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Ascension Health

Ascension Health is one of the leading healthcare organizations in the United States with its facilities well distributed over 25 states. As a result of its wider coverage, Ascension Health boasts of significant administrative capabilities and a much larger patient database. Founded in 1999, Ascension is a healthcare organization that serves the greater part of the United States and is perhaps an ideal healthcare system that embraces a beyond the average score of the fundamental quality units characterizing America's Healthcare Industry. Considering the greater distribution of its facilities, Ascension Health places significant emphasis on elements like its mission, vision, organizational structure and corporate culture that unites all its facilities towards a common organizational objective. The organization's mission is to commit themselves to serving all persons with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable (Ascension, 2016). Having been developed from the Catholic health ministry, the organization is dedicated to spiritually-centered, holistic care which sustains and improves the health of individuals and communities (Ascension, 2016).

On the other hand, the organization’s vision is to create a vibrant Catholic health ministry in the United States that leads healthcare’s transformation (Ascension, 2016). It is very important to understand that the American health system is highly fragmented and distributed. However, it is organizations like Ascension that unites well-distributed efforts of healthcare organizations in the provision of healthcare that represents the regulations implied by the Federal health department. The organization further puts great emphasis on its values which include service of the poor, reverence, integrity, wisdom, creativity and dedication. The organization offers a standard mechanism for which each of these values is instituted within their organizational operations. Each facility is dedicated to propagating the mission and vision of the organization through guidance from its values.

While this organization offers health services to the general public, it utilizes a strategic planning model to ensure that vulnerable individuals in the society are equally placed in the reception of care. The organization is influenced by compassion and dedication in the provision of person-centered care for all. This means that the organization first presents a common background from which all the members of the society, irrespective of their social, racial, and economic status, receive care. The high-reliability system is the organization's strategic planning model from which it ensures the provision of healthcare that works, healthcare that is safe and healthcare that leaves no one behind. Essentially, this organization utilizes this common platform to service the health needs of the general public in its areas of coverage while offering special attention to vulnerable groups. With the institution of Obamacare, the financial valuation of healthcare services impacts the population variably, hence creating points of vulnerability. As a result, poor and disabled people are vulnerable and disadvantaged who are the main focus of this organization.

The main theoretical framework used by the organization is systems theory. Systems theory refers to a strategic dimension of organizational management in which organizations critically analyze its facilities, branches or departments to highlight patterns and relationships (Begun, Zimmerman, & Dooley, 2003). These connections are optimized to ensure the greater performance of each unit and the organization as a whole. While the organization inhibits aspects of micro-management, it offers some level of independence to each of its facilities. The organization justifies this theoretical framework as the most appropriate in propagating their vision and mission over the large area it covers through its facilities. Firstly, the organization has two fundamental objectives of providing a common platform for the provision of health services as well as offering vulnerable members of the society a dedicated service platform for their health needs. Secondly, the organization has very many micro-organizations that propagate its mission and organizational operations regionally.

The organization's mission, vision, and values play a significant role in uniting the efforts of its facilities and propagating its organizational culture throughout the United States. The organization's mission helps it tune its operations in planning, management and implementation of its plans in achieving its short-term goals. The mission offers each member facility a common objective that unites their regional efforts as members of a single organization with a single objective. On the other hand, the organization's vision is a representation of its long-term goals and its growth objective. The organization visualizes itself as a significant Catholic health ministry that will provide the required transformation in the health industry from which all the members of the wider American society will enjoy quality health services (Berriel-Cass, Adkins, Jones, & Fakih, 2006). While the organization's mission and vision can be visualized as unifying factors that motivate member facilities to align their strategic efforts towards a common objective, the organization's values are more specific on the guidance, they offer to facilities.

The values help the organization and its member facilities to uphold the stipulations of the Catholic ministry and its health service provision extension. Additionally, the organization's values function to ensure that each of the facilities adhere and comply with federal and international standards characterizing the provision of health services. Being a non-governmental organization, Ascension has a highly structure organizational structure. With its top most level occupied by directors who convene over managerial decisions and matters concerned with its corporate image and culture, it has very many affiliate organizations with which they partner to offer significant services in the health industry (Pryor, Hendrich, Henkel, Beckmann, & Tersigni, 2011).

