Information Technology Ambidexterity, Digital Dynamic Capability, and Knowledge Processes as Enablers of Patient Agility: Empirical Study

BACKGROUND: There is a limited understanding of information technology’s (IT) role as an enabler of patient agility and the department’s ability to respond to patients’ needs and wishes adequately. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to contribute to the insights of the validity of the hypothesized relationship among IT resources, practices and capabilities, and hospital departments’ knowledge processes, and the department’s ability to adequately sense and respond to patient needs and wishes (ie, patient agility). METHODS: This study conveniently sampled data from 107 clinical hospital departments in the Netherlands and used structural equation modeling for model assessment. RESULTS: IT ambidexterity positively enhanced the development of a digital dynamic capability (β=.69; t(4999)=13.43; P<.001). Likewise, IT ambidexterity also positively impacted the hospital department’s knowledge processes (β=.32; t(4999)=2.85; P=.005). Both digital dynamic capability (β=.36; t(4999)=3.95; P<.001) and knowledge processes positively influenced patient agility (β=.33; t(4999)=3.23; P=.001). CONCLUSIONS: IT ambidexterity promotes taking advantage of IT resources and experiments to reshape patient services and enhance patient agility.