FP 5004 Assessment 2
The premise is that the department underperforms. Connecting that to diversity rather than assuming the link is the analytical work, and two separate plans are required, not one.
Editorial process
Last reviewed · August 23, 2026
The link between diversity and performance has to be argued
The premise hands you an underperforming department and asks about the role of diversity in it, and the temptation is to assume the connection rather than argue it. Argue it, because that is the analysis. There are several defensible mechanisms and they are not the same. A workforce that does not reflect the population it serves may have language and cultural concordance gaps that show up as missed appointments, poor adherence and low experience scores. A department with poor inclusion may lose staff, and turnover is expensive and degrades performance directly through the loss of experience. A team without psychological safety suppresses the problem-reporting that would have surfaced the underperformance earlier. Name the mechanism you are claiming and show what evidence would support it in this department. State what evidence would support the mechanism in this department rather than in the literature generally, since the report is about one unit.
The two plans are separately scored and they require different things, so resist merging them. The recruitment, hiring and retention plan is structural: where you source candidates, how panels are composed, whether interviews are structured, what the promotion data shows and why people leave. Retention is the part most often thinned out and it is where the evidence is strongest, since hiring a diverse workforce into an unchanged culture produces a revolving door. The training plan is a curriculum question, and it is where honesty matters: single session awareness training has weak evidence for changing behaviour, so a defensible plan is ongoing rather than one-off, skills-based rather than attitudinal, tied to actual clinical scenarios from the department, and evaluated against something other than attendance. Both plans need to name who owns them and when they would be reviewed, because a plan without an owner is a recommendation.
Likely learning objectives
- Argue a specific mechanism linking diversity to departmental performance.
- Separate recruitment strategy from training strategy.
- Recognise retention as the weak point in most diversity plans.
- Design training with an evaluation measure beyond attendance.
Assignment instructions
Read the full question
Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.
Question Write an executive report of 4–5 pages that analyzes the role of diversity in an underperforming community program, unit, or department, and outline a plan for providing ongoing training on cultural awareness, inclusion, and sensitivity to current employees. Be sure you read all of the requirements for this assessment and review the suggested resources to see if they may be useful in completing the assessment. This assessment provides an opportunity to determine how you can help advance your professional field by developing a strategy for managing diversity that recognizes the synergy achieved by having a diverse and inclusive workforce. By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria: Competency 1: Explain the concepts, principles, and characteristics of effective health care leadership. Determine the influence of effective leadership on the development of a diverse and culturally competent workforce. Competency 3: Analyze standards of professional ethics and the principles of diversity and inclusion as applied by health care leaders in real-world situations. Outline a plan to recruit, hire, and retain a diverse workforce. Outline a plan for providing employee training on cultural awareness and sensitivity. Explain the benefits of a diverse and culturally competent workforce to a health care organization and the community it serves. Competency 4: Determine the influence of the practitioner-scholar role on professional practice and leadership development. Explain how the academic and research skills one develops as a practitioner-scholar can be of service in one’s role as a health care leader. Competency 5: Communicate effectively with diverse audiences, in an appropriate form and style, consistent with applicable organizational, professional, and scholarly standards. Write coherently to support a central idea, using correct grammar, mechanics, and APA formatting. Preparation Use the following case study as the basis of this assessment. Imagine you are the manager of a new health care facility satellite office or community outreach center located in a diverse neighborhood. The parent organization opened the facility to address the underserved health care needs of the culturally diverse residents who were not using the services offered at the main facility. The first month of operation saw a very high volume of patients, but since then, the numbers have dropped off drastically. Executive leadership wants to understand why this has happened and what you plan to do about it. After careful examination of all aspects of the facility, and talking with some of the neighborhood residents, you have determined that the residents do not feel comfortable coming to the facility because the staff does not represent the diversity of the neighborhood. Staff members were hired for their skill, but their diversity was not considered. Now, you must report to executive leadership what you have learned and how you intend to manage diversity. Note: Remember, you can submit all or a portion of your draft to Smarthinking for feedback before you submit the final version of your proposal for this assessment. However, be mindful of the turnaround time for receiving feedback if you plan on using this free service. Report Requirements Write an executive report on the need for a diverse, culturally competent staff, including your plans to address that need. Note: The requirements outlined below correspond to the grading criteria in the Managing Diversity scoring guide. At a minimum, be sure to address each point. In addition, you are encouraged to review the performance level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed. You are provided an example report, to illustrate what proficient-level work for this assessment looks like. Report Format and APA Style Use the Executive Report Template, linked in the Resources, to draft your report. You may also organize the content of your report in a format used in your organization. An abstract is not required. Your report should be 4–5 double-spaced pages in length, not including the title page and reference page. Apply correct APA formatting to all in-text citations and references. Use