Its organizational management has its headquarters stationed in Missouri from where managerial decisions affecting all its facilities are made. As already mentioned, the organization utilizes a systems theory approach from which each facility is given some level of independence. This means that each facility has its management and its organizational structure. Therefore, Ascension acts like a general managerial body that convenes on significant decisions affecting two or more facilities. It is, therefore, important to mention the executive members of this wider management front that chair its directorship. The Chief Executive Officer is Anthony Tersigni, the senior executive advisor to the president is Sister Bernice Coreil, and the executive vice president is John Doyle while the chief strategy officer is Eric Engler among many others. The organization chooses a particular change management model based on the type of transition. It is a logical fact that different change management models are suited for specific transitions. Among the most popular change management models are Lewin's change management model, McKinsey 7-S model (Shared values, strategy, structure, systems, style, staff, and skills) as well as Kotter’s 8 step change model.

The implementation of strategic goals is perhaps the most significant involvement the governing board has. There are some reasons that justify the significance of the organization as a strategic player in the United States healthcare industry. To begin with, the organization is a non-governmental organization. Given the level of influence the United States government has in the health industry, this organization utilizes strategies to maintain the integrity of its Catholic ministries and as well serve well in the health industry (Lancaster, et al., 2007). Additionally, the United States health industry is characterized by a high distribution of for-profit healthcare organizations. The organization, therefore, must utilize strategies to ensure that it isolates its objective from the numerous factors that influence the health industry. As a result of this, the governing board is highly involved in the development, planning and implementation of strategies. Another reason is the number of high-profile organizations in the health industry. To justify its dominance and existence in the industry, the organization must institute favorable competition in the quality of its services.

Conclusively, given the size of the organization, its service provision mechanisms are highly diversified. Among its major service delivery and support activities, the organization strategically situates its facilities in regions that serve the vulnerable population it focuses on. Additionally, while striving to service the wider health market, the organization has a target market that is best suited for its services. Moreover, to explicit service specific and specialized needs of the population, the organization has specific programs and services tailored to the health needs of the target population. Furthermore, the organization utilizes clinical standards to ensure the quality of its clinical operations. Considering the controversial context of marketing in the healthcare industry, this organization utilizes its values to ensure positive marketing of its products and services; this is also so for its billing operations (Berriel-Cass, Adkins, Jones, & Fakih, 2006). As quality is a significant element in the health industry, the organization has a follow-up process through which the quality of their services are traced and improved. However, the organization has maintained a compact organizational culture and structure. The purpose of this is to propagate a compact image supported by the Catholic ministry. Finally, the organization utilizes strategic resources within its value chain to propagate its strategic plan. The use of strategic resources strengthens the corporate strategy and offers the organization a competitive advantage within the market. This is primarily the justification for the organizations dominion in the United States Health industry.

Ascension Health Strategic Plan

An environmental analysis refers to an evaluation of the strategic plan as it will relate with the internal and external environment of the organization in accomplishing the goals of the plan in relation to organizational objectives. Ascension Health is a very large health organization (Ascension, 2016). Therefore, its external environment is made up of significant elements characterizing the United States health industry. These include different specialist organizations which partner with the organization, the government through federal organizations regulating healthcare provision in the United States as well as all Americans who are customers/patients and who depend on services offered by the organization. On the other hand, its internal environment is made up of affiliate facilities and smaller organizations operating within its umbrella. The main purpose of an environmental analysis is to conceptualize the scope of the strategic plan in relation to the elements of the environment that will be impacted by the plan.

