Foundations of an Organization and Organizational Assessment

Contemporary health care organizations must be able to plan for and adapt to new developments in evidence-based practice and the constantly evolving health care landscape. As a nurse leader, you can play a vital role in promoting the success of organizations that deliver safe, high-quality care to patients and their families.
To thrive in this role, it is important to consider several questions. What are the cornerstones of an effective organization? What principles guide decision making in today’s health care settings? How do the behaviors of nurse leaders demonstrate an organization’s purpose and customs? These questions relate to the opportunities and challenges you are likely to encounter as a nurse leader, no matter what type of setting you work in.
In this first week of the course, you explore foundational aspects of health care organizations. As you examine the mission, vision, and values of an organization, as well as the culture and climate, you consider the relationship of these concepts with organizational decision making and day-to-day nursing practice.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
Evaluate the influence of mission, vision, and values on actions within an organization
Differentiate between organizational culture and climate
Photo Credit: thelinke/E+/Getty Images
Learning Resources
Note: To access this week's required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.
Required Readings
Marquis, B. L., & Huston, C. J. (2017). Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: Theory and application (9th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.
Chapter 1, "Decision Making, Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, and Clinical Reasoning: Requisites for Successful Leadership and Management"

Chapter 1 provides information relevant to this week’s Discussion and serves as a foundation for topics explored in future weeks of the course. The authors note that decision making, problem solving, critical thinking, and critical reasoning are integral to both leadership and management and beneficial as one examines leadership and management issues. As you read this chapter, focus primarily on the “Decision Making in Organizations” section.

Chapter 7, “Organizational Planning”

This chapter introduces planning and highlights some of the trends that are likely to impact health care organizations now and in the future. It also addresses vision and mission statements, which are essential for guiding planning and decision making in health care settings.

Chapter 12, “Organizational Structure”

This chapter addresses organizational culture.
Business Dictionary.com. (2013) Organizational culture: Definition. Retrieved from http://www(dot)businessdictionary(dot)com/definition/organizational-culture.html
Nelson, W. A., & Gardent, P. B. (2011). Organizational values statements. Healthcare Executive, 26(2), 56–59.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

This article focuses on the impact that organizational values statements have on an organization’s mission. For employees to follow value statements, leaders must effectively model those values day in and day out.
Plath, D. (2013). Organizational processes supporting evidence-based practice. Administration in Social Work, 37(2), 171–188. doi:10.1080/03643107.2012.672946
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Rai, G. S. (2013). Job satisfaction among long-term care staff: Bureaucracy isn't always bad. Administration in Social Work, 37(1), 90–99. doi:10.1080/03643107.2012.657750
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Watkins, M. (2013, May). What is organizational culture? Retrieved from https://hbr(dot)org/2013/05/what-is-organizational-culture

This site offers several descriptions of organizational culture. These perspectives provide the kind of holistic, nuanced view of organizational culture that is needed by leaders in order to truly understand their organizations—and to have any hope of changing them for the better.
Online Assessments
Note: Results from the following assessment are required for the course.
Keirsey Temperament Sorter (KTS-II). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www(dot)keirsey(dot)com/

Required Media
Laureate Education (Producer). (2012e). Foundations of an organization and organizational assessment. Baltimore, MD: Author.

In this week’s media presentation, experts from a diverse group of health care organizations share insights on how an organization’s mission, vision, and values influence its daily practices.
Laureate Education (Producer). (2012c). Factors that influence organizational cultures: Coastal Medical Associates, Salisbury, MA. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 6 minutes.

This week’s media pieces provide a glimpse into three very different health care organizations. The experts share the mission, vision, and values of their organization and the focus of the organization (teaching, research, patient care) and discuss how this influences the organizational structure.

In addition to watching this media, you are strongly encouraged to view the “Stories from Skid Row” video from Union Rescue Mission, located in this week’s Optional Resources.

Accessible player
Laureate Education (Producer). (2012d). Factors that influence organizational cultures: Huntington Hospital, Pasadena, CA. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 4 minutes.

Accessible player
Optional Resources
You may find the following online assessments useful as you proceed through the course:
Appraisal 360. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www(dot)appraisal360(dot)co(dot)uk/
HumanMetrics. (n.d.). Jung Typology Test. Retrieved from http://www(dot)humanmetrics(dot)com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp
Leadership-Tools.com. (2012). 360 degree feedback leadership tool. Retrieved from http://www(dot)leadership-tools(dot)com/360-degree-feedback-leadership.html
Union Rescue Mission. (Executive Producer). (2012). Stories from Skid Row [Video file]. Retrieved from http://urm(dot)org/solution/stories-from-skid-row/
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?
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.
I work at Greater Baltimore Medical Center and our mission, vision, and values are:
Mission
The mission of GBMC is to provide medical care and service of the highest quality to each patient leading to health, healing and hope.
Vision
As our national healthcare system evolves, for GBMC to maintain its status as a provider of the highest quality medical care to our community, we must transform our philosophy and organizational structure, to develop a model system for delivering patient-centered care.
We define patient-centered care as care that manages the patient's health effectively and efficiently while respecting the perspective and experience of the patient and the patient's family. Continuity of care and ease of navigation through a full array of services is highly important to us. Our professional staff can say with confidence that the guidance and medical care they are providing mirrors what they would want for their own family.
We will create the organizational and economic infrastructure required to deliver evidence-based, patient-centered care and for holding ourselves accountable for that care. This will be defined by collaboration and improvement. Physicians lead teams that will manage patient care.
We are moving into the future with renewed energy and increasing insight. We look forward to building relationships with both community-based and employed physicians that will form the foundation of Greater Baltimore Health Alliance. We welcome all those who share our vision of health care as it is transformed to meet the needs of our community.
Vision Phrase: To every patient, every time, we will provide the care that we would want for our own loved ones.
Values
GBMC has formalized a series of specific behaviors that support its Greater Values of Respect, Excellence, Accountability, Teamwork, Ethical Behavior and Results. The 12 Greater Behaviors are intended to serve as the foundation upon which GBMC creates and sustains a culture of Service Excellence.
Respect: I will treat everyone with courtesy. I will foster a healing environment.
Excellence: I will strive for superior performance in every aspect of my work. I will recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of others.
Accountability: I will be professional in the way I act, look and speak. I will take ownership to solve problems.
Teamwork: I will be engaged and collaborative. I will keep people informed.
Ethical Behavior: I will always act with honesty and integrity. I will protect the patient.
Results: I will set goals and measure outcomes that support organizational goals. I will give and accept help to achieve goals.
Please make sure this is a full page of typed information.