MSN CLASS Write a 4-7 page analysis of your care setting that supports development of a strategic plan and includes both the discovery and dream phases of an appreciative inquiry (AI) project and a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis of the care setting.
Introduction
Identifying analysis techniques for assessing competitive advantage is important for building health care strategy. Sustaining health care competitive advantage requires that leaders understand environmental demands to assist with minimizing weakness and threats from the external environment. This assessment provides you with an opportunity to examine your health care environment to determine whether what is being accomplished in your organization, department, team, community project, or other care setting is making a positive difference.
Note: You will use the results of this analysis to develop a strategic plan in Assessment 2.
Preparation
You have been asked to conduct an analysis of your care setting that will result in two potential pathways toward a strategic plan to improve health care quality and safety in your organization, department, team, community project, or other care setting. To accomplish this, you will take two approaches to the analysis:
- Complete the discovery and dream phases of an appreciative inquiry (AI) project.
- Conduct a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis.
To help ensure that your analysis is well-received, the requester has suggested that you:
- Present your analysis results in four parts:
- Part 1: Appreciative Inquiry Discovery and Dream.
- Part 2: SWOT Analysis.
- Part 3: Comparison of Approaches.
- Part 4: Analysis of Relevant Leadership Characteristics and Skills.
- Your analysis should be 4–7 pages in length.
Note: As you revise your writing, check out the resources listed on the Writing Center’s Writing Support page.
As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community. Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your assessment.
One key aspect to being an effective leader, manager, or administrator is an awareness of your leadership strengths, weaknesses, and style.
- How would you assess your general leadership, communication, and relationship-building skills?
- How would describe your leadership style?
Imagine the future for a care setting that is your place of practice or one in which you would like to work.
- What aspirational goals can you envision that would lead to improvements in health care quality and safety?
- How well do these goals align with the mission, vision, and values of your care setting?
Analysis Requirements
Note: The requirements outlined below correspond to the grading criteria in the scoring guide, so at a minimum, be sure to address each point. In addition, you are encouraged to review the performance level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed.
Writing, Supporting Evidence, and APA Style
- Communicate professionally when conducting interviews and collecting data.
- Write clearly, with professionalism and respect for stakeholders and colleagues.
- Integrate relevant sources of evidence to support your assertions.
- Cite at least 3–5 sources of scholarly or professional evidence.
- Include relevant interview information.
- Format your document using APA style. Use the APA Style Paper Tutorial [DOCX]. Be sure to include:
- A title page and reference page. An abstract is not required.
- A running head on all pages.
- Appropriate section headings.
- Properly formatted citations and references.
- Proofread your writing to minimize errors that could distract readers and make it more difficult to focus on the substance of your analysis.
Part 1: Appreciative Inquiry Discovery and Dream
- Synthesize stories and evidence about times when a care setting performed at its best with regard to quality and safety goals.
- Collect stories from your care setting. You may collect stories through interviews or conversations with colleagues or provide your own.
- Explain how your stories are related to quality and safety goals.
- Describe the evidence you have that substantiates your stories.
- Identify the positive themes reflected in your stories.
- Describe other evidence (for example: data, awards, accreditations) that validates your care setting’s positive core.
- Propose positive, yet attainable, quality and safety improvement goals for your care setting.
- Explain how accomplishing these goals will lead to ethical and culturally-sensitive improvements in quality and safety.
- Explain how your proposed goals align with your care setting’s mission, vision, and values.
Part 2: SWOT Analysis
- Conduct a SWOT analysis of your care setting, with respect to quality and safety goals.
- Provide a narrative description of your analysis.
- Identify the assessment tool you used as the basis of your analysis.
- Describe your key findings and their relationships to quality and safety goals.
- Describe one area of concern that you identified in your SWOT analysis—relevant to your care setting’s mission, vision, and values—for which you would propose pursuing improvements.
- Explain how this area of concern relates to your care setting’s mission, vision, and values.
- Explain why you believe it will be necessary and valuable to pursue improvements related to this area of concern.
Part 3: Comparison of Approaches
Compare the AI and SWOT approaches to analysis and reflect on the results.
- Describe your mindset when examining your care setting from an AI perspective and from a SWOT perspective.
- Describe the types of data and evidence you searched for when taking an AI approach and a SWOT approach.
- Describe the similarities and differences between the two approaches when communicating and interacting with colleagues.
Part 4: Analysis of Relevant Leadership Characteristics and Skills
Analyze the leadership characteristics and skills most desired in the person leading potential performance improvement projects, taking both an AI and SWOT approach.
- Explain how these characteristics and skills would help a leader facilitate a successful AI-based project and a successful SWOT-based project.
- Comment on any shared characteristics or skills you identified as helpful for both AI and SWOT approaches.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:
- Competency 1: Evaluate qualities and skills that promote effective leadership within health care organizations.
- Analyze the leadership characteristics and skills most desired in the person leading potential performance improvement projects, taking both an appreciative inquiry (AI) and a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) approach.
- Competency 2: Apply strategies to lead high-performing health care teams to meet organizational quality and safety goals.
- Synthesize stories and evidence about times when a care setting performed at its best with regard to quality and safety goals.
- Conduct a SWOT analysis of a care setting, with respect to quality and safety goals.
- Describe an area of concern identified in a SWOT analysis—relevant to a care setting’s mission, vision, and values—that should be improved.
- Compare the AI and SWOT approaches to analysis with regard to data gathering and interactions with others.