Every plan within a business environment is designed to utilize specific strategic resources in providing products and services. It is therefore important to evaluate how strategic plans influence the balance in the environment. This is essential because the plan can have positive or negative influence on the environment. Within this analysis, all aspects of the environment will be evaluated. This also adds value to the strategic plan itself as the emergence of more strategic resources may help in extending the success of the plan. Perhaps the most significant implication of environmental analysis in the development of the strategic plan is that it enable the identification of resources required in implementing and developing the plan. An environmental analysis highlights all the resources available in the vicinity that may be impacted by the strategic plan (Swayne, Duncan, & Ginter, 2012). The condition of these resources will determine the quality of the strategic plan. Furthermore, specific plans are best suited for specific environments. An environmental analysis will evaluate the appropriateness of the strategic plan on that particular environment. It is very important to differentiate this implication of the analysis from an environmental feasibility study.

Competitive analysis on the other hand refers to the competitive environment the organization exists in and which will influence the strategic plan. For instance, Ascension Health exists in a competitive environment where there are other organizations offering similar health services. The major benefits of a competitive analysis are that it helps the organization to forecast the impact of competition on the strategic plan. For instance, Ascension plans to establish new facilities in specific regions of the United States. In accomplishing this objective, the organization must not only explore the environment but also the competitive structures that will influence its service provision (Begun, Zimmerman, & Dooley, 2003). While marketing and pricing do not hold greater significance in non-governmental organizations providing healthcare, the operations of competing firms will surely impact their potential.

Therefore, a competitive analysis is an integral aspect of the strategic planning process that gives more value to the environmental analysis. It helps the organization to establish how the behavior of competitors will affect different aspects of the strategic plan. In the example highlighted above, the price of specific healthcare services will also influence the price set by the organization for such services. Additionally, a competitive analysis provides information about competitive strategies utilized by organizations operating in the industry. While marketing is not used extensively in the healthcare industry, organizations compete on the quality of services and possibly the number of patients (Begun, Zimmerman, & Dooley, 2003). Essentially, an analysis of this data will help Ascension Health estimate the type of services required or which are in great demand as well as the demographic characteristics of the target region.

Considering the organizations plan to increase its health coverage in wider regions of the United States, there are economic, legal and regulatory issues that will potentially impact this strategic plan. The most significant legal enactment that changed the image of care provision is Obamacare. Since its development, this particular act is slowly maturing in the United States healthcare industry. As it has been analyzed before, there are specific aspects of this act whose effect may be felt later on. Organizations like Ascension Health are impacted by the legal and regulatory aspects of this act (Lancaster, et al., 2007). It is therefore logical that this strategic objective will be as well impacted by this act. Of greater importance to this is the economic impact of the act on consumers of healthcare and providers. This act shifted greater responsibility in care provision to the healthcare provider while promoting the significance of healthcare insurance providers. Assuming that Ascension Health has well adapted to the economic environment in the industry, there are still legal spectrums of the government’s involvement in the industry that will impact its strategic plan (Lancaster, et al., 2007). The legal structure may not be evolving; however, constant updates on regulative coverage may affect specific service provision platforms. This will largely depend on the nature of services the organization will strive to provide to its patients.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

Ascension Health derives its strength from the high number of inter-state facilities it has. As already mentioned, the health organization is affiliated to more than 20 health facilities distributed in different states (Ascension, 2016). This high number of hospitals and their relative distribution popularizes its brand and makes it possible for the organization to distribute its influence in the industry. Additionally, given its large-scale presence, the organization is known to harbor some of the highly competent professionals in the industry. Evolving from its strategic personnel management scheme, Ascension employs health practitioners who are highly trained and competent in specific health provision services. Owing to its larger size, the organization is capable to accomplish its mission, goals and objectives by establishing quality leadership to strengthen its organizational culture and lead its workforce towards organizational success. This is further cemented by a highly effective management program to ensure proper coordination with its affiliate facilities (Ascension, 2016). This possibly explains the organization’s ability to respond to internal and external changes and challenges in the health industry. The Catholic ministry further supplies values that help ensure service discipline throughout the organization. The presence of this ministerial affiliation assists the organization in predefining its objectives and sources of finance.

Weaknesses

The main weakness of Ascension Health is its affiliation to Catholic ministries. While this may be viewed as an advantage that justifies its operations as a non-governmental organization, it limits its progress in an industry that is evolving. The adoption of intelligent systems and more advanced systems are subject to decisions by the ministry based on doctrines that hamper decision making. Additionally, health organizations are widening their market base or areas of coverage. The fact that Ascension Health is limiting its coverage in United States only is limiting. Furthermore, when compared to other health organizations, it appears that this organization has weak branding.

