DNP 714 Module 1 Team Processes MindMap Example

Course	DNP 714 Professional Relationships in Healthcare
Module	Module 1
Paper type	MindMap with written narrative
Length	About 644 words, 5 pages
Format	APA 7 student paper
School	Arizona State University
Program	Doctor of Nursing Practice
Updated	October 2026

Free sample paper for DNP 714 Module 1

Three Words Teams Use as One: A MindMap of Coordination, Communication and Collaboration in an Ambulatory Surgery Center

Student Name

Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University

DNP 714: Professional Relationships in Healthcare

Instructor Name

Month Day, Year

What this page is doingThe title names the confusion the map is built to resolve, that teams treat three different processes as one, and places the map in a specific setting.

Three Words Teams Use as One: A MindMap of Coordination, Communication and Collaboration in an Ambulatory Surgery Center

Central Node

How do coordination, communication and collaboration differ, and how does each shape one patient's day at our ambulatory surgery center?

Branch 1: Coordination

Coordination is the arranging of interdependent tasks so that the right work happens in the right order. In our center it is the schedule, the preoperative checklist and the handoff from the preoperative nurse to the operating room team. Its utility is efficiency and fewer gaps. Relational coordination research adds that coordination works best when the people doing it share goals, share knowledge and respect each other, and when their contact is regular, prompt, correct and aimed at fixing whatever went wrong; in one nine-hospital study, higher relational coordination among surgical staff was associated with shorter stays and better postoperative pain and function (Gittell et al., 2000).

Branch 2: Communication

Communication is the exchange of information and meaning. In our center it is the time-out, the call to the patient the night before and the discharge teaching. Communication is necessary for coordination and collaboration but not sufficient for either: a nurse can give a perfect handoff to a team that never acts on it. Teamwork research identifies closed-loop communication, in which the sender confirms that the message was received and understood, as one of the mechanisms that make team behaviors work (Salas et al., 2005).

Branch 3: Collaboration

Collaboration is joint work toward a shared goal, with shared decisions and shared responsibility for the outcome. In our center it is the anesthesiologist, the circulating nurse and the surgeon deciding together whether to proceed when a patient arrives with a high blood pressure. Collaboration requires psychological safety, the belief that one can speak up without being punished (Edmondson, 1999), and it takes more time than coordination, so it is not the right mode for every task.

What this page is doingEach branch defines the process, places it in a concrete moment of the patient's day and adds a piece of evidence, so the map shows understanding rather than three definitions.

Comparison

Feature	Coordination	Communication	Collaboration
Core question	Who does what, when?	Did the message arrive and mean the same thing?	What do we decide together?
Example in our center	Preoperative checklist and schedule	Time-out and discharge teaching	Go or no-go decision on a hypertensive patient
Evidence	Relational coordination linked to shorter stays and better outcomes	Closed-loop communication as a teamwork mechanism	Psychological safety linked to team learning
How to evaluate	First-case on-time starts; handoff completeness audits	Read-back observed in audits; patient teach-back scores	Staff survey items on speaking up; number of concerns raised in time-outs
Main obstacle	Silos and separate schedules	Hierarchy and time pressure	Fear of speaking up; unclear decision rights
Main facilitator	Shared goals and clear roles	Structured tools such as SBAR and read-back	Leaders who invite input and thank dissent

Similarities and Differences

All three are relational: they depend on how people regard each other, not only on tools. They differ in depth. Communication moves information; coordination arranges work; collaboration shares judgment. A team can communicate well and coordinate poorly, and it can coordinate smoothly without ever collaborating. The common failure in our center is treating collaboration as a meeting rather than a way of deciding.

What this page is doingThe comparison table sets the three processes against the same criteria, including how each would be evaluated, which is the part of the prompt students most often skip.

The DNP Leader's Role

For coordination, the DNP leader designs the system: clear roles, shared schedules and handoff standards. For communication, she teaches and models structured tools and checks that they are used. For collaboration, she protects psychological safety, makes decision rights explicit and shows by her own behavior that dissent is welcome. Tannenbaum and Salas (2021) describe team effectiveness as resting on a set of drivers, including trust, coordination and communication, that leaders can strengthen deliberately rather than leave to chance.

