The Functional Tradition describes what “messages do and how they move through organizations” (Shockley-Zalabak, 2015, p. 28). A function can be seen as a relationship between two things and/or a purpose or activity for which something (a material thing) exists or is used. In this sense, communication is seen as a series of organizational processes, which serve a purpose. For the Functional Tradition, communication exists or is used to organize, for relationships, and for change functions. The Functional Tradition can essentially be seen as a systems perspective. Shockley-Zalabak (2015) describes information processing as the “primary function” of organizational systems (p. 28). It is useful, then, to understand the various components of a system, more specifically, as they relate to the function of organizing (organizational communication system). The Meaning-Centered Approach views communication as the process through which shared realities are constituted. Shockley-Zalabak (2015) describes the Meaning-Centered Approach as taking the perspective that organizational communication is the “process for generating shared realities that become organizing, decision making, sensemaking, and culture” (p. 38). Write a thoughtful, well-considered essay that addresses two of the three questions below. Each answer in Part I should be between 250–500 words. Then, choose one of your responses from section A and write a comparative response following the instructions in Part II. Part I Address two of the three questions below: · Shockley-Zalabak draws from Karl Weick’s book The Social Psychology of Organizing (1979). She summarizes Weick’s ideas, stating, “there is no such thing as an organization” (p. 39). The reason being, “organizations as such do not exist but rather are in the process of existing through ongoing human interaction” (Shockley-Zalabak p. 39). From the Meaning-Centered Approach, how is Zappos being generated through human interaction? · How do you see organizational communication (remember p. 17) in Zappos' efforts to socialize and assimilate employees? (Hint: Describe what socialization is and how Zappos uses it. Provide examples from the videos to illustrate the phases of socialization.) · Shockley-Zalabak describes one way of understanding organizational culture as “the unique sense of the place that organizations generate through ways of doing and ways of communicating about the organization. Organizational culture reflects the shared realities and shared practices in the organization and how these realities create and shape organizational events” (p. 46). How does Zappos create a unique sense of place through ways of doing and ways of communicating about themselves? What is a shared reality, and how do you see it at Zappos? How do these realties create and shape organizational events at Zappos? Part II Choose one of your answers from Part I to analyze. Then write a comparative response following these instructions. · Take the viewpoi ...

1. The Functional Tradition describes what “messages do and how
they move through organizations” (Shockley-Zalabak, 2015, p.
28). A function can be seen as a relationship between two things
and/or a purpose or activity for which something (a material
thing) exists or is used. In this sense, communication is seen as
a series of organizational processes, which serve a purpose. For
the Functional Tradition, communication exists or is used to
organize, for relationships, and for change functions.
The Functional Tradition can essentially be seen as a systems
perspective. Shockley-Zalabak (2015) describes information
processing as the “primary function” of organizational systems
(p. 28). It is useful, then, to understand the various components
of a system, more specifically, as they relate to the function of
organizing (organizational communication system).
The Meaning-Centered Approach views communication as the
process through which shared realities are constituted.
Shockley-Zalabak (2015) describes the Meaning-Centered
Approach as taking the perspective that organizational
communication is the “process for generating shared realities
that become organizing, decision making, sensemaking, and
culture” (p. 38).
Write a thoughtful, well-considered essay that addresses two of
the three questions below. Each answer in Part I should be
between 250–500 words. Then, choose one of your responses
from section A and write a comparative response following the
instructions in Part II.
Part I
Address two of the three questions below:
· Shockley-Zalabak draws from Karl Weick’s book The Social
Psychology of Organizing (1979). She summarizes Weick’s
ideas, stating, “there is no such thing as an organization” (p.
39). The reason being, “organizations as such do not exist but
rather are in the process of existing through ongoing human
interaction” (Shockley-Zalabak p. 39). From the Meaning-

2. Centered Approach, how is Zappos being generated through
human interaction?
· How do you see organizational communication (remember p.
17) in Zappos' efforts to socialize and assimilate employees?
(Hint: Describe what socialization is and how Zappos uses it.
Provide examples from the videos to illustrate the phases of
socialization.)
· Shockley-Zalabak describes one way of understanding
organizational culture as “the unique sense of the place that
organizations generate through ways of doing and ways of
communicating about the organization. Organizational culture
reflects the shared realities and shared practices in the
organization and how these realities create and shape
organizational events” (p. 46). How does Zappos create a
unique sense of place through ways of doing and ways of
communicating about themselves? What is a shared reality, and
how do you see it at Zappos? How do these realties create and
shape organizational events at Zappos?
Part II
Choose one of your answers from Part I to analyze. Then write a
comparative response following these instructions.
· Take the viewpoint of the Functional Tradition, and describe
how the Functional Tradition would see your answer differently;
and
· Explain/support your answer with evidence from the chapter.
This should be done in 250–500 words.
Overview
In 3–5 pages, analyze the current environment of a selected
health care organization.
Note: The assessments in this course are presented in sequence
and must be completed in order.
The essential reason for an environmental analysis is to develop
the habit of scanning the environment to optimize
organizational outcomes. An environmental analysis allows

