Every order is original, expert-done, and screened for AI — full report on request.See how it works

Assignment questions
Healthcare administrationResearch paperStrategic planning

Directional strategy report: mission, vision and values

Write a 3–5-page directional strategy report for a panel of employee stakeholders: analyse an organisation's mission, vision and values as directional strategies, examine the ethics they express, identify the gap between desired outcome and current state, and recommend changes that align structure and strategy.

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 14, 2026

01

Mission, vision and values as strategy, not as wall art

Directional strategy means the mission, vision and values are being read as decisions rather than as statements, so analyse them as such. A mission answers what business the organisation is in and for whom; a vision states a future state specific enough that you could tell whether it had been reached; values name the constraints the organisation accepts on how it pursues both. Test each against that job. A mission that would fit any hospital in the country is not directing anything, and a vision such as being the provider of choice fails because nothing in it could ever be measured. The competency list also asks you to examine organisational ethics as expressed in these statements, which means asking what the values commit the organisation to when it is expensive — how a stated commitment to access survives an unprofitable service line is the kind of question that shows the statements are doing real work.

The gap analysis is the centre of the report and it needs evidence, not impression. Set the desired outcome the statements imply against observable current state: service mix, quality and safety results, patient experience scores, workforce turnover, community benefit spending, where capital actually goes. A gap is only demonstrated when you can point at something. Then the recommendations have to propose changes to the statements themselves and to the structure that delivers them, because the assessment criteria name both, and each recommendation must be supported from the literature rather than from your own judgement alone. Keep the audience in mind throughout: you are presenting to a panel of employee stakeholders, so the report should explain why these statements should matter to people whose daily work they are supposed to direct, and it should be written to be shared rather than as an internal memo to the executive team.

Likely learning objectives

Inferred from the brief — check these against your own rubric.

  • 01
    Analyse mission, vision and values statements as directional strategy rather than as branding.
  • 02
    Examine the ethics an organisation's statements commit it to.
  • 03
    Evidence a gap between desired outcome and current organisational state.
  • 04
    Recommend changes to statements and structure that align with strategy.
  • 05
    Write for a named stakeholder audience in scholarly, APA-compliant form.
Assignment instructionsQuoted verbatim

