| Course | DNP 835 Strategic Leadership and Business Management |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 7 |
| Paper type | Stakeholder analysis paper |
| Length | About 1,020 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | DNP |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for DNP 835 Module 7
Who Can Stop It and Who Must Carry It: Stakeholder Analysis and Team Leadership for an Acute Care for Elders Project
Student Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice Program, Aspen University
DNP 835: Strategic Leadership and Business Management
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Who Can Stop It and Who Must Carry It: Stakeholder Analysis and Team Leadership for an Acute Care for Elders Project
Projects succeed or fail through people. A well-planned project can stall because a powerful group was not consulted, or because the staff who must carry out the change were informed rather than involved. This paper presents a stakeholder analysis for the project to bring acute care for elders protocols to 5 West at a composite hospital, and describes how the project manager, a doctoral nurse leader, will lead the interprofessional team that carries the work.
The Method
Stakeholder analysis identifies the individuals, groups and organizations who affect or are affected by a decision, and assesses their interests, influence, positions and relationships so that leaders can develop strategies for engaging them. It originated in the policy and management sciences and has become a systematic tool for understanding how actors' agendas and resources shape decisions (Brugha & Varvasovszky, 2000). For this project, the team listed stakeholders, rated each on interest in the project and influence over its success, estimated their likely position, and chose an engagement strategy.
Ratings were made by the core team together and checked with the sponsor, who knew the history of earlier proposals. Where members disagreed about a rating, the team recorded both views and chose the more cautious one.
The Stakeholder Map
Eleven stakeholders were identified. The table summarizes the analysis.
| Stakeholder | Influence | Interest | Likely position | Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief nursing officer (sponsor) | High | High | Supportive | Monthly reports; ask to remove barriers |
| Hospitalist group | High | Medium | Mixed | Co-design rounds; physician co-lead |
| Bed management office | High | Low | Opposed to reserved beds | Priority rule, not reserved beds |
| Finance | High | Medium | Neutral | Business case; adjust productivity target |
| 5 West nurse manager | High | High | Supportive, worried about workload | Core team; staffing plan |
| 5 West registered nurses | Medium | High | Mixed | Unit council input; super users |
| Nursing assistants, including nights | Medium | High | Unknown | Direct meetings on each shift; mobility role |
| Pharmacy | Medium | Medium | Supportive | Medication review workflow |
| Physical therapy | Medium | Medium | Supportive | Consult criteria; training |
| Case management | Medium | Medium | Supportive | Early discharge planning |
| Patients and families | Low | High | Supportive once informed | Advisory council review; handouts |
Strategies for Key Stakeholders
The most important strategies address high-influence stakeholders whose support is uncertain. The bed management office opposed earlier proposals because reserved beds would reduce flexibility; the project uses a priority rule that directs older patients to 5 West when beds are available without reserving them, which the office helped write. The hospitalist group's support is essential for interdisciplinary rounds; a hospitalist co-lead designs the rounds to take no more than two minutes per patient and to replace, rather than add to, existing discharge discussions. Finance is engaged through the business case and a request to adjust the unit's productivity target for the added mobility technician.
High-interest stakeholders with less formal influence also need attention. Nursing assistants will do much of the mobility and toileting work, and night-shift assistants are rarely consulted in projects designed during the day. The project manager meets with assistants on each shift, asks what would make the protocols workable, and involves two assistants as super users.
Leading the Project Team
The core team includes a geriatric clinical nurse specialist, a hospitalist, a pharmacist, a physical therapist, a case manager, the nurse manager and two staff nurses. Such teams include people of different professions and status, and the most useful information, such as a protocol that does not work at 3 a.m., often comes from the least senior members. Across 51 teams at an office furniture manufacturer, psychological safety, meaning members' common confidence that they will not be punished or embarrassed for admitting a mistake or voicing a concern, was associated with learning behaviors that in turn supported team performance (Edmondson, 1999). The project manager builds psychological safety deliberately: inviting staff nurses and assistants to speak first in meetings, thanking people for raising problems, admitting uncertainty, and treating early failures as information.
Team skills can also be taught. Pooling results from many studies, a meta-analysis showed that team training improved team cognitive, affective, process and performance outcomes (Salas et al., 2008). The team will complete a short session on communication and meeting practices, including brief structured updates and clear decision records, before protocol development begins.
Managing Conflict
Conflict is likely, especially over time: hospitalists may resist rounds on busy days, and nurses may feel the protocols add work without support. The project manager will address conflicts early in one-to-one conversations, return to shared goals such as fewer falls and shorter stays, and use data to resolve disagreements where possible, for example by timing rounds to show their actual length. Unresolved conflicts that threaten the project go to the sponsor.
