MGMT 8175

MGMT 8175 Assignment Executive Brief 1 Student Name Franklin University MGMT 8175 Professor Name Date Brief to CEO This executive brief will be based on the stoic philosophy of Marcus Tullius Aurelius, the Roman Emperor and a philosopher. Aurelius was of a view that problems and oppositions are not thorns but gifts that can help an individual and an organization to grow. He advocates for reasonableness, virtues, and strength particularly in the face of difficulties. One of the prominent concepts by him is, “The obstacle to action promotes action.” I have an inkling that what is standing in the way becomes the way.” This brief applies his Stoic thinking to the proposed plan of firing 10% of the workforce and presents an alternative view on how to manage change and growth through leadership, reason, and humanity. Response The CEO has opined that 10% of the employees are “enemies of the process and progress” and must therefore be sacked. In the eyes of a Stoic, this kind of reaction would be regarded as an immature and myopic approach to the world (Llano-Alonso, 2023). Instead of perceiving employees as problems that have to be dealt with, one should follow Marcus Aurelius’ advice and pay attention to them as to the opportunities that can help the person become better, communicate with others, and grow. Stoicism suggests that things like slow productivity or resistance, as well as any other external stimuli, are not fully under our control. What we can do with them is to manage the way we react to such situations. Instead of such an approach, we should analyze the factors that created the impression of inefficiency among the workers. Is the workforce lacking direction? Is the goal setting and communication from the leadership unclear or are there any leadership voids? These are leadership opportunities that require one to be wise. He also emphasized the role of self-discipline that would lead to the rationality of the soul. He would advise interacting with the employees, listen to their concerns, and motivate them to embrace the mission of the organization (Llano-Alonso, 2023). Lack of such efforts negates Stoic principles and undermines trust, morale and organizational memory of the company by discharging employees. Recommendations Instead of looking at a portion of the workforce as the issue, it is crucial to start talking. Thus, listening sessions or feedback forums can be employed to grasp the challenges as perceived by the latter. This is in line with stoic virtues of patience, wisdom and humility. Lead Righteously: Leaders should embody the concepts supported by Stoicism which include justice, moderation, courage and wisdom. The presentation of such values fosters trust, as well as assists in the development of a change management approach among employees. Revise the company’s mission statement to reflect Stoic principles. Stress on the culture of adaptability, gradual change, and cooperation as opposed to punishment and threats. Don’t invest in downsizing: Look for the possibility of training as a means of aiding the underperformers. As I stated before, people prosper when provided with tools and faith, and not when they are deemed as worthless (Hirsch et al., 2023). This also sends a strong signal of the importance of human capital in the economic development of the country. Employees should consider themselves as part of the enterprise’s growth cultivate an organizational culture of ownership. A stoic organization cherishes difficulties and applies them to the improvement of the habits, systems, and results. Action Plan Week 1–2: Host Staff Listening Sessions Conduct meetings at the department level to seek opinions. Describe some of the causes of reduced productivity. Week 3: Leadership Reflection and Training Train our leaders with programs that are based on the Stoic principles of managing emotions, thinking through decisions, and being ethically liable. Week 4–6: Design Development Plans Develop individual or team level change plans based on the received feedback. Provide employees with mentors or resources that will assist them (Hendrik Müller, 2023). Weeks 7 & 8: Vision and mission language update Recruit multiple people in the organization to rewrite its vision with reference to the principles of resilience, respect, and purpose (Ramelli, 2023). Week 9–10: Monitor Progress and Adjust Conduct a progress review. Adaptation to the outcomes of the undertaken measures and feedback from the team members. Conclusion Marcus Aurelius was of the opinion that suffering is not an issue to escape but rather to redefine. Instead of simply firing workers, there is a chance to involve them, to build the organization, and to be moral. With the help of Stoicism, one can build sustainable improvement of the organization’s performance without the detriment of its people. References Hendrik Müller. (2023). Secundum naturam vivere: Stoic thoughts of greco-roman antiquity on nature and their relation to the concepts of sustainability, frugality, and environmental protection in the anthropocene. Philosophy of Management. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40926-023-00233-8 Hirsch, C., Charlotte von Bülow, & Simpson, P. (2023). Stoicism, philosophy as a way of life, and Negative Capability. Developing a capacity for working in radical uncertainty. Leadership, 19(5). https://doi.org/10.1177/17427150231178092 Llano-Alonso, F. H. (2023). Cicero, marcus tullius. Studies in the History of Law and Ju stice, 115–124. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-19542-6_16 Ramelli, I. L. E. (2023). Ethical intellectualism in seneca and the roman stoics: A philosophical trajectory from plato’s socrates to patristic philosophy. Lucius Annaeus Seneca, 3, 131–162. https://doi.org/10.13133/2785-2849/2807

