Interplay of coordination, co-creation and community building: examining interprofessional collaboration in workplace development efforts in health care

Abstract

It is widely acknowledged that interprofessional or interdisciplinary collaboration (IPC) is increasingly important for the networked, digitalized future of work as well as for workplace learning (Engeström et al., 2015; Gerdes et al., 2020; Reeves et al., 2018). IPC is especially required when change efforts’ resources are limited. IPC refers to a client-centred, holistic process in which professionals from diverse disciplines and units work together to provide care services. The literature on IPC is extensive and varied, but it lacks a practice-based understanding of the dynamics of IPC in participatory, developmental settings. This study qualitatively investigates IPC when health care professionals design, implement and evaluate developmental tasks to improve their work. The developmental interventions form arenas or “sites of intersecting practices” (Edwards, 2017, p. 7), in which professionals take the initiative to improve their own and their collective work. The study’s practical interest lies in the nature of IPC when workplaces or developers want to advance or change their services in a way that considers the quality of work for both employees and clients. Theoretically, this paper contributes to studies of workplace learning by suggesting coordination, co-creation and community building as conceptual tools for understanding the dynamic interplay of IPC in development efforts.