Reflecting on the readings and lessons from the course, your assignment is to explore advanced nursing leadership as it pertains to your role as a DNP leader. For this APA formatted assignment (with title page, introduction, conclusion, and references within the past five years), you are asked to:
• Synthesize the leadership skills and attributes necessary to lead a team
• Discuss the theory that will explain, predict, and help to extend existing knowledge of the work you will implement
• Describe the culture of the organization where you will implement your change intervention
• Discuss the key stakeholders necessary for compiling an interprofessional team for the development, organization, and implementation of your DNP project
• Develop your philosophy and leadership framework based on professional values and ethics
• Integrate the impact of healthcare policy and information technology and discuss the implications on your DNP project
Start by reading and following these instructions:
1. Study the required chapter(s) of the textbook and any additional recommended resources.
2. Consider the discussion and the any insights you gained from it.
3. Review the rubric and the specifications below to ensure that your response aligns with all assignment expectations.
Systems Thinking: The capacity to understand the complex interdependencies within the healthcare environment—seeing the project not as an isolated event, but as an intervention within a larger, regulated, and politically charged system (Zerwekh et al., 2022).
Emotional Intelligence (EQ): Recognizing and managing one's own emotions and the emotions of team members, crucial for navigating inevitable conflict and resistance during change implementation (Haddad & Toney, 2021).
Data Translation and Advocacy: The skill to transform complex statistical project data into actionable, easy-to-understand information for diverse stakeholders, from frontline staff to executive leaders.
Guiding Theory: The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)
The work implemented by a DNP leader often involves behavioral change—whether it's altering staff adherence to a new protocol or changing patient self-management practices. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is an ideal framework to explain, predict, and extend knowledge related to these interventions.
Explanation and Prediction: TPB posits that an individual's behavioral intention is the immediate determinant of their actions. This intention is influenced by three components (Ajzen, 1991):
Attitude: The individual's positive or negative feelings toward performing the behavior (e.g., Is using the new protocol good?).
Subjective Norms: The perceived social pressure to engage or not engage in the behavior (e.g., Do my colleagues and managers expect me to use the new protocol?).
Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC): The perceived ease or difficulty of performing the behavior (e.g., Do I have the resources, time, and training to use the new protocol?).
Extension of Knowledge: A DNP project using TPB would not only measure compliance but would also identify which component (Attitude, Norms, or PBC) is the strongest barrier or facilitator, allowing the intervention to be tailored for maximal effect and generating new knowledge about behavioral drivers in that specific clinical context.
Sample Answer
DNP Leadership Framework for Change Implementation
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) role mandates advanced leadership skills focused on synthesizing evidence, systems-level thinking, and driving sustainable quality improvement. This paper synthesizes the necessary leadership attributes, the theoretical framework guiding a DNP project, an analysis of the organizational context, identification of key stakeholders, and a personal leadership philosophy, culminating in an integration of policy and technology impacts.
Leadership Skills and Attributes for Team Success
Leading a DNP change intervention requires a blend of clinical expertise and sophisticated systems leadership skills. Effective DNP leaders must embody and operationalize the following attributes:
Visionary Communication: The ability to clearly articulate the project's vision (the "why") and link it directly to improved patient outcomes and organizational goals (Haddad & Toney, 2021). This skill ensures team buy-in and sustained engagement.