Which of the following best describes the initial step the nursing management should take when implementing a total quality management approach to reduce hospital-acquired infections?

In a hospital setting, the nursing management team has identified a significant increase in the incidence of hospital-acquired infections ( HAIS ) over the past quarter. In response, the team decides to implement a total quality management ( TQM ) approach to address this issue, involving staff from multiple disciplines in quality circles to identify root causes and develop solutions.