MGMT 8175 Assignment Executive Brief 2 Student Name Franklin University MGMT-8175 Professor Name Date Executive Brief 2: Organization Senior Leaders Metaphor Title: “Navigating the Sky with a Precision Compass” As we prepare for a transformative period in our care delivery model through the expanded integration of telemedicine and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven diagnostics, we must align our leadership approach, cultural values, and strategic vision (Burrell, 2023). To help illuminate this journey, I invite you to consider the metaphor of navigating the sky with a precision compass. This metaphor captures the precision, collaboration, adaptability, and direction required of us as we embrace this vital evolution in healthcare. Using Schein’s generative metaphor framework, this brief will outline how our change initiative is akin to skilled aviators soaring through new skies — guided by shared intent, supported by a unified crew, and focused on reaching new destinations in patient care. Response Leadership: The Aviators at the Helm In this metaphor, Mayo Clinic’s senior leadership represents the aviators at the helm of an aircraft, responsible for guiding our organization through new skies shaped by digital healthcare innovations. Just as experienced pilots must read complex instruments, respond swiftly to changing weather conditions, and maintain unwavering focus on their flight path, our leadership team must be agile, visionary, and informed. As aviators, we rely not only on advanced tools but on one another — co-pilots, air traffic control, and ground crew — to safely guide our institution through turbulence and toward opportunity. Effective leadership in this change initiative will require distributed authority, shared communication, and a high degree of trust in the systems and people that comprise our flight crew (Chia & Turner, 2022). By nurturing collaborative leadership, we ensure that decisions are aligned with our mission and that all departments — clinical, technological, administrative — are coordinated in real-time to support our transformation. Leadership must also recognize that flying through innovation requires letting go of outdated routes and embracing new trajectories (Chia & Turner, 2022). Our leaders must be champions of this change, modeling the behaviors, communication, and confidence needed to encourage buy-in from all levels of the organization. Change: Flying Through New Skies Change, in this metaphor, is our navigation through evolving skies — skies that are increasingly shaped by telemedicine, virtual care, and AI-powered decision-making. These skies are vast and promising but not without unpredictable weather: regulatory uncertainties, integration challenges, cost concerns, and staff adaptability. The expansion of telehealth and AI diagnostics is more than a technological upgrade; it represents a paradigm shift in how we think about accessibility, efficiency, and precision in patient care. As pilots must adapt mid-flight to unexpected conditions, we, too, must embrace continuous learning and flexibility. The skies will not always be clear, but with the right navigation systems (data infrastructure, clinician training, regulatory support), we can maintain our course. This metaphor makes it clear that change is not just a phase — it’s an ongoing journey. We must be equipped with updated maps (evidence-based practices), backup systems (resilient operations), and a strong ground team (IT, education, and support staff) to ensure the success of this transition (Innocent et al., 2024). Just as aviation is about forward movement and calculated risk, so too is our journey toward a more digitally integrated Mayo Clinic. Culture: The Crew and Their Shared Language Culture is the crew’s operating language, safety protocols, and shared values that keep everyone aligned, especially when flying through clouds. At Mayo Clinic, our culture of patient-centered care, excellence, and teamwork is our cockpit’s guiding ethos. As we transition to this new model, we must ensure that our culture not only persists but adapts to support innovation without compromising compassion. Flight crews are bound by clear communication, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to the mission. Our internal culture must reflect the same — fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, psychological safety, and responsiveness to feedback. Everyone from physicians to support staff must feel that their voice matters and that their role is crucial in keeping our aircraft in the air. To maintain cultural