Assignment
Submit a journal assignment that evaluates how the organization incorporates directional strategies and strategic alternatives based on its mission and vision statements. In the evaluation, be sure to address the following:
A. Summarize the directional strategies and strategic alternatives that the healthcare organization has available to it. Provide examples from the case study.
B. Discuss how the organization connected its selected directional strategies and strategic alternatives to its mission, vision, and values. Provide examples from the case study.
C. Evaluate the implementation of the directional strategies and strategic alternatives in light of the organization's mission, vision, and values.
Guidelines for Submission: Submit assignment as a Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins, 2-3 paragraphs long
Case study:
Harris, R., Vogt, K & Gilinsky, A. (2004). Emanuel Medical Center: Crisis in the Health Care Industry.
Information on healthcare directional and strategic alternatives.
Directional strategies are made of the organization's mission, vision, values, and strategic goals. Directional strategies give the healthcare organization a picture of common purpose and a goal for the organization to pursue. The mission statement is a statement of purpose and forces the organization to ask three important questions outlined by Ginter, Duncan, and Swayne (2013): Are we not doing some things now that we should be doing? Are we doing some things that we should not be doing? Are we doing some things now that we should be doing, but in a different way?
The vision of the organization is a declaration of where the organization wants to be in the future. Most healthcare organizations want to be excellent centers and the premier provider of their community; this pursuit guides their work. Ginter et al. (2013) note that vision should be inspiring, not merely quantitative goals to be achieved in the performance evaluation period; visions should be clear, challenging, and about excellence; and visions must make sense in the relevant community, be flexible, and stand the test of time.
The values are simply what the organization stands for. Some commonly used values are teamwork, innovation, education, honesty, and integrity. These values set the expectation for behavioral norms within the organization.
The strategic goal is the sum total of the mission, vision, and values. The strategic goal ultimately reflects what the organization is all about. So, if your mission is to serve the community, your vision is to be the primary provider in your region and your value is innovation. Your strategic goal should reflect that through the services provided and investment in technology, and the focus on quality should be evident.
Alternative strategies are often needed in healthcare organizations when internal and external changes require a change in direction. In previous modules, we have talked about the impact that new policies and market changes can have on healthcare organizations. No policy has had greater impact on healthcare strategy than the ACA 2010. For decades, healthcare organizational strategy has focused on inpatient services. Due to the ACA 2010, healthcare organizations are now focused on outpatient services, and the entrance of new players like CVS and Walmart into healthcare has created added pressure.