Introduction to the Mission Discernment
What is Mission Discernment?
 Trinity
Health, like other faith-based organizations, measures its
accomplishments as an organization in relation to its success
in realizing its Mission and Core Values. To accomplish that,
Mission and Core Values are integrated into the planning and
development processes of the organization. The Mission Discernment
process is where we integrate our Mission and Core Values
- in a focused and intentional way - to our planning processes.
Mission Discernment
- A reflective process integrated into an organization's
management
and strategic planning
- not a parallel process done independently for the
purpose of monitoring or reviewing the work of the decision-making
group;
- not a final review conducted by Mission personnel
of a deliberation and decision already completed.
- Enables decision-makers to identify and report,
in Mission and Core Values terms, explicit reasons for or
against a particular proposed course of action
- as such, it helps identify both opportunity for benefit
and potential for harm,
to individuals, the community or the organization;
- and provides those processing the decision the opportunity
to:
1) gather more information/data to address a particular
issue;
2) analyze both benefit and harm; and
3) investigate options to maximize the benefit and minimize
the harm.
- Seeks to ensure that, in the course of making
major decisions, appropriate business and clinical analyses
are evaluated in light of the Mission and Core Values of
the organization.
The sponsorship, Mission, Catholic identity and ethical issues
which are the hallmarks of Mission Discernment are distinguishable
(but not separate from) the financial, operational and human
resources aspects of any project. Mission Discernment recognizes
this fundamental fact:
all dimensions of our organizational life -- finance, planning,
human resources, clinical services, operations and support
services -- embody and express our Mission and Core Values.
Given the structure and scope of health care delivery systems
today, the Mission Discernment process is designed to be adapted
to various settings and projects: for Trinity Health Member
Organizations in acute and long term care, Service Organizations
and Corporate offices.
The process is designed to be flexible within various decision-making
structures (e.g., senior leadership teams, joint ventures
and affiliations) and seeks the involvement of all levels
of the organization: staff, managers, physicians, senior leadership,
local governance, Trinity Health Corporate Offices, and system
governance.
Given the complexity, variety and creativity of projects
and initiatives in health care today, a successful Mission
Discernment process involves the collective knowledge, skill
and insight of different persons, inside and outside the organization
with different areas of expertise, depending on the project. |