3. organizations to identify current challenges and opportunities in
preparation for the future.
By successfully completing this assessment, you will
demonstrate your proficiency in the following course
competencies and assessment criteria:
•Competency 1: Analyze organizational structure, design,
culture, and climate in relation to environmental forces.
◦Analyze the internal and external environment of a health care
organization.
◦Identify key structural features of the health care industry that
determine the forces governing competition.
◦Summarize findings related to the current challenges and
opportunities facing a health care organization.
•Competency 4: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly,
professional, and consistent with expectations for professionals
in health care administration. ◦Write in a clear, concise, and
well-organized manner, supporting conclusions with relevant
evidence.
◦Follow current APA guidelines for format and style.
Context
Strategic management links strategic thinking and analysis to
organizational action. Strategic management is a systems-based
approach that simultaneously integrates external and internal
environments, scanning for emerging issues and gaps, and
provides leadership infrastructure.
Read the Assessment 1 Context document for more information
about the following topics:
•Impact of Change.
•Analytical Techniques for Environmental Analyses.
•Specific Goals of an Environmental Analysis.
•Sustaining a Competitive Advantage.
Another key resource for examination of current issues in in
health care environment is the American Hospital Association's
"Environmental Scan" documents. These documents are focused,
concise scans of the current issues happening across the health

4. care continuum and are updated regularly.
Reference
O'Dell, G. J. & Aspy, D. J. (2015). 2016 Environmental scan.
American Hospital Association. Retrieved from
http://www.hhnmag.com/ext/resources/inc-
hhn/pdfs/2015/EnviroScan_2016.pdf
Questions to Consider
To deepen your understanding, you are encouraged to consider
the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a
work associate, an interested friend, or a member of the
business community.
•How does the analytical model of strategic management
compare with the emergent learning model in health care?
•What are some examples of analytical strategies in a small
health care organization? How do they differ from large
organizations?
•What is the analytical strategy within your own health care
organization?
Suggested Resources
The following optional resources are provided to support you in
completing the assessment or to provide a helpful context. For
additional resources, refer to the Research Resources and
Supplemental Resources in the left navigation menu of your
courseroom.
Library Resources
•Dreachslin, J. L., Gilbert, M. J., & Malone, B. (2012).
Diversity and cultural competence in health care: A Systems
approach. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
•Ginter, P. M., Duncan, W. J., & Swayne, L. E. (2013).
Strategic management of health care organizations (7th ed.).
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. ◦Chapter 1, "The Nature of
Strategic Management," pages 1–30.
◦Chapter 2, "Understanding and Analyzing the General

5. Environment and the Health Care Environment," pages 33–72.
◦Chapter 3, "Service Area Competitor Analysis," pages 75–125.
◦Chapter 4, "Internal Environmental Analysis and Competitive
Advantage," pages 128–162.
◦Appendix A, "Analyzing Strategic Health Care Cases," pages
411–421.
•Hegwer, L. R. (2014). Digging deeper into data. Healthcare
Financial Management, 68(2), 80–84.
•Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (1992). The balanced scorecard:
Measures that drive performance. Harvard Business Review,
70(1), 71–79.
•Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (1993). Putting the balanced
scorecard to work. Harvard Business Review, 71(5), 134–147.
•Martin, R. L. (2014). The big lie of strategic planning. Harvard
Business Review, 92(1/2), 78–84.
•Jaana, M., Teitelbaum, M., & Roffey, T. (2014). IT strategic
planning in hospitals: From theory to practice. International
Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, 30(3), 289–
297.
•Sasse, C. M., Tocco, A. L., and Dockins, J. (2014). Specialty
clinics: Surviving in a for-profit healthcare world. Journal of
Case Studies, 32(2), 33–48.
•Yao, L., Mohd, W., & Wei, W. (2014). Role of environmental
analysis in managing knowledge in small-and-medium sized
enterprises. International Journal of Innovation, Management
and Technology, 5(3), 160–163.
Internet Resources
Access the following resources by clicking the links provided.
Please note that URLs change frequently. Permissions for the
following links have been either granted or deemed appropriate
for educational use at the time of course publication.
•Arthur, L. (n.d.). The implications of environmental analysis
on strategic plan. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved from
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/implications-environmental-
analysis-strategic-plan-35303.html

6. •AHA, & ACHE. (2004). Diversity and cultural proficiency
assessment tool for leaders: Does your hospital reflect the
community it serves? Journal of Health Administration
Education. Retrieved from http://www.aha.org/content/00-
10/diversitytool.pdf
•O'Dell, G.J. & Aspy, D.J. (2015). 2016 environmental scan.
American Hospital Association. Retrieved from
http://www.hhnmag.com/ext/resources/inc-
hhn/pdfs/2015/EnviroScan_2016.pdf
•Arline, K. (2014, December 11). PEST Analysis: Definition,
examples & templates. Business News Daily. Retrieved from
http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5512-pest-analysis-
definition-examples-templates.html
•Jurevicius, O. (2013). Porter's five forces. Strategic
Management Insight. Retrieved from
https://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/tools/porters-five-
forces.html
•Barrett Values Centre. (2016). Mapping values. Retrieved from
http://www.valuescentre.com/mapping-values
•Morrison, M. (2016). PEST/ PESTLE analysis Introduction.
RapidBI. Retrieved from https://rapidbi.com/Introduction-to-
the-PESTLE-analysis-tool/#PESTLEtemplete
•Notes Desk. (2009). Porter's five forces model [Blog].
Retrieved from
http://www.notesdesk.com/notes/strategy/porters-five-forces-
model-porters-model/
•SmartDraw, Inc. (2016). Strategic planning examples.
Retrieved from https://www.smartdraw.com/strategic-
planning/examples/
Assessment Instructions
Note: The assessments in this course are presented in sequence
and must be completed in order. You must complete this
assessment before proceeding to Assessment 2.

