For any organization to thrive, it is imperative to outline the primary directions in which leaders and their followers should move to align with their ultimate mission. Strategic planning, as a tool that helps leaders look into the future and design tangible objectives to move towards, is an asset in terms of performance and empowerment (Grand Canyon University, 2018). Indeed, no empowerment exists without striving for a common goal. Hence, the current objective of strategic planning in nursing is to ensure high rates of customer satisfaction through innovation, professional growth, evidence-based practice, and collaboration.
Strategic planning is beneficial on both individual and corporate levels. On a personal level, strategic planning concerns daily, weekly, monthly, and long-term planning and scheduling aimed at designing goals to achieve every milestone. Such a perception of work helps nurses gain some perspective on their daily working routine, encouraging them to grow professionally at a stable pace to secure beneficial outcomes in the future. On the level of organization, strategic planning is essential in terms of finding a way to meet long-term objectives and manage resources appropriately. According to Grand Canyon University (2018), the major factors influencing strategic planning include “budgeting, level of staff expertise, levels of care provided, and time” (Chapter 2, “Strategic planning” section). All these factors may become both an asset and a liability to the organization, which makes it crucial to use a certain tool to define how liabilities may be covered at the expense of current strategic assets.
A prime example of such a tool is a SWOT analysis, which implies the evaluation of the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and strengths. Another tool widely used in the healthcare sector is a balanced scorecard that allows the providers to define the strategic objectives and targets through the lens of customers, financing, internal business processes, and growth (Hasan & Chyi, 2017). Hence, it may be concluded that strategic planning is an invaluable tool for leaders and healthcare organizations to develop long-term frameworks and encourage the staff to grow professionally.
References
Grand Canyon University. (2018). Nursing leadership & management: Leading and serving [E-book]. Web.
Hasan, R. U., & Chyi, T. M. (2017). Practical application of balanced scorecard: A literature review. Journal of Strategy and Performance Management, 5(3), 87-103.