Critical Thinking Case Study

Critical Thinking Case Study

Table of Contents

Executive Summary 3

Introduction 4

Discussion/Analysis 5

Problem Definition 5

Problem Solutions 6

Conclusion and Recommendations 9

Rational for Proposed Solutions 9

References Cited: 11

Executive Summary

Faith Community Hospital is committed to providing health services to the community in which they serve. Their goal is to be able to do this by collaborating with partners who share the same vision and values. This is defined in their mission statement and is based on their commitment to their spiritual heritage and values.

The challenge facing Faith Community Hospital is how their mission statement is being interpreted, the economic pressures of running a hospital, and how the stakeholders and the general public perceive the hospital.

The CIO of the company faces many challenges in his role and has begun a process to acknowledge and begin to address those problems. The process starts in two weeks with a presentation to all the stakeholders and the community. The CIO needs to address the issues of the overall financial stability of the hospital, the ethical issues it faces internally and the communities understanding of what the hospital is to them.

Introduction

In the assessment and analysis of this is situation; there are two major issues that need to be addressed. Some of which will be addressed in the sections below and some will be identified for further discussion.

The first issue, which will not be addressed, in detail within this case study but will require further analysis and discussion, is the decision to assign a critical deliverable task to someone who was just appointed to a position and does not yet have the experience and time in the position. This could be a factor in the overall quality of the end result of the work delivered to the CIO. Effective decision-making requires many different skills including the ability to seek out advice and consult with others in the organization to "bounce" ideas off of. One of the points clearly stated in the decision making process is that one can improve their decision making ability thru experience and in this case I would question the experience of this individual for this assignment.

I would agree though that the best way to learn is thru experience and you do not get the experience unless given the opportunity to be part of the critical thinking process. In this case I would have assigned a mentor to partner with this individual to help guide them through the organization, given the time frame.

What will be addressed in this case study are the problems that are facing the CIO of Faith Community Hospital and proposals for solutions to those problems where appropriate.

Discussion/Analysis

Problem Definition

One of the key problems identified early on in the case study is the issue of several interpretations of the Mission Statement for the hospital. It is stated they have some interesting interpretations of the mission statement being made by the many of the key stakeholders. A mission statement needs to be clearly defined and understood by all to establish goals and objectives. A conflict between key stakeholders on fundamental issues such as the overall mission of the hospital is a major problem, which needs to be addressed.

In conjunction with the Mission Statement is the issue of diversity amongst the Board of Directors. They have a wide and diverse range of thoughts and values that represents a level of thinking and decision making that can span a wide area. We have already learned through our study of forces of influence how stakeholders and their interests can influence decisions along with their own personal and cultural attributes and thinking styles.

The overall hospital staff is another problem area where decisions will have to be made. Again looking at the influence they have on the problem, we see that they are bringing their own ethics and culture to bear on the issues facing Faith Community Hospital. Within the doctors and the pharmacists, several instances have been sited where they have influenced the decisions being made again based on their own personal beliefs and ethical standards.

A problem that faces all businesses, and running a hospital is a business, is the profitability of the enterprise. Although a Ð''not for profit" hospital, the hospital is still faced with expenses it has to meet. Not meeting those expenses has a cascading effect on the hospital from the ability to attract quality doctors to the facility to having the equipment, medicine and resources needed to provide quality care.

Problem Solutions

Solutions to problems are not always easy but if you have a process in place and steps to follow, then the opportunity to define a solution is much easier. Sherlock Homes was quoted as saying "Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the answer." (Schlosser,foresttax.com). Although some things may seem impossible at times, at least by following a process, we have the opportunity to define a much better answer.

Identifying the fact that the mission statement means different things to different people including the Board of Directors is the first step in resolving the problem. A problem needs to be identified before it can be addressed. By framing the problem correctly and working with the board and the staff, two major accomplishments could come from that type of effort.

The first accomplishment would be to work with the groups to define the overall criteria, goals, and objectives of the hospital. From there the basis of the mission statement can be build but it must be done using consensus decision-making. Without a consensus of opinion, the mission statement would not meet its objectives.

In making the decision, the key factor would be to define all the alternatives available based on the defined criteria. Using the diverse backgrounds and wide range of thoughts and opinions the board of directors has, alternatives can be defined and the impact of those alternatives evaluated. Doing this allows us the opportunity to address two of the key