Table 3 Themes and subthemes

Individual participation

Commitment and effort

“It’s having a personal commitment to what’s going on in your work world […] and having a vested interest and energy into doing something that contributes to that in a positive way, right? Putting effort forward to do better at whatever role you’ve got and how that best supports the system” (P115, patient care manager)

Willingness to participate

“A willingness and motivation to participate” (P38, patient care manager)

Active participation

“I really do see it as an active action. You know it can’t be passive and when you have sort of a passive frame of mind, then it becomes a committee meeting base and nothing gets done kind of a structure. So, that’s why I think the active piece is really important” (P74, research lead)

Varying levels of involvement

“That model of engagement, you know, between inform and those five layers of things…when I think of engagement, I do actually think of that model” (P78, network manager)

Connecting around a purpose

An interesting and relevant problem

“It’s very important that the focus of this rally to be engaged is an important problem that a critical mass of people is going to come to. So it has to be a good idea, and someone has to pick a relevant, important idea, because nobody is going to come running to yet another discussion unless they feel that there’s a strong will and interest.” (P23, researcher)

Shared vision and decision-making

“We have to develop a shared objective between the networks and the outside world, the health system and the users of the health system to what we want to do and where we want to go. So, that’s engagement. It’s formulating that shared vision.” (P93, manager)

A voice around the table

“Nobody around the table is more important than another… We’re all on the same ground and … all of our opinions were important.” (P12, executive director)

Meaningful interaction and dialog

Two-way contribution, not a one-way information push

“It’s a two-way street, where I’m prepared, interested, knowledgeable, have different ideas or opinions that I want to either bring forward or share. And that on the flip side, they’re willing to hear what I have to say, willing to consider it, maybe alter some ideas” (P59, nurse practitioner)

Communication

“Engagement is being able to truthfully communicate with stakeholders who will affected one way or the other by the particular project or study, by the behavior or actions that would come out of it. But to be able to have sincere communication back and forth and being able to listen in a respectful way” (P35, quality improvement)

An invitation early in the process

“It comes back to number one, even being invited…when they looked at who the committee members needed to be…that was the beginning…right from the get-go they were engaging” (P30, clinical lead)

Listening and understanding; being heard and considered

“Engagement to me is as much listening or, maybe at this stage in our evolution, to spend more time listening and understanding what others are doing in the area, what the issues are, where the opportunities might lay for SCNs to provide more guidance or leadership.” (P54, senior executive)

Respect and sincerity

“The respectful inclusion of diverse perspectives to increase our effectiveness in terms of whether it’s decision-making, planning, evaluation.” (P117, patient experience)