Week 1 discussion
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.
Week 2 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?
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.
Week 3 discussion
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.
Week 4 discussion
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.
Week 5 discussion
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 19.12 on page 464 of the course text.
• Reflect
on various groups with which you have been or are currently involved. Select
one specific group to analyze for the purposes of this Discussion. Identify the
purpose or task that the group is or was meant to perform.
• Consider
the four stages of group formation (forming, storming, norming, and
performing). How would you describe the progression between stages? Is there a
stage in which you believe your group is or was “stuck”?
• Consider
the task or group-building role you normally play in a group setting. How could
you apply the information from the Learning Resources to improve your group
participation and facilitation, as well as the functioning of the group as a
whole?
• In
addition, think about which individuals within your group (including yourself)
may fall into problematic roles such as the Dominator, the Aggressor, or the
Blocker. How have you and your group members addressed the enactment of these
roles and its impact on interactions? With information from the Learning
Resources in mind, what strategies would you apply now or going forward?
By Day 3
Post a description of a group with which you have been or
are currently involved. Assess where the group is in terms of the four stages
of group formation. If you are reflecting on a past experience, explain if your
group moved through all four stages. Describe the task or group-building role
you typically play, or played, in this group. Then, explain what strategies
you, as a leader, can apply to better facilitate the group process and address
any problematic individual roles in the group.
Week 7 discussion
To prepare:
• Review
the information in Chapter 19 of the course text, as well as the assigned
articles.
• Reflect
on an incident involving ineffective communication within your organization or
another health care setting. Consider this incident through the lens of the communication
process outlined in Figure 19.1 of the course text (p. 439).
• What
barriers contributed to this incident? What other challenges may have
influenced this situation?
• Using the
information presented in the other Learning Resources, consider what could have
been done to prevent or address the ineffective communication. Why do you think
the use of these strategies would have resulted in better outcome(s)?
By Day 3
Post a summary of an incident involving ineffective
communication. Describe communication barriers and other challenges that
contributed to the incident. Propose one or more strategies that could have
been employed to promote a better outcome. Be sure to refer to elements of the
communication process.
Week 8 discussion
Post an analysis of how management and leadership roles
differ in terms of supporting an organization to set and achieve goals. In
addition, post descriptions of an individual who demonstrates leadership
behaviors but not management behaviors and an individual who demonstrates
management behaviors but not leadership behaviors. Provide your rationale,
identifying specific characteristics of effective managers and leaders. (Note:
Do not identify these individuals by name, position, or location.)
Week 9 discussion
Throughout your career, you will work with many people who
display differing leadership styles. As a nurse leader, it is imperative that
you communicate well and get along with those whose leadership style does not
align with your preferences. It is also important to understand your own
leadership style, as this can prompt insight into how others relate to you and
what skills you may need to develop as your leadership responsibilities grow.
To prepare: • Review the information in the Learning Resources, including the
leadership styles identified in Chapter 2 of the course text.
Bring to mind a leader in your organization or one with
which you are familiar. Would you describe his or her style as authoritative,
democratic, or laissez-faire? Why? • Which characteristics or approaches
demonstrated by this person would you integrate into your own leadership style?
Which ones would you prefer not to integrate? • Think about how this leader’s
style and resulting interactions may impact health care quality and patient
outcomes.
Week 11 discussion
Post a description of how you handled or avoided a conflict,
as well as the results of your approach. Explain how would you respond to this
conflict today and/or what steps you would take to improve your comfort level
and skill for managing conflict in the future (including specific conflict
management strategies you would use). Explain how conflict management relates
to your effectiveness as a leader.