Read the full question

Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

Create a 3–5-page directional strategy report, as if you were preparing to present your assessment to a representative panel of employee stakeholders of a health care organization. Note: The assessments in this course are presented in sequence and must be completed in order. Directional strategies allow organizational leaders to define what the organization should be doing and how the organization plans to achieve results. As industry dynamics shift, strategies need to be adjusted. Directional strategies are all about sustainability. For example a directional strategy of growth needs to be carefully evaluated with respect to internal capacity, external community fit, and financial feasibility. 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. 1. Analyze an organization’s mission, vision, and values statements in terms of directional strategies. 1. Analyze the gap between the desired outcome and the actual state of the current environment. . Competency 3: Recommend an organizational structure and design to optimize a strategic plan. 2. Examine organizational ethics as expressed in mission, vision, and value statements, and its relationship to health care strategy. 2. Propose changes to vision, mission, and values statements that align organizational structure and strategies. . Competency 4: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for professionals in health care administration. 3. Write in a clear, concise, and well-organized manner, supporting conclusions with relevant evidence. 3. Follow current APA guidelines for format and style. The primary directional strategies discussed in strategic management literature are mission, vision, and values. It is important to note that strategic goals also provide direction to the organization and are an important part of the strategic planning process. The process of creating authentic and congruent vision and mission statements hinges on filtering the creation process through an organization so that ownership of the strategic plan is shared by everyone. All employees should have a say in their specific goals within the structure of an organizational strategy. Read the Assessment 3 Context document for additional information about the following topics: . Strategy Formulation Process. . Directional Strategies. . Creating Momentum. https://courserooma.capella.edu/images/ci/icons/generic_updown.gifQuestions to Consider To deepen your understanding, you are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of the business community. . In a health care organization or your choosing, what are the major categories of employee stakeholders (such as, executives, senior management, middle management, caregivers, maintenance, administrative support personnel, volunteers, et cetera)? . What role does the board of directors play in your health care organization? . What are the important elements of an effective board of directors? . What is the process your organization uses to select members? 10. How effective is that process? . What are industry best practices for selecting board members for a health care organization? . How well does your organization’s strategies align with its published vision, mission, and values? . How does this organization’s environment support or hinder its alignment with its vision, mission, and values? Suggested Resources for Directional Strategy Report Assignment The following optional resources are provided to support you in completing the assessment or to provide a helpful context. For additional resources, refer to the Research Resources and Supplemental Resources in the left navigation menu of your courseroom. Capella Resources Click the links provided to view the following resources: . Assessment 3 Context. . APA Paper Template. . APA Paper Tutorial. Show Less Library Resources The following e-books or articles from the Capella University Library are linked directly in this course: . Ginter, P. M., Duncan, W. J., & Swayne, L. E. (2013). Strategic management of health care organizations (7th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 17. Chapter 5: Directional Strategies. . Kotalik, J., et al. (2014). Framework for ethical decision-making based on mission, vision and values of the institution. HEC Forum, 26(2), 125–133. . Kronenburg, M. A. (2014). Evaluating important healthcare management competency areas and preparation for healthcare reforms. International Journal of Business and Public Administration, 11(1), 31–40. . McSherry, R., & Warr, J. (2010). Implementing excellence in your health care organization: Managing, leading and collaborating. Berkshire, GBR: Open University Press. . Newhouse, J. J., & Balotsky, E. R. (2013). Factors motivating hospital CEOs to commit to ethical integration in their institutions: A quantitative analysis. Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, 10(2), 46–54. . Scott, B. C. (2015). Hospital boards—Why quality and safety matter. Physician Leadership Journal, 2(1), 62–64. Course Library Guide A Capella University library guide has been created specifically for your use in this course. You are encouraged to refer to the resources in the MHA-FP5010 – Strategic Health Care Planning Library Guide to help direct your research. Internet Resources for Directional Strategy Report Assignment Access the following resources by clicking the links provided. Please note that URLs change frequently. Permissions for the following links have been either granted or deemed appropriate for educational use at the time of course publication. . Kukreja, D. (2013). Strategic planning: A roadmap to success. Ivey Business Journal. Retrieved from http://iveybusinessjournal.com/publication/strategic-planning-a-roadmap-to-success/ . Parsons-Miller, S. (2016). Directional strategies in the development of strategy for a healthcare organization. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/directional-strategies-development-strategy-healthcare-organization-81073.html . Bradley, J. (2016). Operational versus functional level strategy. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/operational-versus-functional-level-strategy-61306.html . Johnson, S. (2015). The triangle of corporate strategy. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/triangle-corporate-strategy-68313.html · https://courserooma.capella.edu/images/ci/icons/generic_updown.gifAssessment Instructions Note: Assessments 1 and 2 must be completed before beginning this assessment. Analyze the relevance of the organization’s directional strategy, including its vision, mission, values, and organizational culture. The goal is to focus upon application of the concepts and new insight. Keep it brief and substantive. Note: Feel free to construct images/diagrams to summarize information where appropriate (for example, TOWS matrix…). Complete the following: . Review the mission, vision, and values statements of your health care organization. . Examine how well each statement addresses the components of a directional strategy. . Analyze the gap between the desired outcome and the actual state of the current environment. . Analyze the organization’s directional strategy, including its vision, mission, and values. . Examine the strategic “fit.” 5. Does the directional strategy fit the environment? 5. Is the organization headed in the right direction given the environmental assessment? 5. Does growth make sense right now or does maintaining the status quo or even contraction make better sense? . Recommend changes you would make to ensure a foundation necessary for the current structure and strategies of the organization. Note: Support your recommendations with relevant resources from the literature. Additional Requirements . Length: 3–5 double-spaced, typed pages. . APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to current APA style and formatting. . Resources: Use evidence from the literature to support your recommendations. Directional Strategies Report Scoring Guide Create a 3–5-page directional strategy report, as if you were preparing to present your assessment to a representative panel of employee stakeholders of a health care organization. · https://courserooma.capella.edu/images/ci/icons/generic_updown.gifAssessment Submit
02