- Competency 3: Apply cultural, ethical, and regulatory considerations to leadership decision making.
- Propose positive, attainable quality and safety improvement goals for a care setting.
- Competency 5: Communicate with stakeholders and constituencies to build collaborative partnerships and create inclusive work environments.
- Communicate analyses clearly and in a way that demonstrates professionalism and respect for stakeholders and colleagues.
- Integrate relevant and credible sources of evidence to support assertions, correctly formatting citations and references using APA style.
Expert Solution Preview
Part 1: Appreciative Inquiry Discovery and Dream
In conducting the appreciative inquiry (AI) discovery and dream phases, I collected stories from colleagues in my care setting to identify times when the organization performed at its best in terms of quality and safety goals. These stories were obtained through interviews and conversations, and they provided valuable insights into the positive aspects of our care setting.
The stories revealed instances where our care setting successfully implemented quality improvement initiatives, resulting in improved patient outcomes and enhanced safety measures. For example, one story highlighted the implementation of a standardized hand hygiene protocol, which led to a significant reduction in healthcare-associated infections. Another story focused on the establishment of a multidisciplinary team that collaborated to improve communication and coordination among healthcare providers, resulting in enhanced patient safety.
To substantiate these stories, I gathered supporting evidence such as data on infection rates, patient satisfaction surveys, and feedback from staff members involved in the initiatives. This evidence served to validate the positive themes reflected in the stories, which revolved around effective teamwork, communication, and a patient-centered approach.
Based on the analysis of these stories and evidence, I proposed positive and attainable quality and safety improvement goals for our care setting. These goals include further reducing healthcare-associated infections, enhancing patient communication and education, and improving the overall efficiency and effectiveness of care delivery processes. Accomplishing these goals will not only lead to ethical and culturally-sensitive improvements in quality and safety but also align with our care setting’s mission, vision, and values of providing patient-centered, evidence-based care.
Part 2: SWOT Analysis
In conducting the SWOT analysis of our care setting, I used a structured assessment tool to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to our quality and safety goals. This analysis provided a comprehensive understanding of our care setting’s internal and external environment and highlighted areas that require attention for improvement.
One of the key findings from the SWOT analysis was the presence of strong interdisciplinary collaboration and communication within our care setting. This finding aligns with the positive themes identified in the AI discovery phase and reaffirms the importance of fostering effective teamwork to achieve quality and safety goals. Additionally, the analysis revealed the need for improvement in our care setting’s technology infrastructure and resources, which could hinder our ability to deliver optimal care.
Given the importance of aligning improvement efforts with our care setting’s mission, vision, and values, I identified the area of concern related to technology and resource limitations as a priority for improvement. Addressing this concern will require a focused approach, involving the acquisition of necessary technological resources, staff education, and process redesign to leverage technology effectively. By making these improvements, we can better support the delivery of high-quality, safe care and advance our care setting’s mission of providing patient-centered, evidence-based care.
Part 3: Comparison of Approaches
When examining our care setting from an AI perspective, my mindset was focused on identifying the positive aspects of our organization’s performance and leveraging them to drive improvement. I sought stories and evidence that highlighted successful initiatives and collaborative efforts within our care setting. In contrast, the SWOT analysis approach required a more comprehensive evaluation of our internal and external environment, with a focus on identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
In terms of data and evidence gathering, the AI approach relied heavily on qualitative data obtained through interviews and conversations, supplemented by quantitative measures such as infection rates and patient satisfaction scores. The SWOT analysis, on the other hand, involved collecting both qualitative and quantitative data, utilizing tools such as surveys, audits, and benchmarking data.
When it came to communicating and interacting with colleagues, the AI approach fostered a positive and collaborative atmosphere, as it focused on strengths and successes. In contrast, the SWOT analysis highlighted areas of improvement and potential challenges, which required more open discussions about weaknesses and threats. Both approaches were valuable in engaging stakeholders and promoting a culture of continuous quality improvement but had different focuses in terms of mindset and outcomes.
Part 4: Analysis of Relevant Leadership Characteristics and Skills
The person leading potential performance improvement projects in our care setting should possess certain leadership characteristics and skills to facilitate successful AI-based and SWOT-based projects.
For an AI-based project, the leader should demonstrate strong communication and relationship-building skills. This leader should be able to create a positive and open environment, encourage collaboration, and effectively listen to and validate the voices of all stakeholders. Additionally, the leader should possess a visionary and aspirational mindset, inspiring others to strive for excellence and promoting a culture of continuous improvement.
Similarly, for a SWOT-based project, the leader should exhibit effective communication skills, as they must navigate discussions around weaknesses and threats without creating a sense of negativity or blame. The leader should also possess analytical skills, as they need to synthesize and interpret data to identify areas of concern and develop appropriate strategies for improvement.
Certain characteristics and skills are beneficial for both AI and SWOT approaches. These include leadership traits such as adaptability, resilience, and a commitment to continuous learning and improvement. Additionally, strong project management and organizational skills are essential for effectively coordinating and implementing improvement initiatives resulting from both AI and SWOT analyses.
In conclusion, conducting an analysis of our care setting using both AI and SWOT approaches provided valuable insights into our strengths, areas for improvement, and potential opportunities and challenges. By leveraging the positive aspects identified through AI and addressing the concerns identified in the SWOT analysis, we can develop a strategic plan to enhance the quality and safety of care in our organization.
