AIM2 Task 1: Establishing Professional Presence to Promote a Healthy Work Environment

Western Governors University D024 Professional Presence and Influence requires students to complete the AIM2 performance assessment that includes a mind map, force field analysis, and 4–6 page APA reflection paper applying the five SEI power skills and the IHI Framework for Improving Joy in Work.

In this performance assessment for Western Governors University course D024 Professional Presence and Influence, students demonstrate competence in professional presence, mindfulness, social presence, and building a culture of joyful work through three linked deliverables. The assessment aligns with current WGU MSN Core requirements and evaluates the graduate’s ability to promote a healthy work environment using self-awareness characteristics, positive relationship strategies, social communication approaches, and improvement science principles.

Competencies

• 7064.1.1 Professional Presence: The graduate promotes a healthy work environment by demonstrating a professional presence that includes self-awareness characteristics.
• 7064.1.2 Mindfulness in Healthcare: The graduate develops solutions and strategies that build positive relationships and promote mindfulness in the workplace.
• 7064.1.3 Social Presence: The graduate recommends social communication strategies and technologies to promote a sense of caring and belonging.
• 7064.1.4 Culture of Joyful Work: The graduate applies the principles of improvement science to solve the problem of incivility in the workplace and initiate organizational change designed to promote health and joy in the workplace.

Introduction

Students produce three linked deliverables: a mind map that illustrates strategies for promoting joy in the workplace, a force field analysis that evaluates a recommended social communication or technology strategy aligned with the IHI Framework for Improving Joy in Work, and a formal reflection paper that integrates the five social and emotional intelligence power skills with the results of the mind map and force field analysis.

Requirements

The submission must be original work. No more than a combined total of 30 percent of the submission and no more than a 10 percent match to any one individual source may be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from sources, even if cited correctly. Use the originality report provided upon submission as a guide.

Submit the following three components together through the assessment submission tab in PDF, DOC, or DOCX format only. Live links are not accepted.

A. Mind Map

Create a mind map that identifies strategies an advanced professional nurse can use to promote joy in the workplace. The map must clearly connect at least four of the nine critical components of the IHI Framework for Improving Joy in Work to concrete nursing leadership actions.

B. Force Field Analysis

Complete a force field analysis using the provided template. Recommend one specific social communication strategy or technology strategy that supports implementation of the IHI Framework for Improving Joy in Work. List five facilitating forces and five restraining forces, assign each a score from 1 to 5, calculate the totals, and briefly justify whether the recommendation should proceed.

C. Reflection Paper

Write a reflection paper of suggested length 4–6 pages, excluding title and reference pages, in APA format that addresses the following:

1. Describe, using scholarly sources, how an advanced professional nurse can manage difficult workplace situations by applying each of the five SEI power skills: self-awareness, self-management, interpersonal communication, executive function, and social awareness.
2. Discuss how two of the five SEI power skills can be used to establish professional presence and promote a culture of joy in the workplace.
3. Explain how the four steps of the IHI Framework for Improving Joy in Work (ask what matters, identify unique impediments, make joy a shared responsibility, use improvement science) can guide an advanced professional nurse in addressing incivility or other barriers to joy. Integrate findings from the mind map and force field analysis.
4. Support the paper with a minimum of three scholarly sources published within the last five years. Include corresponding APA in-text citations and a reference list.

Rubric Criteria (Competent Performance)

• Mind map accurately links IHI components to nursing actions and demonstrates clear visual organization.
• Force field analysis correctly scores facilitating and restraining forces, calculates net force, and provides a reasoned recommendation.
• Reflection paper fully addresses every SEI power skill with accurate definitions, relevant workplace examples, and scholarly support.
• Discussion of two power skills for professional presence and culture of joy is specific, evidence-based, and connected to the IHI four-step process.
• Mind-map and force-field findings are explicitly integrated.
• APA formatting, scholarly sources, and originality thresholds are met.

Why This Matters in Practice

Nurse leaders who apply SEI power skills and the IHI framework reduce unit-level incivility, lower turnover risk, and improve patient safety indicators. Organizations that treat joy as a measurable system property rather than an individual wellness issue report stronger engagement scores and fewer adverse events linked to staff fatigue.

FAQ

What length should the D024 AIM2 reflection paper be?
The suggested length is 4–6 pages excluding title and reference pages. Evaluators focus on complete coverage of every required element rather than strict page count.

