Assessment 3: Directional Strategies Report MHA-FPX5010

Write a directional strategies report (4-6 pages) that examines the alignment of a health care organization’s current directional strategies with its strategic goals. Include improvement recommendations that address gaps between where the organization is and where it wants to go.

Note: Each assessment in this course builds upon the work you have completed in previous assessments. Therefore, you must complete the assessments in the order in which they are presented.

In your previous assessments, you examined how today’s health care organizations prepare themselves for the present and the future through strategic management. Specifically, you analyzed how a health care organization’s external and internal environments affect its operations. You also performed a TOWS analysis to help a health care organization identify strategic objectives to drive and improve all aspects of the company.

The next step is to consider the directional pathways health care organizations take to achieve their strategic objectives. Creating a strategic vision for a health care organization involves developing or revising the organization’s mission, vision, and value statements. Here is a summary of these three directional strategies:

• A mission statement captures the organization’s distinctive purpose or reason for being.
• A vision statement creates a mental picture of what leaders want the organization to achieve when accomplishing its purpose or mission.
• Value statements clarify how the organization will conduct its activities to achieve its mission and vision. They frequently reflect common morality and emphasize respect, integrity, trust, caring, and the pursuit of excellence.

In a first-in-class health care organization, these three directional strategies align with the company’s overarching goals. Once strategic leaders are confident the mission, vision, and values are well formulated, understood, and communicated, they then focus on the activities that will make the most progress toward accomplishing the organization’s mission and move it toward realizing its vision. These activities are called strategic goals.

This assessment provides an opportunity for you to create a directional strategies report. In this report, you will analyze the alignment of your health care organization’s current directional strategies (mission, vision, and value statements) with its strategic goals. You will make recommendations for improvement if you identify gaps between where your health care organization is and where it wants to go.

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

• Competency 1: Analyze organizational structure, design, culture, and climate in relation to environmental forces.
  • Analyze the effectiveness of a health care organization’s directional strategies.
  • Identify gaps between effective directional strategies and an organization’s existing directional strategies.
• Competency 3: Recommend an organizational structure and design to optimize a strategic plan.
  • Analyze the alignment between a health care organization’s directional strategies and its strategic goals.
  • Propose changes to the organization’s directional strategies that improve alignment between the organization’s structure and strategic goals.
• Competency 4: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly professional, and consistent with expectations for professionals in health care administration.
  • Write a clear, concise, well-organized, and professional directional strategies report that includes conclusions that are supported by relevant evidence.
  • Follow APA formatting and style guidelines for citations and references.

Note: Complete the assessments in this course in the order in which they are presented.

Directional Strategies Report

Directional strategy is key in examining the alignment of a health care organization’s strategic goals and the existing direction strategies. Besides, formulating a directional strategy offers an opportunity to address the gaps between the current state of an organization and the projected goals (Ginter et al., 2018). In the previous weeks, a TOWS analysis of Angels Home Healthcare Florida was accomplished, and various strategic goals were formulated. Therefore, this present write-up purposes of formulating a directional strategy of Angels Home Healthcare Florida. As such, various aspects will be addressed, including an analysis of the organization’s directional strategies effectiveness, identification of the gaps that exist between existing directional strategies and effective directional strategies, and the alignment between the strategic goals and the directional strategies, among others.

The Effectiveness of the Angels Home Healthcare Directional Strategies

Directional strategies are key in driving an organization forward and ensuring that the projected accomplishment is achieved (Cullen et al., 2017). However, it is important that the directional strategies fulfil the requirements of an effective directional strategy for the effective achievement of the goals. Angels Home Healthcare Florida’s mission is to create an exceptional experience and care for the seniors in the home health care, memory care, and assisted living. This mission is close to an effective directional strategy as it identifies the reasons for the organization’s existence, such as to serve in assisted living, memory care, and home healthcare. The mission also identifies whom it serves; the seniors, which is key. However, the mission falls short of the image it projects.

The vision of the organization is a portfolio of health care and long-term care services to meet the needs of the seniors every time and ensure safety within the next decade. This vision is also appropriate since it is attached to a time frame and has measurable goals. The organization’s value statements are also appropriate as they are team-based, as the organization encourages collaboration between the staff for better services. The core values are likely to remain for the foreseeable future as the organization has been operating on the foundations of excellence and better services. Therefore, the values are passed down the ages as the organization continues to operate.

