Digital transformation in healthcare organisations: The role of innovation labs

Digital Transformation (DT) is increasingly vital for healthcare organisations. It is yielding new ways to address quality of care, medical practice, management and, generally, value creation for all the various actors of a healthcare ecosystem. However, implementing DT in healthcare is not straightforward. It requires simultaneously considering technological, political, social, cultural and economic aspects in innovating and delivering services. Moreover, it entails listening to and involving the heterogeneous set of actors in the healthcare ecosystem, in line with user-driven and open innovation logic. Recently Innovation Labs have been acknowledged as an initiative to facilitate innovation, supporting users, customers, and organisations in tackling and providing solutions to business changes and DT challenges. However, there is still a lack of understanding to what extent Innovation Labs can support the digital transformation of healthcare organisations. Through an in-depth case study of a Health Innovation Lab, this paper sheds more light on the role of Innovation Labs and their management as catalysers of innovation and DT in healthcare settings. The research contributes to defining and enhancing the understanding of the structure, functioning and management of Innovation Labs in healthcare organisations. Thus, it explores the potential of Innovation Labs in healthcare settings. From a practical perspective, the study provides suggestions and guidelines for managing healthcare Innovation Labs. It identifies common pitfalls to avoid, as well as best practices and tools to foster DT.