| Course | DNP 709 Individual and Innovation Leadership in Healthcare Practice |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 3 |
| Paper type | Live discussion preparation brief |
| Length | About 431 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Arizona State University |
| Program | Doctor of Nursing Practice |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for DNP 709 Module 3
Anthropologist, Hurdler, Storyteller: Preparing for a Discussion on the Faces of Innovation
Student Name
Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University
DNP 709: Individual and Innovation Leadership in Healthcare Practice
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Anthropologist, Hurdler, Storyteller: Preparing for a Discussion on the Faces of Innovation
The Ten Faces in Three Groups
Kelley and Littman (2016) describe ten personas that people can adopt to help a team innovate. The learning personas gather new information: the Anthropologist observes people in their real settings, the Experimenter prototypes and tests, and the Cross-Pollinator borrows ideas from other fields. The organizing personas move ideas through organizations: the Hurdler gets around obstacles, the Collaborator brings people together, and the Director gathers talent and sets the stage. The building personas make innovation happen: the Experience Architect designs encounters people remember, the Set Designer shapes the physical space, the Storyteller builds support through narrative, and the Caregiver understands and serves each person.
My Strongest Faces
Caregiver. My leadership grew out of attention to individual patients and nurses, and I notice when someone is struggling.
Hurdler. When our unit wanted bedside shift report, I found a way to pilot it on nights first, when managers who opposed it were not on site, and then brought them the data.
My Weakest Face
Anthropologist. I tend to fix problems from my office, based on incident reports, rather than watching how work actually happens. When I finally spent a shift observing call light response, I learned that the delay was not staffing but the location of supply rooms, a problem no report had named.
How the Faces Fit Our Learning Community
Our team has a strong Director, a clinical nurse specialist who naturally assigns tasks, and a Storyteller, a nurse practitioner who explains ideas through patient stories. We lack an Experimenter. For our innovation case this term, I will suggest that we name someone to build and test a rough prototype early rather than polishing a plan. That only works if teammates feel safe showing unfinished work without being judged (Edmondson, 1999).
Questions for the Group
1. Which face does nursing culture reward, and which does it discourage?
2. Can one person develop a weak face deliberately, or should teams recruit for it?
3. Which faces does a complex system like a hospital need most when an innovation stalls?
4. How would a Caregiver and a Hurdler disagree about the pace of a change, and who should win?
Connecting to Complexity
Hospitals behave as complex adaptive systems, in which people act in ways that are not fully predictable and each action changes the context for others (Plsek & Greenhalgh, 2001). That may explain why the learning faces matter so much in health care: plans built from the office often fail on contact with the real unit.
References
Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350-383. https://doi.org/10.2307/2666999
Kelley, T., & Littman, J. (2016). The ten faces of innovation: Strategies for heightening creativity. Profile Books.
Plsek, P. E., & Greenhalgh, T. (2001). The challenge of complexity in health care. BMJ, 323(7313), 625-628. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.323.7313.625
Reading the DNP 709 Module 3 assignment instructions
The posted syllabus grades Faces of Innovation at 50 points as a team activity: a live scholarly dialogue with your learning community over Zoom, using discussion prompts that faculty provide. It falls in Weeks 1 to 4, and Kelley's The Ten Faces of Innovation is a required book for the course. The prompts arrive in Canvas, so read them as soon as they are posted and prepare examples from your own practice for each. Expect faculty to listen for contributions grounded in the reading, honest self-assessment and responses that build on teammates. Check the scheduling instructions for your learning community, since everyone must attend the same session. The discussion is a team grade, so the group benefits when every member arrives with examples ready.
How the DNP 709 Module 3 example is put together
The brief starts by summarizing the ten personas in Kelley's three groups so the writer can refer to them quickly during the call. It then applies the framework to herself, naming two strong faces and one weak face, each with a concrete story from her unit. A section maps the faces onto her learning community and turns the analysis into a suggestion for the team's project. Four open questions give her something to contribute when the conversation slows. A closing link to complexity theory connects the reading to the next module, showing integration across the course. Self-assessment against the personas also feeds directly into the leader self-assessment paper that follows in Weeks 5 to 6.
DNP 709 Module 3 rubric: what earns full marks
In grading the Zoom dialogue, faculty weigh readiness, a correct grasp of Kelley's personas, contributions that add something, real engagement with teammates' ideas and conduct on camera. Faculty notice students who apply the faces to real situations rather than repeating definitions. Honest discussion of a weak face shows self-awareness. Questions that invite debate, rather than ones with obvious answers, raise the level of the dialogue. Referring to a teammate's point by name shows listening. Linking the reading to other course concepts, such as complexity or team charters, shows integration. Bring the text so you can cite pages when asked. Students who connect the personas to their learning community's project show that the reading has practical value for the team.
DNP 709 Module 3 help: mistakes that cost marks
Students sometimes prepare by memorizing the ten definitions, which leaves nothing to say once those are covered. Prepare stories instead: one for a face you use well and one for a face you avoid. Another trap is talking only about yourself; think about what your team needs. Keep each contribution under a minute so others can respond. If you would like help preparing for the Faces of Innovation discussion, send the faculty prompts and your notes on the book to the desk. Join the call a few minutes early to test audio and video. Keep the book open during the dialogue. Note which face each teammate shows during the call; it helps when you assign roles for the team project later.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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DNP 709 Module 3 questions, answered
Where can I find a free DNP 709 Module 3 sample paper?
The Faces of Innovation brief above is complete: the ten personas summarized, a self-assessment with examples, a team analysis and questions for the live discussion.
How many points is the DNP 709 Faces of Innovation discussion?
It is a 50-point team activity held as a live Zoom dialogue.
What are the ten faces of innovation?
Anthropologist, Experimenter, Cross-Pollinator, Hurdler, Collaborator, Director, Experience Architect, Set Designer, Storyteller and Caregiver.
What are the three groups of innovation personas?
Learning personas, organizing personas and building personas.
Do I need to write anything for the Faces of Innovation discussion?
The grade comes from the live dialogue, but a short preparation brief keeps your points ready.