continuity, we should invest in reinforcing values during training and onboarding for digital platforms. As we scale AI and virtual care, it’s vital to ensure that our empathetic, human touch is not lost in translation. Technology should enhance our culture, not replace it (Morrow et al., 2023). This involves embedding our values into digital systems — using patient-centered design, ethical AI practices, and transparent data usage to uphold the trust patients place in us. Intent: Reaching a New Destination Together Last but not least, the cause of this transformation is given human form in our metaphor as our flight plan destination: an idealized future in which Mayo Clinic remains at the world level of integrated, innovative, and equitable healthcare. This is not just about keeping up with what industry norms require but leading the change — the flagship carrier of the sky of medicine today. Our vision is to ensure that patients can receive the best of Mayo Clinic’s world-class talent no matter where they are—rural Minnesota or another continent. Virtual care platforms and artificial intelligence tools are driving us forward, enabling our clinical excellence to extend beyond geographical boundaries. This vision also embodies the promise of curbing clinician burnout, increasing diagnostic quality, and making costs affordable care. In all our flight missions, our role is multi-functional: we need to protect our passengers (patients), have perfectly functional equipment (equipment), and come on time and in one piece (measurable outcomes) (Morrow et al., 2023). To realize it, we have to set the goals of every department in a direction toward this destination. Our workstreams need to be explicitly charted, our milestones established, and our metrics measured — the way the performance of an aircraft is monitored constantly in flight. Conclusion As we embark on this pivotal journey to integrate AI and telemedicine across Mayo Clinic, let us envision ourselves as aviators navigating a high-stakes, purpose-driven flight. Our leadership is the cockpit crew steering through transformation; the change is

MGMT 8175 Assignment Executive Brief 3: Storytelling in Change – Four Populations Student Name Franklin University MGMT 8175 Professor Name Date Executive Brief 3: Storytelling in Change – Four Populations In healthcare organizations, change has become constant as organizations attempt to adapt to the patient’s needs, new technologies, and other laws. Therefore, an organization must meet organizational conditions to prepare for change if the change initiative succeeds. The Four Roles of Change Model developed by Daryl Conner is an effective tool for assessing and retelling the processes in an organization since it involves four roles: The Sponsor, Targets, Change Agents, and Advocates (Etareri, 2022). These brief narratives demonstrate the positions these four groups take when a large healthcare system is implementing a new EHR system to enhance care coordination and connectivity in line with the 21st Century Cures Act. The Story The Sponsor – Chief Medical Officer (Dr. Maria Thompson) “Having been working as the Chief Medical Officer for some time now, I have realized that the system has numerous shortcomings that make it difficult to provide integrated care to the patients. One of the things I’ve learned in the past two years is that our departments were not sharing information, which led to duplicate lab tests, wrong medication prescriptions, and delayed discharges. When the board decided to go for a central EHR system, this was a chance to change the face of patient care. Sponsoring this change is not limited to providing the $6M for implementing and signing this vendor contract; it is about embracing the vision and being accountable for its results. I have been explaining ‘why’ many times: to improve the safety of patients, to make data more truthful, and to meet the requirements set by the authorities. In line with this undertaking, we ensured it aligned with the corporate strategy and created an executive sponsorship committee to oversee the effort. As Conner noted, I stayed in the public eye and engaged in activities, thus guaranteeing our company’s presence at the meetings of each department. And not only did I support this alteration but actively promoted it.” The Targets – Frontline Nursing Staff (Angela, RN, BSN) I’ll be honest. When I first heard the new EHR, I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. Even with the last system update, it is still difficult to adapt, and there are always some forms of hitches. As a bedside nurse, I have a very busy schedule—now a learning curve. It felt overwhelming. But this time, something was different – something which was most unexpected. It does not matter that our nurse manager gave us a manual to read: she implemented a communication feedback system. Engaging frontline staff early in the change process increases their sense of ownership, reduces resistance, and enhances the overall effectiveness of implementation efforts (Ominyi et al., 2025). The week beginning 8/2/21, we held our weekly huddles, and for the first time, management listened to us and our concerns. I