Gaps between the Existing and Effective Directional Strategies

From the analysis, it was evident that various gaps exist between the organization’s directional strategies and the effective directional strategies. For instance, an effective mission should represent an organization’s held values and the image that the organization needs to project to others, and what the organization offers that other similar do not. In addition, a mission should express the organization’s culture (Cullen et al., 2017).  While the organization’s mission is clear on whom they serve and why they serve the population, the mission does not state what kind of image to project to others and what things they bring to the table that others do not. While the organization has a vision, the vision’s timeline is not specific but indicates the next decade. Usually, a good vision should cover from three to five years. Again in terms of value statements, while the organization has value statements, these statements do not reflect how the organization helps the employees to grow, nor whether the staff can adhere to these values in the next two and half decades. From this analysis, it is evident that the organization’s directional strategies should be modified to qualify to be among the effective directional strategies.

Read Also:

Organizational Strategic Goals and Directional Strategies

From the TWOS analysis, various strategic goals were formulated, and therefore, the table below shows the alignment between the strategic goals and the directional strategies.

Important information for writing discussion questions and participation

Welcome to class

Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to

I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you.

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Nursing research advances knowledge about health and the promotion of health throughout the lifespan, as well as the care of people with health problems and disabilities, and nursing actions to improve people’s ability to respond to actual or potential health problems. It seeks to identify how the organization and delivery of health care affects quality, cost, and patient and family experience. Burnout is a problem I’ve seen in nursing at my organization. Workplace stress caused by a heavy workload is the leading cause of burnout (Choe, 2015). Nurses are experiencing frustration, cynicism, powerlessness, exhaustion, and an inability to meet work goals as a result of this issue (Meyers et al., 2013).
Nurse burnout can lead to interpersonal relationship failure, increased medical errors, increased risk of malpractice, decreased patient satisfaction, and a negative impact on quality of care and patient outcome. Because of these numerous negative outcomes, addressing the problem of burn out in nursing through research can aid in the development of evidence-based copying strategies. Breathing techniques, restorative exercises, and taking care of oneself by avoiding alcohol, maintaining good nutrition, getting enough sleep, and avoiding cigarette smoking are some of these strategies. My organization is attempting to increase nurses’ awareness of burn out by implementing mitigation strategies such as self-assessment and self-reporting. All of these strategies will improve nurses’ personal and professional well-being while also improving patient outcomes.

To help with burnout treatment, it is first necessary for the individual nurse to recognize a problem and be willing to take the necessary steps to correct the problem and return to the love of nursing and quality patient care. Leaving work at work is one option for alleviating burnout symptoms. It can be difficult to stop thinking about a difficult patient and wondering what could have been done differently. However, constantly thinking about work at home can degrade one’s quality of life and reduce one’s sense of happiness at home. Next, schedule days off! Enjoy the day by getting a massage, going to a spa, or doing whatever makes you happy. In order to have the strength and mental capacity to care for the patient, the nurse must take care of himself or herself. Take advantage of your vacation days! Though it may be difficult to request time off when the unit and hospital are so busy, it is critical. After vacation, regular shifts and overtime will be available. Once the nurse’s burnout symptoms have subsided, patient satisfaction and quality care will improve as the nurse rediscovers his or her passion for the healthcare field.

I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!

Hi Class,

Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.

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Important information on Writing a Discussion Question

• Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
• There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
• Include in-text citations in your response
• Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
• Follow APA-7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor

• A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
• Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
• Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
• Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
• Follow APA 7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

• Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
• Here are some helpful links
• The is a great resource

 

 

