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Assignment questions
NursingDiscussion postOrganizational structure

DNP 840 Topic 1 DQ 1: organizational structures

The bureaucracy question asks to what extent, not whether. Answering it as a yes or no throws away the only genuinely arguable part of the prompt.

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 15, 2026

01

Two structures, their characteristics, then the bureaucracy question

Identify two structures and describe them by how authority and coordination actually work rather than by their diagram. Functional structures group staff by discipline, which concentrates professional expertise and creates handoffs at every departmental boundary. Divisional or service-line structures group around a patient population or product line, which improves coordination within the line and duplicates functions across lines. Matrix structures give staff two reporting relationships, which is how organisations attempt service-line coordination without dismantling professional hierarchies, and which reliably produces the conflict its design implies. Flat and shared-governance models push decisions toward the point of care. Pick two that genuinely contrast. Say which structure your own organisation uses, since a comparison is sharper when one side is a place whose failure modes you can describe from experience. Pick two that contrast because the third part depends on it: a structure with clear vertical authority carries a different rule burden from one where two managers share it.

Then the third part, which is the arguable one. Bureaucracy in the technical sense means written rules, defined hierarchy, specialised roles and impersonal standardised procedure — and health care needs a lot of that. Standardisation is what makes care reproducible across a hundred staff and three shifts; documented procedure is what an investigation examines after harm; defined authority is what tells you who can stop a line. Anyone arguing for less bureaucracy has to answer how safety-critical consistency is achieved without it. The strong version of the critique is not that rules are bad but that health care accumulates them without ever retiring any, so the burden grows monotonically and each individual rule remains defensible. Answer to what extent by distinguishing the bureaucracy that produces reliability from the bureaucracy that has simply outlived its reason. One useful test for the reader: whether a rule has an owner who would notice if it were removed.

Likely learning objectives

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

  • 01
    Describe organisational structures by authority and coordination, not by diagram.
  • 02
    Compare two structures on what each makes easy and hard.
  • 03
    Define bureaucracy in its technical rather than pejorative sense.
  • 04
    Argue a degree rather than a binary on a contested question.
Assignment instructionsQuoted verbatim

Read the full question

Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

Identify two organizational structures used in health care. What are the central characteristics of each? To what extent is bureaucracy necessary in health care organizations? Explain.
Course-wide instructions that accompany this question