Opportunities

Given the distribution of facilities within states, there are regional markets in specific states that are under-exploited. This presents the organization with an opportunity of potential markets that can be explored. Most importantly, there are emerging healthcare services that are in great demand. Therefore, the organization can simplify its service provision framework and address such new avenues. Diversification of health services will help the organization address health problems of the minority. Furthermore, advancements in research and technology are influencing the potential of health organizations in America and beyond. The organization can utilize this opportunity to advance its services.

Threats

There is intensive competition in the United States health industry involving players like Catholic Health Initiatives, Tenet Healthcare, Mayo Clinic, Adventist Health System and Hospital Corporation of America among many others. These organizations exert significant competitive pressure of Ascension Health. Secondly, complex government policies that are sometimes confusing and challenging to be fully compliant with are a threat to the credibility of specific initiatives or plans.

In conclusion, Ascension Health is presented as an organization that is well capable of developing and implementing this particular strategic plan. The SWOT analysis explores its potential within an industry characterized by a number of powerful organizations. However, it is the characteristic service provision model of the organization that awards it greater power to survive and meet its objectives in the industry. Furthermore, this analysis has explored the significance of an environmental analysis and competitive analysis on the strategy development process. These are aspects that emerge to be significant in the development of a strong strategic plan.

Ascension Health Strategic Financial Plan

Ascension Health Organization avails its financial reports and analysis to the public and its partners for better understanding of its operations. Judging from the nature of the organization and its affiliation to the Catholic ministry, it prefers if its operations are transparent. By availing its financial disclosures to the general public, the organization makes it possible for its stakeholders to conceptualize the feasibility of its strategies. To begin with, it is very important to establish a platform from which the organization’s financial status can be explored and re-established with respect to implementing its strategic plan. As the organization intends to establish a number of affiliate facilities in specific regions with greater patient traffic, it must relate how this strategic plan will be influenced by its current financial status. It is worth mentioning that the organization classifies its financial information on the basis of strategies driving growth, results of consolidated operations and liquidity and capital resources. Each of the organization’s financial plans and recurrent expenditure must fit within any one of these classifications. It is very important to explore the strategic financial plan of the organization as it relates to expected financial disclosures that are in alignment to the organization’s goals and objectives.

Financial strategies

To begin with, it is important to explore the financial strategies the organization has utilized to gain financial strength in the industry. Fundamentally, the organization’s inclination to the Catholic Ministry is not only a support value for its operations but also a leading financial resource for its operations. The main objective of the organization is to provide quality healthcare services to patients coming from poor financial backgrounds or vulnerable individuals (Hendrich, et al., 2007). In order to focus on this particular section of the American population, the organization misses out on a number of competitive approaches to the market that are highly exploited by its competitors. This may have a significant impact on the organization’s efforts to establish a competitive match against other players in the industry. However, with the support from the ministry, the organization is capable of allocating resources to the achievement of this objective and ensuring that enough organizational operations are dedicated to health aspects that can help gain competitive ground.

There are two fundamental aspects of this strategy; to establish a quality value-based care in all its person-centered care facilities and to widen its web of influence in the industry by establishing more facilities. What this means to its financial system is that a considerable amount of financial resources must be allocated to the strategic plan in the first 3 years. In this context, it is very important to evaluate how this will impact the organization’s 3 yr. Consolidated Financial Statement. There are two main assumptions made when evaluating the projected impact the strategic plan will have on the organization’s financial system. Firstly, the organization’s effort in improving the quality of value-based care in all its facilities will utilize the same distributive approach that has been utilized over the years. This will mean that a factor rubric will be used in determining how resources allocated for each facility will be distributed within its operations. Secondly, it is assumed that the organization’s new facility will assume a similar financial sub-structure as all its other facilities have been operating on. While there is considerable structural specialization in most of its facilities, the organization has ensured a pretty much coherent financial system for its facilities (Felland, Ginsburg, & Kishbauch, 2011).

