01 Feb DQ2 Conflict Resolution

Week 1 Discussion

DQ1 Organizational Culture and Climate

Evidence supports that an organization’s culture and climate can positively influence employee motivation, leading employees to seek professional development that, in turn, helps achievement of organizational goals. Discuss how leaders in your organization support or do not support the mission, vision, and values by their actions. Why are culture and climate important? How would you evaluate the culture and climate of an organization where you will apply for a new job?

DQ2 Open Healthcare Systems

Healthcare systems have been seen traditionally as closed systems. Select a current or recent-past issue or process in which there has been discussion of change for improvement. How can this issue or process be changed to an open-system perspective that would improve outcomes?

Week 2 Discussion

DQ1 Identify Organizational Structure and Function

Think of a healthcare organization that you are most familiar with and think of its organizational structure. Describe this structure or use of combinations of structure (line, matrix, service line, ad hoc, or flat).

Give an example of how decision making occurs and identify if this is centralized or decentralized. Is this best practice?

DQ2 Decision Making: Formal and Informal

Organizations have many task forces, councils, and committees that are designed to contribute to the success of the organization and improve its function.

Describe one of these groups, discussing the formal and informal leadership, how decisions are made, and what the role of those that are most influential have on the final product or outcome of the group’s efforts.

Week 3 Discussion

DQ1 Planned Change

What was the impetus for a recent change that occurred in a healthcare organization that you are familiar with? What was the role of the leader; of the staff? How did this change improve the unit or department? What contribution did this change make to the organization?

DQ2 Change Model Application

The Kotter change model guides change agents through an eight-step process to facilitate change. Consider a recent organizational change with which you are familiar and apply the Kotter change model. Consider each step of the model and how the organizational change did or did not complete each step. Discuss how well or poorly one of these steps was completed. Did this change meet the outcome expectations by creating a positive change?

Week 4 Discussion

DQ1 Collaborative Interdisciplinary Groups

Choose a group that you are currently part of or one that you have recently been a member of. Discuss the purpose of the group and the expected outcome(s). Consider how this group moved through the stages of group formation. Think about your role in the group. Did you experience the dominator, the aggressor, or the blocker? What strategies would you apply to this group today, based on this course content?

DQ2 Enhancing Professional/Personal Power

In your current healthcare organization, consider the types of power that you observe and discuss one of these types within a specific situational context. What factors may have impacted power such as gender, formal authority, race, or anything else? Describe the strategies that you would select for each individual in this situation to ensure a more equal base of power.

Week 5 Discussion

DQ1 Ineffective Communication

Think of a situation in which you were a part of or witnessed ineffective communication between a nurse and a nursing leader or manager. What form of communication was used? What was the nature of the issue or situation? Describe the tone and pace of the interaction. What would have made this communication more effective?

DQ2 Communication Strategies

Consider a situation in which communication occurred with a nonnursing professional or patient’s family. What barriers or challenges were apparent? What strategies were used or could be used to overcome the barriers or challenges?

Week 6 Discussion

DQ1 Differences Between Leaders and Managers

In your current healthcare organization, consider someone who is a leader but not a manager and someone who is a manager but not a leader. Using examples and descriptions, identify the behaviors of each that has led you to your conclusions. What characteristics make both of these people successful in the organization?

DQ2 Leadership Style

Consider one leader with whom you are familiar in your healthcare organization. Describe this leader’s style. What are the characteristic approaches selected by this leader? Which characteristics do you want to role model? How does this leadership style impact care delivery?

Week 7 Discussion

DQ1 Guiding Principles: Ethical, Moral, and Legal

Consider three generations: newborn, midlife, and elderly patients. Does your application of the guiding principles differ depending on the population that you care for? Explain. Does your responsibility to each of these populations differ, depending on your organizational role or level of leadership? Explain. What professional standards guide your thoughts and actions?

DQ2 Conflict Resolution and Leadership Style

Internal and external conflict may occur when leaders fail to resolve conflict. Consider a recent conflict you were involved in or were witness to. Identify the roles of those involved in the conflict and how the conflict was or was not resolved. Consider the five TKI styles; which one was used in this conflict? Give verbal or behavioral examples. Based on the readings, how would you approach this conflict if it occurred today?

Week 8 Discussion

Managing Quality to Promote Cost Effectiveness and Value-added Practices

Nursing leaders understand that to determine the level of success of an activity there must be opportunities to measure, analyze, and evaluate activity-based data. Consider a current National Patient Safety Goal or Institute for Healthcare Improvement care bundle. What professional and organizational standards are met by these initiatives? How is the performance of staff related to these initiatives measured? Who analyzes them? Explain how the nursing staff is enabled and encouraged to maintain these standards that improve quality care.