The implementation of the Internet of Things: What impact on organizations?

Abstract

Health is one of the growing sectors. Expenditure growth on average is about 2.5% a year (OECD, 2015) most notably led by the impact of ageing population. One of the areas with the fastest growth due to the “ageing-boom” is that the senior care. Technology investment is necessary to cope with the surge of patients. Internet of Things is one of those solutions.Too few studies have analyzed the organizational impact of these technologies. We propose a model confounding organizational perspective and anthropology. We seek to understand how the diversity of technological tools can give meaning to their implementation in the organization.Based on experts' statements and analysing weak signals, we suggest three trends: the Internet of Things strengthens patients' autonomy; it fights against the negative image of Senior care and ensures continuity between homecare services and institutionalization. The Internet of Things strengthens the bureaucratic aspect of Senior care, which in certain respects sound like highly bureaucratic organization where control becomes dominant. The duty of monitoring, control and transparency is enhanced by disempowering professionals and changing the tasks of Senior care directors whose supervisory task has grown major. The Internet of Things can strengthen an opposite organizational model based on technical and human networks.