Budget

It is also essential to explore the elements that will be highlighted in the projected budget. It must be understood that this organization plans to establish a facility that will offer equitable healthcare services to the target population. Therefore, normal project implementation resource requirements will apply. In this context, within the capital set aside for the establishment of the new facility, there must be adequate resources allocated to infrastructure. It is a logical factor that infrastructure forms an integral part of a facility’s potential to provide quality services. Additionally, this budget must include financial resources that will be utilized in installation. This is very important as installation is dependent on the nature of the target site.

Thirdly, the budget must also highlight the expected number of workers in the new facility and how compensation will be distributed within this framework. Furthermore, supplies, machines, raw materials and other equipment necessary for the organization to operate must be well outlined in the budget. On the other hand, the consolidation approach will be utilized to satisfy the second portion of the strategic plan. This is essentially because this objective builds on a quality assurance program that is already in existence. This will be classified as capital expenditure. The organization must exhibit good capital expenditure planning in its effort to improve the quality of its services a notch higher. This is why a consolidation approach is highlighted as the most appropriate strategy. While the organization has been operating within a business framework exhibiting satisfactory quality, there is great need, as spelt out in its strategic plan, to improve quality to greater levels. As a result of this objective, capital expenditure planning must utilize a new approach that will integrate the identification and utilization of strategic resources.

When it comes to contingency plans and budgeting for unexpected events, Ascension Health must utilize its emergency kitty for new programs to ensure that unexpected events are catered for. There are numerous scenarios that can take place in the implementation of its strategic plan. While the organizational objective of the firm remains critical to its operations, it is important to establish a considerable amount of financial resources within the strategic budget that will help consolidate operations in the event of a mishap projected strategy implementation (Prybil, et al., 2012). Another significant aspect of strategic financial planning unique to this organization is the tailor-to-fit program. Despite utilizing an organizational culture and objective to unite its facilities, the organization allows facilities to establish tailor-made programs that ensure demand for healthcare services is met with the highest degree of consumer satisfaction. This is very important in the establishment of the new wing. Enough resources must be allocated to research and optimization to ensure that the new facility is well configured to the service delivery preferences and expectations of the target patient population.

Business model

The organization’s business model can be explained through the three fundamental elements of its financial system highlighted earlier (strategies driving growth, operations and liquidity/capital resources). The main element that define the organization’s business model is its healthcare provision operations. By providing quality value-based healthcare services in several person-centered facilities, the organization gathers enough resources coupled by support from the Catholic ministry and its partners to sustain its progress. The main advantage of this particular strategic plan is that it does not make significant changes on the usual financial system of the organization. Financial stability is a very integral aspect of business growth in a multi-dimensional industry like the American Healthcare Industry (Hendrich, et al., 2012). By streamlining the need to improve quality in value-based care by inflating the current financial system to avail resources for improvement, the plan ensures a constant financial framework for the organization. Additionally, in the proposed facility, utilizing a known financial system helps manage implementation and operation.

In conclusion, the organization’s internal resources and financial capabilities offered this strategic plan the freedom to utilize creativity, technology and innovation in establishing a strategy that not only fits its business model, but also utilizes opportunities presented by strategic resources. Therefore, the implementation of this strategic plan will be easier and follow the normal consolidated processes of the organization.

Implementation of the Strategic Plan

The implementation stage of any project is the most integral aspect of the strategic plan that must be done with the greatest focus on efficiency. In this context, Ascension Health as an organization must comprehend all the requirements that will ensure efficient implementation of its strategic plan. This analysis will explore all the significant aspects that will characterize the implementation process as it relates to the organization’s strategic plan. At this level, the most important aspect is strategic resource availability. This means that timing of the implementation process is very important in aligning the resource needs of the plan to its cycles of availability. Therefore, the first aspect of implementation is establishing a particular time with which the implementation process will be actuated. For example, as the establishment of a new facility is a significant section of the strategic plan, timing the development of this organization is very important (Bryson & Alston, 2011). The organization must utilize market research concepts to establish when demand for health care is higher than normal in the region of interest. This provides good timing in which the facility will start operating immediately. It is important to understand that there are other aspects that characterize the implementation of this strategic plan that will be explored to detail.