Strategic goal	Alignment to the Directional Strategies
Undertake frequent training programs detailing health waste management for the home health care service professionals connected and associated with Angels Home Healthcare.	This aligns with the mission to offer exceptional care to the seniors, which can be achieved through training.
Reconsider the logistics of waste associated with the Angels Home Healthcare as produced by the caregivers and the health professionals	This aligns with the vision as it focuses on safety.
Offer detailed training to all the professionals to engage in the safe collection of the home health care waste and appropriately carry them to the designated and correct disposal sites.	Aligns with both mission and vision to offer improved services and ensure safety
Exploit and apply the benefits and versatility of telemedicine by the healthcare team in the remote care for every patient considered a non-priority during the ravaging pandemic. Such will be accomplished through video calls, cellular calls, or telephone calls by the nursing team and doctors. Follow the World Health Organization’s directive of minimizing contacts and limiting social contact between the patients and other people to hinder the pandemic spread as well as low the risks among the most vulnerable individuals in the home care.	Aligns with both mission and vision to offer improved services and ensure safety
Perform adequate and detailed orientation and education to the residents regarding fighting the pandemic through environmental strategies, acceptable personal hygiene, and ensuring that everyone involved in the line of the Angels Home Healthcare care activities is masked	This goal aligns with the vision of ensuring that the environment is safe for seniors.
Managing and limiting the total number of the patients to be visited at home by the Angels Home Healthcare health professionals	This also aligns with the safety aspects of the directional strategies.
Doing a rotation of the healthcare team and controlling the number of individuals participating in the daily care and those who come to attend. This ensures that the daily responsibility is exclusively left on a single caregiver.	This needs an alignment.
Reinforcing and ensuring that there is always and consistent use and exchange of the necessary personal protective equipment such as lab coat, hat, eye protection, gloves, and masks by the Angels Home Healthcare health professional team between observations and during observations and ensuring that every instrument is sanitized.	Aligns with both mission and vision to offer improved services and ensure safety
Ensure that there is no or limited physical contact with the surfaces and furniture of the homes visited, caregivers, and the family members to control the potential spread of the virus and contamination.	This aligns with the vision of offering safety.
Offer and make available the material and financial resources that can be used to effectively separate and appropriately pack and move the health waste from the homes that are potentially hazardous.	Aligns with mission of better services to the clients.

 

Directional Strategy and the Environment

The Angels Home Healthcare Florida operates to maximize the geriatric population’s quality of life. The healthcare organization offers a range of services such as medical management, therapy, and nursing for injury or illness (“Angels home,” n.d). Therefore, the environment in which the organization operates is a care environment. Thus, the directional strategies fit well with the environment. For example, offering exceptional care and experience to the senior citizens and health care and long-term care services to meet the needs of the seniors every time and ensure safety within the next decade. Even though the organization’s strategy is appropriate, it needs to be adjusted following the environmental analysis. For instance, in improving waste management, the organization needs to include collaboration with other stakeholders and increased involvement of the local authorities in supporting the initiatives and monitoring the progress as well as the management process.

At this point in time, one of the strategic goals that make the most sense is “Reinforcing and ensuring that there is always and consistent use and exchange of the necessary personal protective equipment such as lab coat, hat, eye protection, gloves, and masks by the Angels Home Healthcare health professional team between observations and during observations and ensuring that every instrument is sanitized.” This goal is the most important one due to the Covid-19 pandemic since all the workers and the clients need to be protected from contracting the virus (Tan, 2020).  Such a feat can best be achieved by following the protocols in this strategic goal. Maybe after the goal is accomplished, then the organization can focus more on the strategic goals that focus on waste management.

                   Proposed Changes to the Directional Strategies

As earlier indicated, even before the pandemic, the management of waste practice needed some adjustments, and the coming of the pandemic only added to the need to make appropriate adjustments in reactions to the changing care landscape. Therefore, the organization should make little tweaks to the directional strategies. For instance, the strategies should include statements that encourage and fosters collaboration with the local authorities and other stakeholders to improve waste management. From the early analysis, it was noted that there is a need for staff training on waste management, especially on the safe disposal of potentially hazardous waste. Therefore, as part of the directional strategies, the organization has to formulate a plan detailing how to foster the growth of the employees at Angels Home Healthcare Florida. This will ensure that there is always a plan to train the employees on appropriate emerging trends that can keep the organization on the path to success.

Recommended Changes for The Organization

Creating a foundation for an organization’s strategies and structure is key for solidity, continuity, and achieving strategic goals. Therefore, it is important to ensure a foundation is in place to offer a platform for the same. So various changes to Angels Home Healthcare Florida are necessary. One of the changes is to formulate a committee to oversee the institution’s goals of improved care during the Covid-19 pandemic and better waste management. The immediate concern is Covid-19; therefore, the rates of infection should be controlled (Tan, 2020). Tasked with various responsibilities, the team will be keen to deliver the required goals. The other recommendation is that the organization needs to include and collaborate with professionals from outside the organization having experience in managing waste and hazardous materials.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Angels Home Healthcare Florida has been performing well. However, the coming of Covid-19 has threatened the operations in addition to the deteriorating state of waste management. Therefore, there is a need to modify the organization’s directional strategies and strategic goals to ensure that they align. Therefore, this current contribution has analyzed the directional strategies and the possible adjustments for a better future of Angels Home Healthcare Florida.