recall my example of discharge documentation being entered into three systems and how it was a problem. A week later, it brought in a demo of the new and improved workflow. That was a turning point for many of us. That is the system we are using right from the minute level. Conner refers to us as ‘Targets’- the most affected. It’s true. We have also become interested because we were active initially and not passively informed at the end. Even when annoyed, we understand we are part of the decision-making process.” The Change Agents – Project Implementation Team (Jacob Reed, Health IT Manager) “Being a change agent isn’t about pushing buttons—it’s about pulling people together. I lead the EHR implementation team, a group of 12 IT specialists, trainers, and workflow analysts. Our mission? Make the system work for them, not just roll it out and hope for the best. From the start, we used an adaptive change model. We didn’t just drop the software and walk away. We embedded trainers on the floors for two months. We held simulation labs. We created user personas to test workflows for nurses, physicians, case managers, and more. We had to manage resistance, sure. But we saw it as a signal, not an obstacle. We logged into every concern and built an iterative process. If something didn’t work, we fixed it. That flexibility-built credibility. Change Agents, as Conner describes, must be respected, resilient, and responsive. We had to earn trust every day.” The Advocates – Clinical Nurse Educator (Tina Morales, MSN, RN) Advocates play a crucial role in organizational change by leveraging trust, communication, and informal leadership to influence others and build grassroots support for new initiatives (Kuehne et al., 2022). “As the clinical nurse educator, I wasn’t directly tasked with building the system—but I saw its potential. I became one of its strongest advocates because I believe in what it can do for patient outcomes and staff satisfaction. I began organizing informal lunchtime talks where staff could bring questions and test features in a low-pressure space. I gathered success stories—like the new care summary tool that helped a nurse catch a medication allergy—and shared them during shift reports. Advocacy, as Conner notes, is about influencing others through credibility and connection. I used my relationships with staff to build momentum, helping turn skeptics into supporters. I wasn’t part of the executive decision-making, but I was essential in bridging the gap between leadership’s vision and the reality on the ground. Advocacy isn’t just about promotion, it’s about belief. And I believe this system will make our work better.” Conclusion This story clearly shows the processes that must be in place and the interrelatedness of those processes to effect change in a healthcare environment. Applying the Four Roles of Change Model by Daryl Conner, one can see how Sponsors, Targets, Change Agents, and Advocates are all interrelated and how each contributes to the change process. It was not just about planning. It was about preparing the organization for change, getting

MGMT 8175 Assignment Executive Brief 4 Student Name Franklin University MGMT 8175 Professor Name Date Brief Summary of Findings, Analysis, and Recommendation for Action – Board of Directors The executive brief synthesizes findings from an important change initiative under the healthcare organization’s centralized Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. The transition to an EHR system was necessitated by compliance drivers, namely the 21st Century Cures Act, as well as improvements in clinical efficiency, communication, and patient safety (Gellert et al., 2024). Daryl Conner’s Four Roles of Change Model was used to guide the process, outlining the Sponsor, Target, Change Agent, and Advocate populations (Etareri, 2022). Each group significantly shaped the path and impacts of the initiative. From each population’s stakeholders, this brief captures pivotal narratives, analyzes the convergent patterns, and builds the case toward recommendations to preserve efforts and facilitate further progress. Summary of Findings In the previous three evaluations, we analyzed the impacts of change on different organizational populations within a healthcare system changing due to the integration of a centralized EHR system. Within the healthcare organization, the implementation of a centralized EHR system represented a change that emerged as a “transformational” per McLeran’s classification driven by the 21st Century Cures Act aimed at improving patient safety, mitigating information silos, and enhancing care coordination (Gellert et al., 2024). Daryl Conner’s four roles of change model provided the framework for this analysis, using the interdependent contributions of four key organizational populations to delineate organizational change (Etareri, 2022). As a Sponsor, Dr. Maria Thompson controlled critical strategic resources like institutional alignment, funds, and oversight, as well as fiscal control commensurate with strategic institutional objectives. As a Target, bedside nurses participated in the change but showed a great deal of resistance owing to disruption of