Assessment 1 Instructions: Care Setting Environmental Analysis

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:

1. Complete the discovery and dream phases of an appreciative inquiry (AI) project.
2. 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: Remember, you can submit all, or a portion, of your draft plan to Smarthinking for feedback before you submit the final version for this assessment. However, be mindful of the turnaround time for receiving feedback, if you plan on using this free service.

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?