Keeping Stakeholders Engaged Over Time
Stakeholder positions change during a project. A group that supported the idea may cool when it sees the workload, and a skeptical group may become an advocate after early results. The project manager will revisit the stakeholder map at each milestone, asking the core team whether anyone's influence, interest or position has shifted, and will adjust strategies. Communication will be matched to each group: a one-page monthly update for executives, a short segment in hospitalist group meetings, huddle updates and a bulletin board on 5 West, and a family handout explaining what patients can expect.
Early wins will be shared deliberately. When the first month's data show, for example, that more older patients were walking daily or that sitter use fell, those results will go first to the frontline staff who produced them and then to executives, reinforcing that the project belongs to the unit rather than to its leaders.
Conclusion
A stakeholder analysis of the 5 West project identifies who can block it, such as bed management, hospitalists and finance, and who must carry it, such as nurses and nursing assistants, and assigns each a strategy. Leading the interprofessional team with deliberate attention to psychological safety and team skills increases the chance that problems surface early and are solved. Together, careful stakeholder engagement and team leadership turn an approved plan into a change that people support and sustain.
References
Brugha, R., & Varvasovszky, Z. (2000). Stakeholder analysis: A review. Health Policy and Planning, 15(3), 239-246. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/15.3.239
Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350-383. https://doi.org/10.2307/2666999
Salas, E., DiazGranados, D., Klein, C., Burke, C. S., Stagl, K. C., Goodwin, G. F., & Halpin, S. M. (2008). Does team training improve team performance? A meta-analysis. Human Factors, 50(6), 903-933. https://doi.org/10.1518/001872008X375009
Reading the DNP 835 Module 7 assignment instructions
Aspen's DNP 835 prompts are posted in the classroom, which is why this sample draws on the course's published description instead. A stakeholder and team leadership paper usually asks you to name everyone your project touches, analyze their influence and interest, plan how to engage them, and describe how you will lead the project team. Your prompt may require a specific grid, a communication plan or a leadership theory. Some instructors also want a RACI chart showing who decides and who is consulted. Check the length and sources, and describe stakeholders by role rather than by name. If your project is real, a map shared with colleagues can also build support, so write it with that audience in mind.
Inside the DNP 835 Module 7 example
The paper is about 1,020 words in seven sections. The method section explains the influence and interest grid. The stakeholder map places eleven groups in a table with their ratings, concerns and strategies. Strategies for key stakeholders focus on the groups with the most influence and on those whose daily work carries the change, such as night assistants. Leading the project team draws on research on psychological safety and team training. Managing conflict addresses disputes over beds and roles. Keeping stakeholders engaged over time describes updates, wins and feedback loops. The conclusion restates why stakeholder work and team leadership decide whether a sound project survives contact with the organization.
DNP 835 Module 7 rubric: what earns full marks
The rubric for this paper will reward an accurate, actionable analysis and evidence-based leadership. This example earns analysis points because each stakeholder is rated and assigned a strategy, and the margin notes explain how that turns description into action. Team leadership grounded in research addresses the scholarly support criterion. Attention to groups with little formal power but high impact, such as night staff, shows insight graders often credit. Conflict and engagement over time meet the application row. Organization moves from method to map to strategy to team. Format credit depends on a correctly formatted table and accurate citation of the team research.
Common DNP 835 Module 7 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Students often list stakeholders without analyzing them, which leaves the paper descriptive. Rate influence and interest, and give each group a strategy. Another common mistake is focusing only on executives and physicians, ignoring the frontline staff who will do the work. Include them. Papers also describe team leadership in general terms, such as good communication, without evidence or specific practices. Name practices and cite research. Some students skip conflict, although every multi-department project has some. Plan for it. Finally, keep the analysis respectful. Describe concerns fairly, since graders notice when a paper treats other professions as obstacles. A hospitalist worried about length of stay has a real interest, and the strategy should answer it.
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 Aspen 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 835 Module 7 questions, answered
What does DNP 835 Module 7 usually ask for?
Aspen's DNP 835 description includes leading health care projects, so a stakeholder analysis and plan for leading the project team is a typical assignment. Check your classroom for the prompt.
How do I do a stakeholder analysis?
List everyone who affects or is affected by the project, rate their influence and interest, estimate their position, and choose an engagement strategy for each, focusing on high-influence groups with uncertain support.
What is psychological safety?
A shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking, such as admitting mistakes or raising concerns, which research links to team learning and performance.
Where can I find a free DNP 835 Module 7 sample paper?
The full stakeholder analysis and team leadership paper for an acute care for elders project is on this page, including its stakeholder table, title page, references and margin notes, at no charge. For an analysis of your own project, use the request form at the top.
How do I map stakeholders for DNP 835 Module 7?
List every group affected by the project, rate each on influence and interest, and place them on a grid. Groups high on both need close management, while those high on interest but low on influence need to be kept informed. This example puts the map in a table.