7. Preparation
Choose a health care organization. This may be an organization
where you currently work, where you desire to work, or one
about which you would like to learn more. You may select one
from any of these sectors (or select a sector not listed here that
directly reflects your career plans).
•Long-term care.
•Mid-sized facility.
•Behavioral health hospital.
•Large urban hospital.
•Small rural hospital.
•Freestanding facility
•Telehealth organization.
•Government/military Integrated Delivery Network (IDN).
Conduct an Environmental Analysis
Analyze your health care organization's current environment
using tools included in the strategic management planning
process. The purpose of this analysis is to scan the both the
internal and external environments so that you can identify
current challenges and opportunities in preparation for the
future.
Note: You may use any contemporary environmental analysis
tool to conduct your analysis (for example, PESTL Analysis,
Michael Porter's 5 Forces Model, Levels of Competition model,
et cetera).
In order to complete the analysis you will need to examine both
the internal and external environments. Your analysis must
include the following:
•Identification of key structural features of the industry that
determine the forces governing competition.
•A discussion of the goals and strategies of the respective
competitive forces.
•Examine the organization's directional strategy, including its
vision, mission, and values

8. •Determine the organization's positioning approach at this point
in time.
•Summarize your insights and findings related to the current
challenges and opportunities faced by your selected
organization at the time of your analysis.
•Include references to peer reviewed sources that support your
analysis. Examples of these sources could be accrediting body
standards, industry standards, government agency reports (for
example, National Academy of Medicine, et cetera) as well as
organizational information.
•Cite your sources using current APA guidelines.
Additional Requirements
•Length: 3–5 double-spaced, typed pages. The goal is to focus
upon application of the concepts and new insight. Keep it brief
and substantive. ◦Note: Feel free to construct images/diagrams
to summarize information where appropriate (for example,
TOWS matrix…).
•APA formatting: Resources and citations must be formatted
according to current APA style and formatting.
•Number of Resources: Use a minimum of 6 authoritative
sources to support your analysis.
Current Environmental Analysis Scoring Guide
CRITERIA NON-PERFORMANCE BASIC PROFICIENT
DISTINGUISHED
Analyze the internal
and external
environment of a
health care
organization.

9. Does not analyze
the internal and
external
environment of a
health care
organization.
Analyzes the internal
and external
environment of a
health care
organization, but the
analysis is unclear or
incomplete.
Analyzes the
internal and
external
environment of a
health care
organization.
Analyzes the internal and
external environment of a
health care organization, and
suggests areas for
improvement.
Summarize findings
related to the
current challenges
and opportunities
facing a health care
organization.
Does not

10. summarize findings
related to the
current challenges
and opportunities
facing a health care
organization.
Summarizes findings
related to the current
challenges and
opportunities facing a
health care
organization, but the
summary is unclear
or incomplete.
Summarizes
findings related to
the current
challenges and
opportunities
facing a health
care organization.
Summarizes findings related
to the current challenges and
opportunities facing a health
care organization, and
identifies knowledge gaps,
unknowns, missing
information, unanswered
questions, or areas of
uncertainty (where further
information could improve
the analysis).

11. Identify key
structural features
of the health care
industry that
determine the forces
governing
competition.
Does not identify
key structural
features of the
health care industry
that determine the
forces governing
competition.
Identifies some but
not all key structural
features of the health
care industry that
determine the forces
governing
competition.
Identifies key
structural features
of the health care
industry that
determine the
forces governing
competition.
Analyzes key structural
features of the health care
industry that determine the
forces governing

12. competition, and uses
professionally validated
criteria to justify the analysis.
Write in a clear,
concise, and well-
organized manner,
supporting
conclusions with
relevant evidence.
Does not write in a
clear, concise, and
well-organized
manner, supporting
conclusions with
relevant evidence.
Writes in a clear,
concise, and well-
organized manner or
supports conclusions
with relevant
evidence, but not
both.
Writes in a clear,
concise, and well-
organized
manner,
supporting
conclusions with
relevant evidence.
Writes in a clear, concise,
and well-organized manner,

13. supporting conclusions with
relevant evidence and using
persuasive arguments.
Follow current APA
guidelines for format
and style.
Does not follow
current APA
guidelines for
format and style.
Follows,
inconsistently, current
APA guidelines for
format and style.
Follows current
APA guidelines
for format and
style.
Follows current APA
guidelines for format and
style with virtually no errors.
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