Communication in Strategic Planning

Communication is a very intricate part of a successful strategic plan. Collaboration with the board, executive leaders, management team all the way to front-line staff must be informed what the strategic plan is and how it relates to the mission and vision. The mission, vision, values, goals and objectives of the organization must be an organizational-wide dissemination. In order to have an effective and efficient strategic plan one must first select a strategic leader to help decide what their mission and vision will be. “Strategic leadership involves creating a vision and strategy that helps the organization succeed at its mission in both the short and the long term” (Spath, Abraham, 2013). Strategic Plan Communication

Communication in the strategic program planning process must cover the strengths and weakness analysis, and the objectives of the organization. It starts with the board members who agrees on the plan. Then the executive leaders will communicate to the management team. The management team will communicate to the front-line staff with the goals, mission and values of the organization. This can be done through e-mail or face to face meetings individual or in groups. Communication in the healthcare organization is imperative for collaboration and teamwork of the strategic plan (VanVactor, 2011). Mission and Vision

The mission is what the organization represents. Why they exist. It stands for who, what and how they serve (Spath, Abraham, 2013). This representation must be known by everyone who works at the organization. For example: OSF healthcare mission is “In the Spirit of Christ and the example of Francis of Assisi, the mission of OSF Healthcare is to serve persons with the greatest of care and love in a community that celebrates the gift of life”. All employees was required to know the mission in order to understand the mission of the organization. This is communicated in orientation, it is in employee handbook, and it is on every wall in the organization as well as the patients rooms.

Annually it is part of their mandatory test. The mission statement is a communication device that inform internal stakeholders, external stakeholders about the organization “themes and goals that guide decision making, resource allocation, and planning” (Spath, Abraham, 2013, ch. 2.1). The vision of the organization is where it wants to be in the next five to 10 years. This should be collaborated with top managers and the board of directors in order to make a vision that makes sense to the organization’s stakeholders (Spath, Abraham, 2013). When every person makes a contribution toward the achievement of the vision it makes them feel more like they are a part of the process. This is a goal that can be measured and incorporates the value of the organization. Values

The values of an organization is the ethical behavior of employees (Cady, et. al., 2011). The values is the principles of the organization that all the employees should follow. In a healthcare organization this should follow ethical, compassionate, integrity and accountability. Honest, ethical, compassionate communication with consumers helps to build trust that will enable the organization to retain consumers and generate more. Leadership

Selecting a strategic leader is imperative in the formulation process. They know how to see what is ahead and how to convey the message. They are charismatic and motivational. They are able to sell the concepts of the strategy, tie it to the mission and vision and convince everyone to be on board as a cohesive team. They are proactive. They meet personally with the front-line staff and mid management to communicate high level direction. Collaboration helps to build teamwork which is imperative to make a plan successful. Being proactive and intermingling will keep the door open for communication if there is something going wrong and adjustments to the plan needs to be made. A strategic leader is also aware of the resources and competencies that an organization have and must have for the strategy plan to work. Resources and Competencies

Assessing an internal analysis on resources and competencies is the first thing to assess in the strategic planning process. Resources are what the organization has at its disposal. Competencies is the knowledge and education. For example: If the organization has a MRI machine as a resource but no one with the competency to use it then it is just a machine sitting there. With the evolution of technology electronic medical records have evolved which allows organizational communication between different healthcare providers and organization. Technology is a resource and organizational wide training is implemented so that everyone is competent. Challenges and Recommendation

When disseminating communication organizational wide regarding strategic plan can have challenges. One is the lack of interested parties. Many may wonder what this has to do with them and not pay attention. This would take a motivated leader to be able to convey the importance of the strategic plan and how it relates to them and their working environment. Offering reward aligned with the goals may help to correct this problem. When communication is sent via e-mail it may not reach everyone it should reach. Employees and management may not have the time to check their e-mail. They may not know that an e-mail was sent. Face to face communication or a staff meeting to notify then if an incoming e-mail on the strategic plan implemented requiring feedback. It is important to collaborate the strategic plan with upper, middle and front line management. If there are gaps in the communication it could signal that teamwork is a lower priority which can lead to a breakdown in communication. As part of the communication process requiring feedback from everyone will keep them involved as a team (VanVactor, 2011).

References

Cady, S., Wheeler, J., Dewolf, J., Bordke, M. (2011). Mission, vision and values: What do they say? Organization Development Journal, 29 (1) Spath, P. L., & Abraham, S. C. (2013). Strategic management in healthcare organizations. Ashford University: San Diego, CA. VanVactor, J. D. (2011). A case study of collaborative communications within healthcare logistics. Leadership in Health Services, 24(1), 51-63. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17511871111102526