Discussion: Using Emotional Intelligence and Appreciative Inquiry to Promote Quality

 

Through communication—inquiry and dialogue—every person makes a contribution, and by being involved in the process, people can shift their attention and action away from a problem-oriented focus to dreams that are worthy to them and to productive possibilities for the future.

 

—Watkins & Mohr, 2001

 

Without a doubt, promoting health care quality and patient safety presents a meaningful aim.

To achieve this goal, nurse leader-managers need to be able to evaluate a situation from many different viewpoints and frame questions that elicit valuable insights. They must be able to promote skillful problem solving and interdisciplinary teamwork.

In this Discussion, you examine how you can use emotional intelligence and appreciative inquiry to facilitate positive changes that lead to improved quality and safety. 

 

To prepare:

 

Review the information on emotional intelligence and appreciative inquiry presented in this week’s Learning Resources.

If you have not already done so, follow the instructions in the course text, Emotional Intelligence 2.0 to complete the online assessment.

Consider the results of the assessment. Review your strengths and opportunities for growth related to self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. What insights, questions, or concerns arise as you think about these results?

 

Think about how your identified emotional intelligence strengths and opportunities for growth relate to your current role as a leader-manager and to the professional contributions that you hope to make now and in the future. Give focused attention to patient safety and health care quality. How and why is emotional intelligence valuable for promoting optimal patient outcomes and creating systems-level change?

As indicated on pages 53–55 of the Bradberry and Greaves text, develop a plan for improving your skills in one area of emotional intelligence. Evaluate strategies for applying your strengths in the workplace. Identify at least two that you can use to add value to a team or workgroup to improve quality and safety.

Also review the information on appreciative inquiry in this week’s Learning Resources. Have you used appreciative inquiry before? If so, how? How does the application of appreciative inquiry relate to your role as nurse leader-manager and/or to efforts to promote health care quality?

Reflect on your experiences working in health care and identify an issue or problem that required, or requires, a change. Consider how you could apply emotional intelligence and appreciative inquiry strategies to this situation to facilitate positive results that lead to improved quality.

 

Post a brief description of an issue or problem in a health care setting that required, or requires, a change. Explain how you, as a nurse leader-manager, could apply both emotional intelligence and appreciative inquiry strategies to address this issue and facilitate positive results that lead to improved quality.

 

 

Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches:

Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information or research.

Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.

Validate an idea with your own experience and additional resources.

 

Required Readings

 

Bradberry, T., & Greaves, J. (2009). Emotional intelligence 2.0. San Diego, CA: TalentSmart.

Chapter 1, “The Journey” (pp. 1–12)

Chapter 2, “The Big Picture” (pp. 13–22)

Chapter 3, “What Emotional Intelligence Looks Like: Understanding the Four Skills” (pp. 23–50)

The first three chapters of this book introduce foundational concepts related to emotional intelligence, and provide the background for the online assessment that you will take in preparation for this week’s Discussion. In addition to these chapters, you should read the rest of the book once you have completed the assessment.

 

Note: You must purchase a new, unopened copy of this book in order to acquire the access code that you will need to complete the online assessment.

Sadeghi, S., Barzi, A., Mikhail, O., & Shabot, M. M. (2013). Integrating quality and strategy in health care organizations, Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Chapter 1, “Understanding the U.S. Healthcare System” (pp. 1–30)

 

This chapter sets the context for understanding quality-related issues within the U.S. health care system (macroenvironment). The authors discuss health care access and costs, which may be viewed as part of a triad with quality.

Ingram, J., & Cangemi, J. (2012). Emotions, emotional intelligence and leadership: A brief, pragmatic perspective. Education, 132(4), 771–778.

Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Nel, H., & Pretorius, E. (2012). Applying appreciative inquiry in building capacity in a nongovernmental organization for youths: An example from Soweto, Gauteng, South Africa. Social Development Issues, 34(1), 37–55.

Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

 

This article examines how appreciative inquiry can be used to foster meaningful change in organizations. It outlines the principles of appreciative inquiry and the four phases: discovery, dream, design, and delivery.

Sadri, G. (2012). Emotional intelligence and leadership development. Public Personnel Management, 41(3), 535–548.

Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

 

Emotional intelligence has been proposed as a key element of leadership. This article examines that argument, with attention to how and why it has been challenged.

 Copperrider, D. L., & Godwin, L. N. (2010). Positive organization development: Innovation-inspired change in an economy and ecology of strengths. Retrieved from http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/intro/comment.cfm

 

The authors present a framework for Innovation-Inspired Positive Organization Development (IPOD), which draws from appreciative inquiry.

Required Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (2013c). The importance of emotional intelligence. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

 

Note:  The approximate length of this media piece is 5 minutes.

 

Dr. Kenneth Rempher shares insights on the importance of emotional intelligence for health care leaders. He also discusses using appreciative inquiry to address health care quality concerns.

