Week1 Discussion Organizational Foundations
Week1 Discussion Organizational Foundations
Week1 Discussion Organizational Foundations
Week 1 discussion Organizational Foundations As you strive to grow in your leadership skills and abilities, you will find that the context in which you work influences your motivation and areas of focus. In a similar vein, your commitment to developing professionally can contribute toward organizational effectiveness. To that end, it is critical to recognize the importance of organizational culture and climate. In particular, through this week’s Learning Resources, you may consider several questions: How do an organization’s mission, vision, and values relate to its culture? What is the difference between culture and climate? Moreover, how are culture and climate manifested within the organization? For this Discussion, you explore the culture and climate of your current organization or one with which you are familiar. You also consider decisions and day-to-day practices and the way they relate to the organization’s mission, vision, and values. To prepare: Review the information related to planning and decision making in health care organizations presented in the textbook, Leadership Roles and Management Functions in Nursing: Theory and Application. Consider how planning and decision making relate to an organization’s mission, vision, and values, as well as its culture and its climate. Familiarize yourself with the mission, vision, and values of your organization or one with which you are familiar. Consider how the statements and actions of leaders and others within the organization support or demonstrate the organizational mission, vision, and values. In addition, note any apparent discrepancies between word and deed. Think about how this translates into expectations for direct service providers. Note any data or artifacts that seem to indicate whether behaviors within the organization are congruent with its mission, vision, and values. Begin to examine and reflect on the culture and climate of the organization. How do culture and climate differ? Why is it important for you, as a master’s-prepared nurse leader, to be cognizant of these matters? By Day 3 Post a description of your selected organization’s mission, vision, and values. Describe relevant data, or artifacts, words, and actions of leaders and others in the organization that support, or perhaps appear to contradict the organization’s mission, vision, and values statement. In addition, discuss the organization’s culture and its climate, differentiating between the two. Explain why examining these matters is significant to your role as a nurse leader. Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses. By Day 6 Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches: Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence, or research. Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives. Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings. Click on the Reply button below to reveal the textbox for entering your message. Then click on the Submit button to post your message. Module 2 discussion Transitioning From Closed to Open Systems How do effective nurse leaders and others approach problem solving and decision making in organizations? As suggested in this week’s Learning Resources, systems theory provides a valuable way to assess situations and prepare to address problems. For this week’s Discussion, you identify an issue or process that could be improved and apply knowledge and strategies related to systems theory. Note: You may find it helpful to view the Assignment instructions and use the same problem for this Discussion. To prepare: Review the information presented in this week’s Learning Resources on systems theory and the difference between open and closed systems. Reflect on the practices and processes with which you are familiar in your organization. Identify one problematic issue or process that could be improved. Consider the problem from a closed-system perspective. Then think about how the issue or process you selected could be addressed by viewing it from an open-system perspective. How would the transition from a closed- to an open-system view help you and others to address the problem and improve outcomes?
Week1 Discussion Organizational Foundations
By Day 3 Post a description of the problem that you identified in your selected organization. Explain the problem from a closed-system perspective. Then, describe how the problem could be addressed by viewing it from an open-system perspective, and explain how this modification would help you and others improve health care outcomes. Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses. By Day 6 Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches: Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence, or research. Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives. Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research. Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings. Click on the Reply button below to reveal the textbox for entering your message. Then click on the Submit button to post your message. Week 3 discussion Organizational Structures and Leadership In most health care settings, it is unlikely that you would hear the terms “ad hoc” or “matrix” as you walk down the hallway. Although it is helpful for any organization to delineate pathways of responsibility and authority in an organizational chart, the lived experience of these structures is most apparent through the inquiries and behaviors people share everyday. In your own workplace, you may find yourself wondering, who should I turn to when I have a practice dilemma? or Where can I go to learn more about this issue? These questions speak to the intricacies of formal and informal organizational structure and leadership. To prepare: Review the information presented in Chapter 12 of the course text. Focus on the information about formal versus informal structure as well as the types of organizational structures. Consider the overall structure or hierarchy of your organization or one with which you are familiar. Which organizational structure best describes your organization—line (or bureaucratic), ad hoc, matrix, service line, or flat? Note: It is possible to have a combination of structures in one organization. Is decision making centralized or decentralized in this organization? What is the role of committees, task forces, and councils in the organization, and who is invited to join? Consider how this relates to formal and informal leadership. Reflect on how decisions are made within a specific department or unit. Which stakeholders provide input or influence the decision-making process? Assess this in terms of formal and informal leadership. To support your analysis, consider your own experiences and investigate these matters by speaking with others at the organization and reviewing available documents. Be sure to consider how the concepts of formal and informal structure and leadership relate to one another and are demonstrated in the organization and in the particular department or unit. By Day 3 Post a depiction of your organization’s formal structure, indicating whether it is best described as line, ad hoc, matrix, service line, flat, or a combination. Describe how decisions are made within the organization and within one department or unit in particular, noting relevant attributes of centralized/decentralized decision making. Explain the influence of formal and informal leadership on decision making within this department or unit. Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses. By Day 6 Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches: Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence, or research. Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives. Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research. Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings. Click on the Reply button below to reveal the textbox for entering your message. Then click on the Submit button to post your message. Discussion – Week 4 Critiquing a Change Effort As a nurse leader, you need to have the skills and knowledge to collaborate and communicate with those who plan for and manage change. This capacity is valuable in any health care setting and for many different types of change. Furthermore, it is essential to be able to evaluate a change effort and determine if it is promoting improved outcomes and making a positive difference within the department or unit, or for the organization as a whole. To prepare: Review Chapters 7 and 8 in the course text. Focus on the strategies for planning and implementing change in an organization, as well as the roles of nurses, managers, and other health care professionals throughout this process. Reflect on a specific change that has recently occurred in your organization or one in which you have worked previously. What was the catalyst or purpose of the change? How did the change affect your job and responsibilities? Consider the results of the change and whether or not the intended outcomes have been achieved. Was the change managed skillfully? Why or why not? How might the process have been improved? By Day 3 Post a summary of a specific change within an organization and describe the impact of this change on your role and responsibilities. Explain the rationale for the change, and whether or not the intended outcomes have been met. Assess the management of the change, and propose suggestions for how the process could have been improved. Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses. By Day 6 Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches: Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence, or research. Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library. Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research. Click on the Reply button below to reveal the textbox for entering your message. Then click on the Submit button to post your message. Week 5 discussion Groups The dynamic and increasingly complex world of health care often requires nurses to work collaboratively on interprofessional teams. In the group environment, individuals with unique skills and expertise come together to focus on a common goal; however, groups must become cohesive before they can become effective. Your experiences working with groups—whether you perceive them as positive, negative, or neutral—can be used to facilitate insight and development. Health care, with its focus on interprofessional teamwork and collaboration, offers ample opportunities and an imperative for continuous learning. For this Discussion, you focus on strategies for facilitating the group process. To prepare: Review the information in this week’s Learning Resources regarding the stages of group formation, problematic roles individuals play in groups, and strategies for facilitating and maintaining positive group collaboration. In particular, review Learning Exercise 1
