Introducing new technologies while maintaining high reliability: Comparison of two hospitals

Introducing new technologies is a challenge to organizations that strive for reliability. With the help of practice theory and a special focus on resourcing practices, we conducted a qualitative case study on the introduction of two technologies in two German hospitals: one introducing a digital anesthesia documentation software, the other one a robot-assisted knee arthroplasty. Our findings illustrate that, to introduce such technologies, the organizations involved enacted specific practices, among them resourcing practices, in order to increase reliability during all steps of the introduction process. Our study also reveals that, throughout all phases, it is important to collaborate with the technology provider in order to acquire knowledge not only about the new technology, but also about the introduction process and to maintain reliability. • Introducing new, digital technologies is a challenge to organizations such as hospitals that strive for reliability. • Findings from two German hospitals show that, to introduce such technologies, the organizations involved enacted specific practices, among them resourcing practices, in order to increase reliability during the introduction process. • Throughout all phases of this process, it is important to collaborate with the technology provider in order to acquire knowledge not only about the new technology, but also about the introduction process and to maintain reliability. • Findings allow the development of a model of how hospitals and other reliability-seeking organizations maintain reliability while introducing a new technology in form of planned organizational change. • This model can serve as a starting point for more elaborated process theorizing.