 

 

Accessible player  

Optional Resources

 Cooperrider, D. L., & Whitney, D. (n.d.). A positive revolution in change: Appreciative inquiry. Retrieved March 18, 2013, from http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/uploads/whatisai.pdf

 Momeni, N. (2009). The relation between managers’ emotional intelligence and the organizational climate they create. Public Personnel Management, 38(2), 35–48.

Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

 

Integration of Health Systems

Note: Before completing this Assignment, please familiarize yourself with the Week 4 Assignment Rubric, located in the Course Information area of the course navigation menu.

Intermountain Healthcare is a high-performing integrated health system with facilities in Utah and Idaho. The health system has a long-standing clinical integration structure that encourages professional collaboration. Despite this, in 1999, many physicians at Intermountain Healthcare found it difficult to fulfill the needs of patients with co-occurring physical and mental health conditions. To efficiently and effectively address this issue, Intermountain Healthcare adopted a mental health integration model in many of its primary care facilities, as well as some of its specialty clinics and partner clinics. The team-based approach has improved the coordination of services, resulting in higher quality care at a savings of cost.

Consider the example above. What advantages does integration afford Intermountain Healthcare? Do other integrated health systems experience similar benefits? Are there disadvantages to integration? If so, what are they?

To prepare for this Assignment, review the information related to vertical and horizontal integration presented in the Learning Resources.

Select one of the following horizontally integrated health systems:

• National Surgical Hospitals
• Select Medical Healthcare
• Sunrise Senior Living
• Labcorp
• Quest Diagnostics
• Pfizer Pharmaceuticals

Also select one of the following vertically integrated health systems:

• Kaiser Permanente
• Mayo Clinic
• Cleveland Clinic
• MedStar Health
• Memorial Hermann Healthcare System Houston

As an alternative, you may use Becker’s Hospital Review resource to identify a vertically integrated health system.

Using the Walden Library and credible sources on the Internet, research your selected health systems. Investigate the rationale for pursuing integration and the strategies each health system has used to achieve integration. Note information related to the size of each health system, settings/locations, and types of services it provides.

Based on your research, consider the ways in which the two health systems are similar to and/or different from one another.

Assess the business and health care-related implications of horizontal and vertical integration of your selected health systems. How does integration impact the management of your selected organizations and the patients/consumers they serve, especially in terms of cost, quality, and access?

Consider any applicable insights you have gained through the Discussion for this week.

The Assignment

Write a paper in which you:

• Compare the horizontally integrated health system and the vertically integrated health system you have selected (e.g., size, settings/locations, and types of services).
• Explain each health system’s rationale for pursuing integration and the strategies it has used to achieve integration.
• Assess the business and health care-related implications of integration for your selected health systems, including how integration impacts the patients/consumers the organization serves.

General Guidance on Assignment Length: Your Assignment should be 3–4 pages, excluding a title page and references. Refer to the Week 4 Assignment Rubric for grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use the rubric to assess your work.

Required 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.

Readings

• Shi, L., & Singh, D. (2015). Delivering health care in America: A systems approach (6th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett.
  • Chapter 9, “Managed Care and Integrated Organizations” (pp. 361–368)
• Cohen, A., Klein, S., & McCarthy, D. (2014). Hill Physicians Medical Group: A market-driven approach to accountable care for commercially insured patients. Retrieved from http://www.commonwealthfund.org/~/media/files/publications/case-study/2014/oct/1770_cohen_hill_physicians_aco_case_study.pdf
• Cutler, D. M., & Morton, F. S. (2013). Special communication: Hospitals, market share, and consolidation. JAMA, 310(18), 1964–1970.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
• Sanford, K. D. (2013). Integration requires new roles and responsibilities. Healthcare Financial Management, 67(3), 56–60.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
• Summer, L. (2014). Research insights: Integration, concentration, and competition in the provider marketplace. Retrieved from http://www.academyhealth.org/files/publications/AH_R_Integration%20FINAL2.pdf

Use the following resources to select integrated health systems on which to focus for your Assignment. You may also use this list to develop background information as you research health systems in your area for the Discussion.

• Rodak, S. (2013). 100 integrated health systems to know. Retrieved from http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/lists/100-integrated-health-systems-to-know.html

Vertically Integrated Health Systems

• Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2015, from http://my.clevelandclinic.org
• Kaiser Permanente. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2015, from http://kp.kaiserpermanente.org/
• Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2015, from http://www.mayoclinic.org
• MedStar Health. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2015, from https://www.medstarhealth.org/
• Memorial Hermann Healthcare System Houston. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2015, from http://www.memorialhermann.org

Horizontally Integrated Health Systems

• Labcorp. (2014). Retrieved March 27, 2015, from https://www.labcorp.com/
• National Surgical Healthcare. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2015, from http://www.nshinc.com
• Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2015, from http://www.pfizerrxpathways.com/
• Select Medical. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2015, from http://www.selectmedical.com
• Sunrise Senior Living. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2015, from http://www.sunriseseniorliving.com/
• Quest Diagnostics. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2015, from http://www.questdiagnostics.com/