Important information for writing discussion questions and participation Hi Class, Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts. Contact me if you have any questions. Important information on Writing a Discussion Question Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references) There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article. Include in-text citations in your response Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information Follow APA-7th edition Points will be deducted if the above is not followed Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week. Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references) Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count. Follow APA 7th edition Points will be deducted if the above is not followed Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points. Here are some helpful links Student paper example Citing Sources The Writing Center is a great resource Welcome to class Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to. I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you. Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted. If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations. Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements. DNP 840 Topic 1 DQ 1 Identify two organizational structures used in health care Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week. I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course! Name: Discussion Rubric Grid View List View Excellent 90–100 Good 80–89 Fair 70–79 Poor 0–69 Main Posting: Response to the Discussion question is reflective with critical analysis and synthesis representative of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module and current credible sources. 40 (40%) – 44 (44%) Thoroughly responds to the Discussion question(s). Is reflective with critical analysis and synthesis representative of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module and current credible sources. No less than 75% of post has exceptional depth and breadth. Supported by at least three current credible sources. 35 (35%) – 39 (39%) Responds to most of the Discussion question(s). Is somewhat reflective with critical analysis and synthesis representative of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. 50% of the post has exceptional depth and breadth. Supported by at least three credible references. 31 (31%) – 34 (34%) Responds to some of the Discussion question(s). One to two criteria are not addressed or are superficially addressed. Is somewhat lacking reflection and critical analysis and synthesis. Somewhat represents knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. Cited with fewer than two credible references. 0 (0%) – 30 (30%) Does not respond to the Discussion question(s). Lacks depth or superficially addresses criteria. Lacks reflection and critical analysis and synthesis. Does not represent knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. Contains only one or no credible references. Main Posting: Writing 6 (6%) – 6 (6%) Written clearly and concisely. Contains no grammatical or spelling errors. Adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style. 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Written concisely. May contain one to two grammatical or spelling errors. Adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Written somewhat concisely. May contain more than two spelling or grammatical errors. Contains some APA formatting errors. 0 (0%) – 3 (3%) Not written clearly or concisely. Contains more than two spelling or grammatical errors. Does not adhere to current APA manual writing rules and style. Main Posting: Timely and full participation 9 (9%) – 10 (10%) Meets requirements for timely, full, and active participation. Posts main Discussion by due date. 8 (8%) – 8 (8%) Meets requirements for full participation. Posts main Discussion by due date. 7 (7%) – 7 (7%) Posts main Discussion by due date. 0 (0%) – 6 (6%) Does not meet requirements for full participation. Does not post main Discussion by due date. First Response: Post to colleague’s main post that is reflective and justified with credible sources. 9 (9%) – 9 (9%) Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings. Responds to questions posed by faculty. The use of scholarly sources to support ideas demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives. 8 (8%) – 8 (8%) Response has some depth and may exhibit critical thinking or application to practice setting. 7 (7%) – 7 (7%) Response is on topic and may have some depth. 0 (0%) – 6 (6%) Response may not be on topic and lacks depth. First Response: Writing 6 (6%) – 6 (6%) Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues. Response to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed. Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources. Response is effectively written in standard, edited English. 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Communication is mostly professional and respectful to colleagues. Response to faculty questions are mostly answered, if posed. Provides opinions and ideas that are supported by few credible sources. Response is written in standard, edited English. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Response posed in the Discussion may lack effective professional communication. Response to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed. Few or no credible sources are cited. 0 (0%) – 3 (3%) Responses posted in the Discussion lack effective communication. Response to faculty questions are missing. No credible sources are cited. First Response: Timely and full participation 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Meets requirements for timely, full, and active participation. Posts by due date. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Meets requirements for full participation. Posts by due date. 3 (3%) – 3 (3%) Posts by due date. 0 (0%) – 2 (2%) Does not meet requirements for full participation. Does not post by due date. Second Response: Post to colleague’s main post that is reflective and justified with credible sources. 9 (9%) – 9 (9%) Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings. Responds to questions posed by faculty. The use of scholarly sources to support ideas demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives. 8 (8%) – 8 (8%) Response has some depth and may exhibit critical thinking or application to practice setting. 7 (7%) – 7 (7%) Response is on topic and may have some depth. 0 (0%) – 6 (6%) Response may not be on topic and lacks depth. Second Response: Writing 6 (6%) – 6 (6%) Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues. Response to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed. Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources. Response is effectively written in standard, edited English. 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Communication is mostly professional and respectful to colleagues. Response to faculty questions are mostly answered, if posed. Provides opinions and ideas that are supported by few credible sources. Response is written in standard, edited English. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Response posed in the Discussion may lack effective professional communication. Response to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed. Few or no credible sources are cited. 0 (0%) – 3 (3%) Responses posted in the Discussion lack effective communication. Response to faculty questions are missing. No credible sources are cited. Second Response: Timely and full participation 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Meets requirements for timely, full, and active participation. Posts by due date. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Meets requirements for full participation. Posts by due date. 3 (3%) – 3 (3%) Posts by due date. 0 (0%) – 2 (2%) Does not meet requirements for full participation. Does not post by due date. Total Points: 100 Name: Discussion Rubric

02

Turn the brief into deliverables

  1. 01
    Two contrasting structures with their central characteristics.
  2. 02
    What each structure makes easy and what it makes difficult.
  3. 03
    A technical definition of bureaucracy.
  4. 04
    A defended position on how much of it is necessary.
03

Describe, compare, then take a position

01

The first structure

Describe how authority and coordination work within it.

02

The second structure

Present a genuinely contrasting arrangement.

03

What bureaucracy is for

Define it technically and identify what it produces.

04

How much is necessary

Argue a degree, distinguishing useful rules from accumulated ones.

04

Structure as a determinant of clinical behaviour

Recommended databases

  • PubMed Central
  • CINAHL
  • ANCC Magnet resources
  • Health Affairs

Search sequence

  1. 1.
    Find a study relating organisational structure to a clinical outcome.
  2. 2.
    Read Weber's characteristics of bureaucracy before using the word.
  3. 3.
    Look for research on administrative burden and its measured effects.
  4. 4.
    Check what shared governance changes about decision rights.
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

    Healthcare organizational change: implications for access to care and its measurement

    Health Services Research · 1998

    On organisational change in health care and how structure affects access, which is structure treated as a determinant rather than a chart.

  2. 02

    Learn About the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program

    American Nurses Credentialing Center · 2025

    A structural model with defined decision rights and its stated outcome claims, useful as a concrete second structure.

  3. 03

    Does governance matter? Board configuration and performance in not-for-profit hospitals

    The Milbank Quarterly · 2006

    On governance configuration predicting hospital performance, which is evidence that structure has consequences.

  4. 04

    Culture of Safety

    AHRQ Patient Safety Network · 2024

    Explains why standardisation and defined authority are safety mechanisms, which is the case bureaucracy's critics must answer.

06

Review before submission

Common mistakes

  • Describing structures by their org charts rather than their behaviour.
  • Choosing two structures that barely differ.
  • Using bureaucracy as a synonym for waste.
  • Answering the third part as yes or no.

Submission checklist

  • Do your two structures genuinely contrast?
  • Have you said what each makes hard as well as easy?
  • Is bureaucracy defined technically?
  • Does your answer give a degree with reasoning?

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

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MA, Education

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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.

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