the results may help to better understand the use of a digital voice channel in the health care sector and its transformative potential for leadership. At the organizational level, research can help to improve the attractiveness of the workplace by understanding how to give employees a voice.
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/30691
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):
Departement:	School of Health Sciences
Organisational Unit:	Institute of Nursing (IPF)
Appears in collections:	Publikationen Gesundheit

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Kepplinger, A., Braun, A., Fringer, A., & Roes, M. (2024). Understanding employee voice behavior through the use of digital voice channel in long-term care : protocol for an embedded multiple-case study. JMIR Research Protocols, 13, e48601. https://doi.org/10.2196/48601

Kepplinger, A. et al. (2024) ‘Understanding employee voice behavior through the use of digital voice channel in long-term care : protocol for an embedded multiple-case study’, JMIR Research Protocols, 13, p. e48601. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2196/48601.

A. Kepplinger, A. Braun, A. Fringer, and M. Roes, “Understanding employee voice behavior through the use of digital voice channel in long-term care : protocol for an embedded multiple-case study,” JMIR Research Protocols, vol. 13, p. e48601, Feb. 2024, doi: 10.2196/48601.

KEPPLINGER, Anja, Alexander BRAUN, André FRINGER und Martina ROES, 2024. Understanding employee voice behavior through the use of digital voice channel in long-term care : protocol for an embedded multiple-case study. JMIR Research Protocols. 2 Februar 2024. Bd. 13, S. e48601. DOI 10.2196/48601

Kepplinger, Anja, Alexander Braun, André Fringer, and Martina Roes. 2024. “Understanding Employee Voice Behavior through the Use of Digital Voice Channel in Long-Term Care : Protocol for an Embedded Multiple-Case Study.” JMIR Research Protocols 13 (February): e48601. https://doi.org/10.2196/48601.

Kepplinger, Anja, et al. “Understanding Employee Voice Behavior through the Use of Digital Voice Channel in Long-Term Care : Protocol for an Embedded Multiple-Case Study.” JMIR Research Protocols, vol. 13, Feb. 2024, p. e48601, https://doi.org/10.2196/48601.