Link to the Team Assignment

Building our team charter for a patient portal launch showed the three processes in action: coordination was the timeline, communication was the plan for informing staff and patients, and collaboration was the board discussion about which clinics would launch first.

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

Gittell, J. H., Fairfield, K. M., Bierbaum, B., Head, W., Jackson, R., Kelly, M., Laskin, R., Lipson, S., Siliski, J., Thornhill, T., & Zuckerman, J. (2000). Impact of relational coordination on quality of care, postoperative pain and functioning, and length of stay: A nine-hospital study of surgical patients. Medical Care, 38(8), 807-819. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005650-200008000-00005

Salas, E., Sims, D. E., & Burke, C. S. (2005). Is there a "Big Five" in teamwork? Small Group Research, 36(5), 555-599. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496405277134

Tannenbaum, S., & Salas, E. (2021). Teams that work: The seven drivers of team effectiveness. Oxford University Press.

DNP 714 Module 1 instructions, in plain terms

The posted syllabus grades Individual Assignment 1 at 12 points in Module 1, Core Relational Processes. You build a MindMap setting coordination, communication and collaboration against each other, and the prompt spells out its contents: applications, utility, available evidence, evaluative criteria showing how you would judge whether each concept works in practice, similarities, differences, obstacles and facilitators, plus the role of the DNP leader in the team partnership process. You are also asked to bring in what you learned from the first team assignment. Expect the map to carry short labels and a written narrative or notes to explain them. The readings for the module, the IPEC competencies and the Tannenbaum and Salas text, supply most of the concepts.

How this DNP 714 Module 1 example is built

The narrative follows the map from a central question that ties all three processes to one patient's day. Each of three branches defines one process, places it in a concrete moment at the surgery center and adds a piece of evidence. A comparison table sets the processes against the same criteria, including examples, evidence, evaluative criteria, obstacles and facilitators. A short section explains how the three are alike and how they differ in depth. The DNP leader's role is described separately for each process, supported by the course text, and a final paragraph links the map to the team charter, as the prompt requires. Four sources support the map.

Reading the DNP 714 Module 1 grading rubric

A MindMap of this kind is likely judged on accurate definitions, a clear comparison of the three processes, evidence for each, meaningful evaluative criteria, attention to obstacles and facilitators, a well-described DNP leader role and integration of the team assignment. Concrete examples from a real setting show application. Evaluative criteria earn credit when they are measurable, such as audit results or survey items. Evidence should come from research or the course texts rather than opinion. The leader's role should differ by process, not repeat the same advice three times. A readable layout with a short narrative helps faculty follow the map. Linking the map to the team assignment, as the prompt asks, also earns credit.

DNP 714 Module 1 help: mistakes that cost marks

Many first maps define the three terms and stop. Add how you would measure each one in practice, since the prompt asks for evaluative criteria. Another common problem is treating collaboration and communication as the same thing; show a case where one happens without the other. Keep map labels short and put explanations in notes or the narrative. Cite the evidence you use. Describe the setting you work in and the desk can lay out the three processes for your own map. Leave time to connect the map to your team charter. Export the map in a format faculty can open easily.

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.

More DNP 714 and Doctor of Nursing Practice sample papers

DNP 714 Module 1 questions, answered

Where can I find a free DNP 714 Module 1 sample paper?

The narrative above is a complete DNP 714 Individual Assignment 1 sample, a MindMap comparing coordination, communication and collaboration with evaluative criteria and the DNP leader's role.

What is the difference between coordination and collaboration?

Coordination arranges interdependent tasks in the right order, while collaboration means deciding and taking responsibility together toward a shared goal.

What is relational coordination?

Gittell's term for coordination that runs on relationships: people who share goals and knowledge and respect each other's work, and who talk often, promptly, accurately and with an eye to fixing problems.

How many points is DNP 714 Individual Assignment 1?

The posted syllabus lists it at 12 points in Module 1, Core Relational Processes.

What should a DNP leader do to strengthen teamwork?

Design clear roles and handoffs, teach structured communication tools and protect psychological safety so team members speak up.

DNP 714 Module 1 Individual Assignment 1: Coordination, Communication and Collaboration MindMap Example