Times New Roman, 12-point font. Writing As you begin composing your report, consider the purpose of the report, the appropriate tone and style, and the expectations of the executive leaders who will be reading it. Be clear and concise in your reporting. Express your main points, arguments, and conclusions coherently. Use correct grammar and mechanics. Be sure to support your claims and arguments with credible evidence from 3–5 current, scholarly or professional sources. Proofread your writing. Report Content Outline a plan to recruit, hire, and retain a more diverse workforce. Note: Your outline should be a high-level overview of a plan, not a detailed plan. Other courses in your program will go into human resource practices and diversity in depth. In drafting your plan, consider the following questions: How does a leader develop a diverse workforce? Where will you look for more diverse employees? Will you post job ads? What will the interviewing and hiring process look like? Who will do the interviewing? Who will make the final decisions? What kind of incentives will you offer diverse employees to retain them? What do you need to know about the culture and values of diverse employees before developing a retention plan? How will you address issues related to diversity that result in conflict? Outline a plan for the ongoing training and professional development of existing staff in cultural awareness and sensitivity. Consider how your plan can: Improve communications and interpersonal skills. Help overcome bias and resistance to change. Explain the benefits, to both the organization and the community it serves, of having a diverse and culturally competent workforce. Explain the relationship between health care organizations and communities. Explain the role that diversity plays in providing culturally competent care and access for the under-served in a community. Determine the influence of effective leadership on the development of a diverse and culturally competent workforce. Explain the importance of cultural competence for leaders in an organization. Explain how the academic and research skills you develop as a practitioner-scholar can serve you in your role as an effective health care leader. Explain how those skills might contribute to your credibility and effectiveness as a leader. Explain how those skills might prepare you to lead a diverse workforce. Note: Your instructor may also use the Writing Feedback Tool to provide feedback on your writing. In the tool, click the linked resources for helpful writing information.
What FP 5004 Assessment 2 requires
- 01An executive report of four to five pages.
- 02An analysis of the role of diversity in an underperforming program, unit or department.
- 03A determination of the influence of effective leadership on a diverse and culturally competent workforce.
- 04A plan to recruit, hire and retain a diverse workforce.
- 05A plan for providing ongoing employee training on cultural awareness, inclusion and sensitivity.
Analysis, then two separate plans
The department and its underperformance
Describe the unit and the performance problem in measurable terms.
What the assessor is likely looking for
A problem stated with a measure attached.
The mechanism you are claiming
Argue how diversity or its absence connects to that performance.
What the assessor is likely looking for
A named mechanism with supporting evidence.
Leadership's influence
Explain what leadership does that builds or fails to build a competent workforce.
What the assessor is likely looking for
Leadership actions rather than leadership qualities.
Recruiting and hiring
Set out sourcing, panel composition and structured selection.
What the assessor is likely looking for
Structural changes rather than intentions.
Retention
Address why people leave and what would change it.
What the assessor is likely looking for
Exit data used rather than assumed.
The training plan
Design ongoing, skills-based training with an evaluation measure.
What the assessor is likely looking for
Evaluation beyond attendance.
Where the workforce and disparities evidence sits
Recommended databases
- HHS Office of Minority Health
- PubMed Central
- NCBI Bookshelf
- Capella Library
Search sequence
- 1.Search language concordance and outcomes for one candidate mechanism.
- 2.Look up turnover cost evidence for the retention argument.
- 3.Read evaluations of cultural competence training rather than descriptions.
- 4.Check the CLAS standards for what the training must actually cover.
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.
CLAS Standards
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health · 2024
The CLAS standards, for what the training plan is obliged to cover.
Diversity and Discrimination in Health Care - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf
StatPearls Publishing, via NCBI Bookshelf · 2024
Diversity and discrimination in health care, for the mechanism argument.
Implicit Bias
StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf · 2024
Implicit bias, for an honest account of what training achieves.
Measuring psychological safety in healthcare teams: developing an observational measure to complement survey methods
BMC Medical Research Methodology · 2020
Psychological safety, for the problem-reporting mechanism.
The Nursing Workforce - The Future of Nursing 2020-2030
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, NCBI Bookshelf · 2021
The workforce report, for recruitment and retention context.
Before you submit the report
Common mistakes
- Assuming the link between diversity and underperformance rather than arguing it.
- Merging the recruitment plan and the training plan.
- Treating retention as an afterthought to hiring.
- Proposing a one-off awareness session as the training plan.
- Evaluating training by attendance.
Submission checklist
- Is a specific mechanism named linking diversity to performance?
- Are the two plans clearly separate?
- Does the recruitment plan address why people leave?
- Is the training ongoing and skills-based?
- Is there an evaluation measure other than completion rates?
Use this guide to plan and review your own work. Follow your institution's rules and read Brinevia's academic-integrity policy.
Written by
Maren Caldwell
MSN, RN, CNE
Medical-surgical nursing, pharmacology and NCLEX preparation
Maren is a registered nurse with over 15 years of clinical and educational experience in medical-surgical nursing. She writes on NCLEX preparation, patient care fundamentals, pharmacology and evidence-based practice.

Reviewed by
Dr. Tessa Redmond
DNP, RN, CNE
Evidence-based practice and clinical education
Tessa is a doctorally-prepared nurse educator. She reviews Brinevia content for clinical accuracy and alignment with current evidence-based guidelines.