strategic planning in healthcare

Strategic Planning
The strategic planning process begins with setting the objectives of the organization, and the mission statement, vision and values can help to frame those objectives at a high level. As such, the mission, vision and values of the organization are often considered the foundation of the strategic plan, and a natural starting point. Mullane (2002) notes that when used properly, a mission statement can provide key guidance for managers and be a tool for guiding their actions towards the strategic objectives.
Spallina (2004) makes an important contribution, by outlining the differences between mission and vision statements. He notes that a mission statement is "a brief statement stipulating the organization's fundamental purpose" and that the vision statement is a "brief statement describing what leadership wants the program to become." In both cases, it is easy to see the logic of how these statements contribute to strategic planning. The fundamental purpose is what the organization should be working towards, and the vision statement provides a clear sense of what the organization will look like in the future.
It is important for the mission, vision and values statements to align with organizational action, in order for those statements to contribute to the effective operation of the health care organization. Bart and Tabone (1998) note that if mission statements are not developed along the lines of something useful – like defining strategic purpose and providing guidance for the strategic planning process – then the mission statement is orphaned. The organization has one, but it provides little value.
Bryson (1988) outlines the strategic planning process – highlighting that one key to success is to think of decision makers as strategic planners. This makes sense when one considers the role of the board of directors. The board are key decision makers, and they provide a lot of guidance and oversight to ensure that the leadership of the organization is following the mission, the vision and the values. Thus, the Board plays an important role in maintaining the alignment between these statements and the strategic plans that the leadership of the company is actually pursuing.
One of the oddest points of debate in the academic literature on the subject is that healthcare organizations are completely different from any other type of organization, and therefore that tested and proven strategic management processes like SWOT analysis are not going to work (Wijngaarden et al, 2012). This view is rooted in an arrogance that holds back health care organizations from being their best. The reality is that an organization seeks to achieve outcomes, and does so by aligning and deploying resources towards the achievement of those objectives. This is true of all organizations – and all benefit from having guidance in that process. This article declares n=4, evidence that is purely anecdotal, to be empirical research. This particular article adds little to no value to the debate, other than the showcase how entrenched anachronistic views are in the health care sector.
In response, any manager who wants to actually accomplish something in health care should lean into techniques like mission statements, vision statements and values. Boards of directors should emphasize the importance of overarching goals, and alignment between organizational actions, its objectives, and the measurable outcomes. The purpose of using overarching statements in strategic planning to provide concepts from which all strategy should derive – and the Board serves as the body that ensures continuing alignment between strategic action and those statements. So there is a powerful role that all of these elements play in strategic planning.



References

Bart, C. & Tabone, J. (1998) Mission statement rationales and organizational alignment in the non-profit healthcare sector. Health Care Management Review. Vol. 23 (4) 54-59.

Bryson, J. (1998) A strategic planning process for public and non-profit organizations. Long Range Planning. Vol. 21 (1) 73-81.

Mullane, J. (2002) The mission statement is a strategic tool when used properly. Management Decision. Vol. 40 (5) 448-455.

Spallina, J. (2004) Strategic planning – getting started: mission, vision and values. Journal of Oncology Management. Retrieved December 8, 2018 from http://www.arvinagroup.com/images/04Jan_-_Feb_SP_Col.pdf

Wijngaarden, J., Scholten, G., Wijk, K. (2010) Strategic analysis for health care organizations: the suitability of SWOT analysis. International Journal of Health Planning and Management. Vol. 27 (2012) 34-49.