Do I need to complete the CPE before submitting AIM2?
Most students complete Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Clinical Practice Experience before or alongside AIM2. The CPE record and e-portfolio are submitted separately from the AIM2 performance assessment.

Which sources count as scholarly for the reflection paper?
Peer-reviewed journal articles published within the last five years and the official IHI white paper meet the requirement. Course materials may be used as supplemental support but do not replace the minimum of three scholarly sources.

Can I change the recommended strategy in the force field analysis after creating the mind map?
Yes. The force field analysis evaluates one concrete recommendation that supports the IHI framework. The strategy may differ from items shown on the mind map as long as the analysis is complete and reasoned.

What file formats are accepted for AIM2 submission?
PDF, DOC, or DOCX only. Live cloud links are rejected because originality cannot be verified.

Sample Writing Help

Advanced professional nurses manage difficult workplace situations most effectively when they deliberately apply the five SEI power skills in sequence rather than in isolation. Self-awareness allows the nurse leader to recognize rising frustration during a staffing dispute before it surfaces as visible irritation, while self-management supplies the pause needed to choose a measured response. Interpersonal communication then converts that internal regulation into clear, respectful dialogue that de-escalates tension, executive function keeps the conversation focused on solvable process issues rather than personal blame, and social awareness attunes the leader to the unspoken fatigue shared by the entire team. When these skills operate together, the leader models the professional presence that reduces incivility and begins to restore psychological safety, a prerequisite identified in the IHI Framework for Improving Joy in Work. Recent cross-sectional data further indicate that nurse managers with higher emotional intelligence scores also report stronger self-leadership behaviors, reinforcing the practical value of deliberate skill practice.

Force Field Results in Context

The force-field analysis completed for this task revealed that a standardized text-expander toolkit for documentation produced a positive net force of +7, driven largely by reduced cognitive load and reclaimed patient-care time. This finding aligns with evidence that documentation burden remains one of the strongest predictors of nurse burnout; when the toolkit is introduced alongside brief unit-based training, the same analysis predicts measurable gains in daily improvement and camaraderie, two of the nine IHI components. Leaders who treat the force-field results as a living diagnostic rather than a one-time exercise can adjust restraining forces, for example resistance to new software, in real time through rapid-cycle tests, thereby converting an abstract framework into concrete workflow change. Harley (2024) notes that self-awareness tools strengthen a leader’s capacity to spot such resistance early and respond with targeted support rather than directive pressure.

Shared Responsibility Missteps

Many students focus exclusively on individual SEI skills and overlook the shared-responsibility step of the IHI process, yet the literature shows that isolated personal development rarely shifts unit culture. Pairing executive function with participative management, inviting staff to co-design the documentation toolkit, converts a top-down technology fix into a collective improvement project. Measurement of joy indicators such as pulse surveys on psychological safety and time spent in direct care before and after implementation supplies the improvement-science loop required by the fourth IHI step and simultaneously generates the data needed for the next cycle of force-field analysis. Organizations that embed these measurement habits report sustained reductions in first-year turnover and modest gains in quality metrics within twelve months.

References

Almadani, N., et al. (2024). Emotional intelligence among female nursing leaders in a transformational era. Journal of Nursing Management. https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/9973339

Harley, J. (2024). Developing self-awareness for effective nurse leadership. Nursing Management. https://doi.org/10.7748/nm.2024.e2124

Perlo, J., Balik, B., Swensen, S., Kabcenell, A., Landsman, J., & Feeley, D. (2017). IHI framework for improving joy in work. Institute for Healthcare Improvement. https://www.ihi.org/library/white-papers/ihi-framework-improving-joy-work

Jang, S. Y., Park, C. M., & Yang, E. H. (2024). Factors related to emotional leadership in nurses manager: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing, 54(2), 119–138. https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.24026

Complete the WGU D024 AIM2 performance assessment by submitting a mind map, force field analysis, and 4–6 page APA reflection paper that applies the five SEI power skills and the IHI Framework for Improving Joy in Work.

Next assessment in sequence: Clinical Practice Experience (CPE)

Record Final Submission and e-Portfolio Verification. Students finalize Phase 1 and Phase 2 deliverables including the CPE schedule table, professional profile screenshot, GoReact video screenshots and written reflection summaries, and the completed Social/Emotional Intelligence table. The signed CPE Record is uploaded separately while the OneNote e-portfolio link is submitted through the assessment portal to document the required indirect clinical hours.