DNP 716 Module 7 Leading Teams Executive Summary Example

Reviewed by Ingrid Vasterling, MSN, RN Arizona State University Updated October 2026

This DNP 716 Module 7 sample is the Leading Teams executive summary in Leadership of Innovation in Health Care, the largest assignment in this ASU Doctor of Nursing Practice course. ASU DNP 716 asks students to act as clinical leaders addressing a contemporary healthcare issue, presenting the assessment, plan and evaluation in an executive summary and a creative presentation. The composite team takes on workplace violence in a community hospital emergency department. The summary opens with the request, states the problem with local reports, runs a gap analysis against federal guidance and accreditation requirements, sets a five-part plan with owners and dates, defines how success will be measured and explains how complexity leadership shaped the team's approach.

CourseDNP 716 Leadership of Innovation in Health Care
ModuleModule 7
Paper typeExecutive summary with gap analysis
LengthAbout 445 words, 4 pages
FormatAPA 7 student paper
SchoolArizona State University
ProgramDoctor of Nursing Practice
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for DNP 716 Module 7

1

Safe to Care: An Executive Summary on Reducing Workplace Violence in the Emergency Department

Student Name

Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University

DNP 716: Leadership of Innovation in Health Care

Instructor Name

Month Day, Year

What this page is doingThe title links staff safety to the care it makes possible, which frames the issue for executives as a quality concern, not only a security one.
2

Safe to Care: An Executive Summary on Reducing Workplace Violence in the Emergency Department

Request

Approve a six-month workplace violence prevention plan for the emergency department, covering a cross-disciplinary team, a behavioral risk flag, hands-on de-escalation skills and support for staff after an incident.

What this page is doingOpening with the request lets an executive reader know what decision is wanted before reading the evidence, which is the convention for executive summaries.
3

The Issue

Health care workers face a disproportionate share of nonfatal workplace violence, most often from patients and visitors, and much of it goes unreported (Phillips, 2016). In our emergency department, staff filed 46 violence reports last year, but a quick staff survey suggests many more incidents were never reported. Two nurses left after assaults.

Assessment: Gap Analysis

ElementExpectedCurrentGap
Program and leadershipA written program with management commitment and worker participation (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 2016)Policy exists; no team or leaderNo ownership
Worksite analysisRegular review of incidents and risk areasReports filed but not analyzedNo data use
Hazard preventionRisk identification, environmental controlsNo behavioral flag; triage open to waiting roomMissing controls
TrainingDe-escalation training for staffAnnual online module onlyNo skills practice
Reporting and follow-upEasy reporting, support after incidentsLong form; no follow-upUnderreporting; no support
AccreditationWorkplace violence prevention program, data analysis, training and leadership oversight (The Joint Commission, 2021)Partially metRisk at next survey
What this page is doingThe gap table compares the department with the OSHA guideline and The Joint Commission requirements element by element, so every action in the plan answers a documented gap.
4

Plan

ActionOwnerDue
1. Form an emergency department violence prevention team: nurses, physicians, security, social work, a behavioral health specialistNurse directorMonth 1
2. Add a behavioral risk flag in the record, visible at triage and on the tracking boardInformaticsMonth 2
3. Hands-on de-escalation training for all staff, with refreshersEducationMonths 2 to 4
4. One-minute mobile incident report and a post-incident huddle within 24 hoursQuality and securityMonth 2
5. Redesign triage entry with a secure door and visible security presenceFacilities and securityMonths 3 to 6

Evaluation

Leading measures: training completion, flags applied, reports per month (expected to rise at first as reporting becomes easier) and huddles held. Lagging measures: assaults causing injury, lost workdays and staff intent to leave. We will report monthly to the safety committee.

What this page is doingPredicting that reports will rise at first shows the team understands how better reporting changes the data, which protects the plan from being judged a failure in month two.
5

How We Led as a Team

Workplace violence has no single cause, so the team applied complexity principles: we gave the prevention team a clear aim and a few simple rules, protect staff, never blame the victim and report everything, and let frontline staff design the details (Uhl-Bien et al., 2007). Security, nursing and behavioral health each saw different parts of the problem.