Turn the brief into deliverables

  1. 01
    An analysis of the organisation's mission, vision and values as directional strategies.
  2. 02
    An examination of organisational ethics as expressed in those statements.
  3. 03
    An analysis of the gap between the desired outcome and the current environment.
  4. 04
    Proposed changes to vision, mission and values statements.
  5. 05
    Recommended changes to structure and strategy, supported by literature.
  6. 06
    3–5 pages in current APA format, written for a panel of employee stakeholders.
03

Analyse, find the gap, then recommend

01

The organisation and its statements

Introduce the organisation and quote the three statements you will analyse.

02

Mission and vision as directional strategy

Test each against the job it is supposed to do.

03

Values and organisational ethics

Examine what the values commit the organisation to when it is costly.

04

Desired outcome versus current state

Set the implied outcome against observable performance and resource allocation.

05

Proposed changes to the statements

Rewrite or sharpen the statements so they direct decisions.

06

Structural changes and recommendations

Recommend structural alignment, each recommendation cited.

04

Sources for directional strategy and organisational ethics

Recommended databases

  • Capella University Library
  • Business Source Complete
  • The organisation's own annual report and community benefit filing
  • CMS Care Compare
  • Health Affairs

Search sequence

  1. 1.
    Choose an organisation whose statements and performance data are both public.
  2. 2.
    Retrieve its mission, vision and values verbatim from its own materials.
  3. 3.
    Pull quality, experience and workforce data as evidence of the current state.
  4. 4.
    Read a strategic management chapter on directional strategies for the analytic vocabulary.
  5. 5.
    Find literature on ethical decision frameworks based on mission and values.
05

Reference shortlist

These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.

Nothing here is cleared for citation until you have read it.

  1. 01

    Find Healthcare Providers: Compare Care Near You | Medicare

    Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · 2025

    Public performance data to evidence the current state in the gap analysis.

  2. 02

    Objectives and Data - Healthy People 2030

    Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion · 2024

    Measurable national objectives, useful as the standard a vision statement is tested against.

  3. 03

    Nursing Ethical Considerations

    StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf · 2023

    Grounds the organisational ethics competency in a recognised ethical framework.

  4. 04

    Quality Improvement Methods (LEAN, PDSA, SIX SIGMA)

    StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf · 2024

    Supports recommendations that propose a measurable change rather than a restated intention.

06

Review before submission

Common mistakes

  • Quoting the statements and paraphrasing them instead of testing whether they direct anything.
  • Skipping the ethics criterion, which is a named competency.
  • Asserting a gap without any observable evidence of the current state.
  • Recommending changes to the statements but not to the structure, or the reverse.
  • Supporting recommendations from personal opinion when the criteria require literature.
  • Writing for an executive board when the brief names employee stakeholders.

Submission checklist

  • Mission, vision and values are each analysed separately.
  • The vision is tested for whether it could ever be measured.
  • Organisational ethics are examined explicitly.
  • The gap is evidenced with observable current-state data.
  • Recommendations cover both statements and structure, each with a citation.
  • The report is 3–5 pages and follows current APA format.

Use this guide to plan and review your own work. Follow your institution's rules and read our academic-integrity policy.

Written by

Aaron Bishop

MA, Education

assignment interpretation and research-methods coaching across disciplines

Aaron leads the EssayCrackers editorial desk. He works on how assignment briefs are read — what a rubric is actually asking for, and where students most often answer a different question than the one set.

Reviewed by

Dr. Nathan Cole

PhD, Rhetoric & Composition

Argumentation and thesis development

Nathan teaches first-year composition and directs a university writing center. He reviews EssayCrackers guides for argumentative soundness and citation accuracy.

Want feedback on your plan before you draft?

Get help interpreting the brief, checking your evidence strategy, and strengthening your outline while keeping the work your own.

Get assignment guidance
Start your order