 

 

References

Angels Home. (n.d). Home health care. https://angelsseniorliving.com/services/home-health

Cullen, L., Hanrahan, K., Farrington, M., DeBerg, J., Tucker, S., & Kleiber, C. (2017). Evidence-based practice in action: Comprehensive strategies, tools, and tips from the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Sigma Theta Tau.

Ginter, P. M., Duncan, W. J., & Swayne, L. E. (2018). The strategic management of health care organizations. John Wiley & Sons.

Tan, L. F. (2020). Preventing the transmission of COVID-19 amongst healthcare workers. Journal of Hospital Infection, 105(2), 364-365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2020.04.008

 

 

 

 

Preparation

Use  to complete the assessment. The document identifies three questions about each directional strategy you need to consider as you are analyzing your organization’s fit with its directional strategy.

To prepare for the assessment, reexamine your TOWS matrix from Assessment 2, the analysis of your matrix, and the initial strategies you prepared as part of your draft strategic plan. Once you have reexamined your work, you will be ready to begin work on this assessment.

In addition, you may wish to review the assessment instructions and scoring guide to ensure that you understand the work you will be asked to complete.

Note: Remember that you can submit all, or a portion, of your draft directional strategies report to  for feedback before you submit the final version for this assessment. If you plan to use this free service, be mindful that the turnaround time to receive feedback is 24–48 hours.

Scenario

Your manager is pleased with the thorough and impressive work you have done to date. However, she notes that the TOWS matrix findings do not align with the organization’s directional strategies. The organization’s structure needs to align more closely with its strategic goals, so that the organization can be more efficient, competitive, and profitable. She asks for your help once again.

Her next task for you is to examine the organization’s current mission, vision, and value statements, and compare them to the TOWS matrix. She requests that you recommend revisions to the organization’s mission, vision, and value statements so that they more closely align with the organization’s strategic priorities.

Knowing your manager, you understand that she wants your directional strategies report to be insightful, substantive, and brief—all at the same time. You also know that your manager is a visual person. It will serve you well to include appropriate images and diagrams, such as your TOWS matrix, in your report to highlight key information.

Requirements

Write a directional strategies report that examines the alignment of a health care organization’s current directional strategies with its strategic goals.

Report Requirements

The requirements, outlined below, correspond to the grading criteria in the Directional Strategies Report Scoring Guide, so be sure to address each point. Read the performance-level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed.

• Analyze the effectiveness of the organization’s directional strategies.
  • Use the linked document  to determine how effectively the existing directional strategies currently fulfill the requirements of effective directional strategies.
• Identify gaps between effective directional strategies and the organization’s existing directional strategies.
• Analyze the alignment between the organization’s directional strategies and its strategic goals.
  • Examine the strategic fit.
    • How well does the directional strategy fit the environment?
    • How appropriate is the organization’s direction, given the environmental analysis you completed in Assessment 1?
    • Which strategic goals make the most sense at this time? Growth? Maintaining the status quo? Or does contraction make the most sense right now?
• Propose changes to the organization’s directional strategies that improve alignment between the organization’s structure and its strategic goals.
  • Recommend changes you think the organization needs to make to establish a foundation necessary for the organization’s current structure and strategies.
  • Be sure to support your recommendations with references to current, scholarly, and authoritative sources.
• Write a clear, concise, well-organized, and professional directional strategies report that includes conclusions that are supported by relevant evidence.
• Follow APA formatting and style guidelines for citations and references.

Additional Requirements

• Formatting: Prepare your report using a familiar and appropriate document format used by health care organizations, such as a business report or a white paper.
• Length: 4–6 pages in length (double-spaced).

Proofread your document before you submit it to minimize errors that could distract readers and make it more difficult for them to focus on the substance of your report.

Supporting Evidence

Health care is an evidence-based field. Consequently, readers of your report will want to know the sources of your information, so be sure to include applicable, APA-formatted source citations and references.

Portfolio Prompt: You may choose to save your directional strategies report to your ePortfolio.