Research paperHealthcare leadership

HCA 545 Module 6 Organization Structure Analysis

Five tasks, and two of them require you to describe your actual employer. The CEO-resignation scenario is a succession-planning question wearing a hypothetical.

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 23, 2026

Written by

Maren Caldwell

MSN, RN, CNE

Medical-surgical nursing, pharmacology and NCLEX preparation

Reviewed by

Dr. Tessa Redmond

DNP, RN, CNE

Evidence-based practice and clinical education

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Interpret the task
Assignment instructions
Deliverables
Proposed outline
Research plan
Reference shortlist
Final review

The resignation scenario is a succession question

The five tasks form a sequence with a purpose: describe an effective structure, compare yours against it, then test the comparison against two shocks. The first shock is the departure of a chief executive, which the brief presents as a procedural question and which is really about succession planning. The right answer distinguishes what the bylaws formally require, usually a board-appointed interim and a search process, from what the organisation has actually prepared, which in many organisations is nothing. The question asks what you would do differently, so have an answer: a documented succession plan for the top three roles, identified internal candidates with development plans, and a communication sequence that reaches staff before the news does. Say which of the two you are describing, since the gap between them is the finding this section looks for. Most organisations discover their real answer only when the vacancy arrives, which is itself worth reporting.

The second shock is the 2010 reform legislation, and the instruction to name three challenges rewards specificity over breadth. Coverage expansion changed payer mix and the volume and acuity of previously uninsured patients presenting. Value-based purchasing and readmission penalties moved a slice of revenue onto quality performance, which requires measurement infrastructure many organisations lacked. The move toward accountable care and shared savings required population-level data capability and a tolerance for financial risk that a fee-for-service organisation is not structured to hold. For each, say what structural response it demands, because that is what connects this section back to the paper's subject: a quality reporting burden implies analytic staffing and a governance route for measure ownership, and risk-bearing contracts imply a finance function that can model a population. Three provisions, three different demands on the shape of the enterprise, and none of them optional. Choose provisions that make different demands, or the section collapses into one point made three times.

Likely learning objectives

Compare a normative management structure with a real organisation's.
Distinguish formal succession procedure from actual succession readiness.
Identify structural consequences of specific reform legislation provisions.
Connect external policy challenges back to organisational design.

Assignment instructions

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Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

Details: 1) Write a paper (1,250-1,500 words) that addresses the following: a) Describe an effective organization’s management structure according to the content provided. b) Compare this structure with that of your organization. c) Identify change management structures and procedures in place to face challenges that inevitably occur. d) What procedures would your organization follow if, for instance, a key figure such as the CEO, CFO, etc. should announce his/her resignation? What would you do differently? e) Identify at least three challenges presented by the 2010 Health Reform Bill and how your organization has or should address them. 2) Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required. 3) This assignment uses a grading rubric. Instructors will be using the rubric to grade the assignment; therefore, students should review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations for successful completion of the assignment.

Course-wide instructions that accompany this question

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS Discussion Questions (DQ) Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words. Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source. HCA 545 Module 6 Organization Structure Analysis One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words. I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses. Weekly Participation Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately. In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies. Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work). Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week. APA Format and Writing Quality Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required). Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation. I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition. Use of Direct Quotes I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly. As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content. It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source. LopesWrite Policy For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me. Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes. Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own? Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score. Late Policy The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies. Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances. If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect. I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension. As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading. Communication Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me: Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class. Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.

What HCA 545 Module 6 requires

01A paper of 1,250-1,500 words in APA format.
02A description of an effective organization's management structure.
03A comparison with your own organization's structure.
04Change management structures and procedures in place for inevitable challenges.
05The procedure your organization would follow on a CEO or CFO resignation, and what you would do differently.
06At least three challenges presented by the 2010 Health Reform Bill and how they should be addressed.