familiar workflows and low-level competence (Ominyi et al., 2025). This perception changed in large part due to the participation strategies and aligning the new system with existing routines at the unit, along with the new system being implemented into workflows. Change Agents, as led by health Information Technology (IT) manager Jacob Reed, played a crucial part in interacting with clinical staff by putting in place support structures and integrating feedback mechanisms, transforming technical specifications into user-focused design interfaces. Alongside these initiatives was clinical nurse educator and Advocate Tina Morales, who, with her advocacy work, narrative craft, and peer mentorship, lowered anxiety and elevated confidence within the nursing workforce. These roles supported an atmosphere of trust, learning, and adaptability, all of which enabled the smooth transition (Ominyi et al., 2025). All together demonstrate the need for leadership in the integration of multidisciplinary participation and attention to organizational culture as a method for accomplishing change in the healthcare system. Analysis of Findings The new EHR system implementation highlighted some factors that contributed to the initiative’s success and the collective work of the sponsor, targets, change agents, and advocates. Resistance was initially mitigated at the strategic alignment level by the sponsor, who framed the transformation as critical for meeting regulatory compliance and patient safety, addressing staff concerns proactively, and communication focused on navigating meeting issues (Hong et al., 2023). Participation of the targets was optimally conducted through feedback forums, which were designed with participatory workflows and thus staffed with early robotics as the non-hierarchical coordinators to ensure reduced resistance. End user trust enhancement reinforced enhanced trustworthiness through trainers placed in situ and simulation labs, adjustable to enhance faculty trust, as was executed by the change agents (Worley et al., 2022). Grassroots advocacy by the clinical nurse educator played a vital cultural role, using informal peer support, storytelling, and knowledge sharing to shift staff attitudes from skepticism to optimism. Ultimately, all aided enabling both informal power and formal hierarchy as organizational faculties blend, moving beyond the system resistance hurdles for achieving adoption together. Recommendations for Actions Moving forward with change initiatives within the organizational context will be more effective if the four roles of the change model (Sponsor, Change Agent, Advocate, Target) are adopted as a basic model of reference. This model ensures role definition encourages clarity and responsibility across the project while also providing guidance (Gellert et al., 2024). Teaching each person the relevant components of the role helps in understanding their influence and responsibility within the change process (Gellert et al., 2024). Meetings, digital communication, and personal interactions provide forums for the needed credible communication which is needed about and for the change process (Wannheden et al., 2022). Fostering real-world challenges and experiences, frontline voices must be included actively in planning and decision-making. With a shift in user-centered approaches to change supported alongside flexibility, the adaptive models that can be tested with feedback loops will be more responsive towards the staff’s needs as well as the dynamics of the organization (Wannheden et al., 2022). Enhanced access to informal leaders as advocates empowers change with a demo tool and success stories (Wannheden et al., 2022). Providing these resources fosters grassroots support. After the change is implemented, maintaining said momentum requires targeted effort like feedback, placing, recognition activities, and modifying engagement for sustained attention-focused improvement. Conclusion Implementing the EHR system was a reconfiguration of clinical workflows, communication channels, and organizational culture. Collaborative efforts led to success: alignment of leadership and engagement of frontline staff through planning, as well as the influence of informal advocates. Advocacy coupled with direct engagement from the system’s sponsors and change agents ensured that all workflows were streamlined and barriers to effective system use were proactively resolved. Emphasis on active resistance mitigation ensured that the system was usable, functional, and supportive rather than detrimental. This underscores the need for employing purposeful change management, feedback cycles, and consensus from all stakeholders. As the organization forges ahead, these insights, alongside managed innovations, will strengthen tailored approaches to integrated patient care at all organizational levels. References Etareri, L. (2022). An analysis framework of change management. Medicon Engineering Themes, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.55162/mcet.03.056 Gellert, G. A., Erwich, M. E., & Herdman, S. (2024). Challenges meeting 21st century Cures Act patient identity interoperability and information blocking rules. Journal