There are potential barriers that the organization is likely to face during the implementation stage of this strategic plan. To begin with, health care services are designed not to be perceived like normal products. This means that ideal parameters used in market research may not be used. This is particularly very important when timing the implementation of the strategic plan. For example, as the strategic characteristics of intended resources are dependent on the timing, the organization may not find enough information from which to characterize the need for healthcare services (Swayne, Duncan, & Ginter, 2012). The outbreak of a particular disease may serve to be a strategic event to guarantee increased need for health services. However, this seemingly contravenes the fundamental value on which the objective of healthcare is built.

Secondly, considering the number of players who influence the industry, including the government, as well as the compact characteristic of the United States healthcare industry, a very small change on operational characteristics may have a very detrimental impact on the profitability of the organization. Essentially, improving the quality of service provision through value addition will require resources which must be accounted for in one other parameter. Therefore, the organization must critically choose which particular parameter these resources will be recovered and how consequences will be counteracted. For instance, if the organization chooses to increase its pricing, the greater number of competitors in the industry may render the organization less competitive.

During the implementation, efficiency is dependent on the performance of the chosen communication strategy from which employees will be able to interpret and practically recreate the essentials of the strategic plan. In this context, the organization must choose a communication strategy and an interaction framework. For example, by utilizing a chain of command or a simple organizational structure, it will be possible to trace the flow of information and decision making throughout the implementation process. A good example would be a website or a common meeting point from which group leaders meet and deliberate on matters concerning the implementation process (Hahn & Powers, 2010). Secondly, an interaction framework helps to connect all the functional units of the implementation team. This connection is very important as it determines how strategic resources are used within each phase of the implementation process, how each performance and updates are propagated within the organizational structure chosen as well as how the process impacts the organization’s continuity.

The establishment of a market entry strategy is very important for an organization like Ascension Health which exists within a multi-dimensional business environment. As direct marketing of healthcare services is bundled with unethical issues that may compromise the relevance of the organization and its affiliation to the Catholic ministry, it is essential to utilize a passive marketing framework (Ascension, 2016). This may involve partnering with an existing organization or using patients to market the organization. The organization must be keen not to exhibit direct involvement in the marketing of its services. Beyond everything else, the organization must establish a trustworthy impression from which patients can develop loyalty. This means that any form of indirect marketing like free immunizations or testing can be used to publicize its new and improved services. Finally, the organization must utilize a structured procedure during the implementation. As there are functional relationships between various sections of the strategic plan, it is very important to utilize a structured procedure that will make the best of these relationships.

Evaluation and Control

Evaluating the effectiveness of a strategy is a very important quality assurance process in business strategy, planning and execution. An organization must establish different and regular measurement parameters within the conceptualization, implementation and operational stages of the strategic plan. In this context, Ascension must evaluate the performance of this strategic plan from each point. The data from these evaluative studies will be then used to control and tune the strategy to the objectives of the process (Heckman, Kauffman, & Zaremski, 1999). In verifying the effectiveness of the strategy, there are a number of variables that must be observed and determined. As the strategic plan is divided into two distinct sections, a measurement rubric for evaluation must be established for each section. Beginning with the first section, improving the quality of services must have a direct impact on consumer experience with the organization’s services.

Therefore, the organization’s efforts in improving quality in all its facilities must be established through an active and reliable statistic. In this context, consumer satisfaction happens to be the most strategic statistic that will best describe the performance of the new strategy. Given the sensitivity of the health industry, consumer satisfaction is an integral determinant of competitive advantage. This means that the organizations must have maintained a well updated record of their performance on consumer satisfaction. Therefore, interviews and questionnaires can be supplied to selected patient groups in each facility to establish the level of satisfaction they have on the facility’s product. The patients will be able to highlight whether they are satisfied with the services offered or not.