Creative Presentation

We will present the summary as a short "day in the life" story of one nurse's shift, before and after the plan, followed by the gap table and the request.

References

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2016). Guidelines for preventing workplace violence for healthcare and social service workers (OSHA 3148-06R). U.S. Department of Labor.

Phillips, J. P. (2016). Workplace violence against health care workers in the United States. New England Journal of Medicine, 374(17), 1661-1669. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra1501998

The Joint Commission. (2021). Workplace violence prevention standards (R3 Report Issue 30).

Uhl-Bien, M., Marion, R., & McKelvey, B. (2007). Complexity leadership theory: Shifting leadership from the industrial age to the knowledge era. The Leadership Quarterly, 18(4), 298-318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2007.04.002

DNP 716 Module 7 instructions, in plain terms

The posted syllabus grades Leading Teams at 150 points, the largest assignment in the course, in the team leadership weeks. Students function as clinical leaders to address a contemporary issue in healthcare and deliver the assessment, plan and evaluation in an executive summary format, along with a creative presentation. The course outcomes add gap analysis, synthesis and complexity leadership principles applied within a team. Expect to choose a current issue, assess it against a standard, plan actions with owners, define measures, and present creatively. Check Canvas for whether this is team or individual work and for any page limit. Choose an issue your organization is actually facing, since real data and stakeholders make the assessment and plan more convincing.

Inside the DNP 716 Module 7 example

The summary puts the request first, as executives expect. The issue is stated with national evidence and local data in two short paragraphs. A gap analysis table compares expectations from federal guidance and accreditation standards with current practice, which is the assessment the course asks for. The plan table gives each action an owner and date. Evaluation uses leading and lagging measures and anticipates that reports will rise at first. A section explains how complexity leadership shaped the team's work, and the creative presentation plan describes a story format. Measures are chosen so leaders can see early progress before injuries fall, which keeps support for the plan during the months it takes to work.

DNP 716 Module 7 rubric: what earns full marks

Leading teams summaries are usually graded on a well-chosen contemporary issue, a rigorous assessment such as a gap analysis, a feasible plan with owners and timelines, a credible evaluation plan, application of complexity and team leadership principles, concise executive writing and an effective creative presentation. Faculty reward a summary an executive could approve as written. Comparing current practice with a recognized standard makes the assessment objective. Anticipating that reporting may rise before harm falls shows measurement maturity. A creative presentation that keeps the executive message clear earns credit. Faculty also look for evidence that the student led as part of a team, not alone, which the complexity section of this summary addresses.

DNP 716 Module 7 help with common mistakes

Executive summaries often bury the request. Put it first. Another weakness is an assessment without a standard; compare your setting with guidelines or regulations. Assign an owner and date to every action. Include measures that can show early progress. Keep the summary to the page limit. If you would like help with your leading teams executive summary, send your issue, data and the prompt to the desk. Choose a creative format that supports, rather than replaces, the summary's key message, and rehearse it with the time limit in mind. Keep the creative presentation tied to the same three things leaders need: the problem, the plan and the request.

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 716 and Doctor of Nursing Practice sample papers

DNP 716 Module 7 questions, answered

Where can I find a free DNP 716 Module 7 sample paper?

The leading teams executive summary above is complete: workplace violence in an emergency department assessed with a gap analysis, a five-part plan with owners and an evaluation plan.

How many points is DNP 716 Leading Teams?

Leading Teams is worth 150 points, the largest assignment in the course.

What format does DNP 716 Leading Teams use?

An executive summary with assessment, plan and evaluation, plus a creative presentation.

What is a gap analysis?

A comparison of current practice with a standard or goal to identify what is missing.

What are leading and lagging measures?

Leading measures track early actions, such as training; lagging measures track final outcomes, such as injuries.