Strategy Formulation and Planning
Strategy Formulation and Planning
The uncertain future in the health care industry has led to strategic planning failure in various organizations. The lack of a strategic plan can result in the collapse of an organization especially when that organization fail to take the environmental factors involved into consideration in the planning process. If the organization is flexible in its structure and information system capabilities, then it is well positioned in the industry and will thrive in the environmental situation at hand. As explored by Belt & Bashore (2000), it is crucial to have an alternative future, take into consideration the uncertainty of the industry, and reinforce the organization’s mission and vision in the event of strategy formulation and planning.
Health care organizations are faced with the challenge of recruiting and development of their employees in preparing for their future and organization’s ability to meet the future needs for such employees. The increasing complexity of the health care industry according to Hernandez (1994) requires that employees have the necessary skills and knowledge in the delivery of effective, safe patient-centered care by taking the employees through refresher causes. It is also required that the employees maintain good communication with other employees, learn the necessary skills fast and work together with other employees in the improvement of the health care industry. Strategy planning in the organization should therefore, provide the employees with the necessary skills and knowledge for them to provide effective services in the future. This will help the employees making them more competent in the future in respect to the ever growing complexity in the health care industry.
In addition to skills and knowledge possessed by health care employees, certain competencies including ethics and attitude are crucial because they provide capabilities to face the challenges by the organization especially those involving environmental changes (Hernandez, 1994). It is important to fully involve the employees of health care organization in the strategy formulation and planning for its easy implementation in the future. May planners forget that they are the ones that come up with the plan and policies, but it is the employees who work tirelessly to implement these policies. If the employees are not fully aware of the policies and their advantages from the beginning, then these strategies are likely to be unsuccessful leading the failure of the organization in the future.
The effective implementation of strategy requires involvement of hiring, training and the development of new relationships. Due to the shortage of employees in the health care industry and the incompetence of those said to possess the basic knowledge and skills, the health care organization should invest in the training of students during the holidays so as to impart the necessary skills that will help the students to survive in the changing and complex industry. This will open up opportunities for such students who can later become permanent employees in the organization where they undertook their internship program.
Conclusively, an organization should be fully committed and inclusive of all employees in the development of strategies for their successful implementation (Belt & Bashore, 2000). The structural and information capabilities of the organization should also be taken into consideration in strategy formulation and planning. Owing to the uncertainty of the demand for health care workers, it is essential for the organizations involved to provide training and other refresher courses to help their employees to meet the challenges of the dynamic health care industry.
References
Belt, J. & Bashore, E. “Managed Care Strategic Planning: The Reality of Uncertainty.” Health Care Financial Management. May, 2000
Hernandez, S. (1994). Strategic Human Resource Management in Health Services Organization. New York: Delmar Cengage Learning. Print.