This information will be compared with records to establish if the strategy implemented has performed as expected. On the other hand, the second section of the strategy involves the establishment of a new facility. The necessity of this aspect of the strategic plan is justified by increased demand of health services in the target area. Therefore, the most significant performance measurement will be evaluating the extent to which the new facility performs in comparison to other similar facilities managed by Ascension Health as the parent organization (Ascension, 2016).

If the strategy fails to show the performance anticipated, it will be better for the organization to roll back the changes (Swayne, Duncan, & Ginter, 2012). Identifying this point is equally important. This is because the strategy in itself is two-fold. As much as it establishes itself in a completely new business environment, it builds on the strengths that Ascension Health already has as an organization. When it comes to establishing a new organization, if the organization does not demonstrate a capacity to serve a considerable number of patients, there is a likeliness that it will run losses. On the contrary, if there are a larger number of patients beyond the conceptualized figure, this must be viewed as an opportunity that the organization can utilize to strengthen its existence in that region. Withdrawal in this section is therefore based on the number of patients served as compared to the operating requirements of the facility. Secondly, in value addition to existing services, it is important to understand that the American Healthcare system is dynamic and very sensitive. For example, if the strategy leads to a price increase in Ascension’s service that completely offsets the balance they have with its consumers in the market, there is enough reason to withdraw the effects of the strategy.

To establish a realistic contingency plan that does not threaten the potential of the strategic plan, it is very important to define a tolerance range beyond which such a corrective action can be engaged. In the new facility, time and resources are very integral to its success (Kraus, Harms, & Schwarz, 2006). Given that it is a new environment, time should be allowed for the organization to adapt to the environment while it is supplied with essential resources. On the other hand, value addition introduces a new set of product or service features that consumers must adapt to justify the offset or impact it has on the industry. Again time and resources must be allowed to ensure consumers get to adjust to the new products and services while the organization invests resources in promoting the new phase of its products and services.

In conclusion, the evaluation above has highlighted withdrawing the strategic efforts in case the organization’s performance falls far beyond the tolerance range. A more acceptable corrective action could be the establishment of a contingency kitty containing resources that can be used to support the strategic plan in case it does not exhibit the expected performance. Injecting more resources to any section of the strategic plan may change the performance of the strategic plan from good to better (Hunger & Wheelen, 2003). For example, increasing resources to boost product promotion may help convince more consumers on the performance or superiority of the value added products. Similarly, availing more resources to the new facility may help cover more health problems submitted by patients.

References

Ascension. (2016, 5 22). Mission, Vision and Values. Retrieved from Ascension Health Organization: http://ascension.org/living-the-mission/mission-vision-values

Bryson, J. M., & Alston, F. K. (2011). Creating your strategic plan: A workbook for public and nonprofit organizations (. John Wiley & Sons.

Hahn, W., & Powers, T. L. (2010). Strategic plan quality, implementation capability, and firm performance. Academy of Strategic Management Journal, 9(1), 63.

Swayne, L. E., Duncan, W. J., & Ginter, P. M. (2012). Strategic management of health care organizations. John Wiley & Sons.

Felland, L. E., Ginsburg, P. B., & Kishbauch, G. M. (2011). Improving health care access for low-income people: lessons from ascension health’s community collaboratives. Health Affairs, 30(7), 1290-1298.

Hendrich, A. L., Batcheller, J., Ellison, D. A., Janik, A. M., Jeffords, N. B., Miller, L., & Williams, C. (2012). The Ascension Health Experience: Maximizing the Chief Nursing Officer Role in a Large, Multihospital System to Advance Patient Care Quality and Safety. Nursing administration quarterly, 36(4), 277-288.

Hendrich, A., Tersigni, A. R., Jeffcoat, S., Barnett, C. J., Brideau, L. P., & Pryor, D. (2007). The Ascension Health journey to zero: lessons learned and leadership perspectives. The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, 33(12), 739-749.

Prybil, L., Levey, S., Killian, R., Fardo, D., Chait, R., Bardach, D. R., & Roach, W. (2012). Governance in large nonprofit health systems: Current profile and emerging patterns.