Chapter 10 questions

The strategic planning team should determine the broad strokes and shape the organization by

Developing strategy through service delivery and support strategies. Review the directional strategies. Provide guidance on what should be accomplished. All the above.

Which of the following is TRUE of unit manager action plans?

Do unit manager action plans in aggregate represent the implementation plan for the organization

Contingency planning is successful when it provides only one clear focus for the health care managers because it avoids confusion with alternative paths to goal accomplishment.

False

For health care organizations, revenue expectations from plan implementation are more important than cost estimates since the revenues will offset the costs.

False

Objectives should easily be accomplished.

False

Once developed and implemented, action plans operate "autopilot," without the need for managerial monitoring, evaluation, and adjustment.

False

One of the organizational imperatives of strategic planning is that everyone in an organization can be involved in the planning process.

False

Regardless of the level at which the strategic plan is developed, all action plans are required only at the unit level.

False

Strategic leaders shape the strategic plan less by framing the context than they do by deciding on the content of the plan.

False

objective but the actual sequencing of the activities is not important In action planning it is important to identify all the activities needed to accomplish and as long as one focuses on the objective.

False

on financial criteria and neglects some of the "softer" aspects of strategic success. One of the valid criticisms of the Balanced Scorecard is that it evaluates strategy exclusively

False

An effective action plan consists of which of the following elements?

Objectives that specify how the organizational unit will contribute to the strategy and actions required to achieve the objectives. Time period over which the actions will be taken and who is responsible for the actions. The resources required to âchieve the objectives and how results will be measured. (All the above)

Action plans concern translating directional, adaptive, market entry/exit, and competitive strategies into tasks, work assignments, and deadlines.

True

An action plan identifies actions required to accomplish objectives and the sequence in which the actions should be undertaken.

True

An effective action plan, regardless of level, consists of objectives that specify how the unit required to achieve the objectives and within what time period, who is responsible for the (division, hospital, pharmacy) is going to contribute to the strategy, what actions will be actions, the resources required to achieve the objectives, and how results will be measured.

True

Because everyone cannot be directly involved in developing a strategic plan, successive layers of management must communicate the overall strategy and provide guidance for the various units that will need to be engaged if the strategy is to be achieved.

True

Communication from the top down and the bottom up as well as across the organization is required if everyone is to be engaged in the process.

True

Contingency planning may be incorporated into the normal strategic management process at any level and is a part of managing the strategic momentum.

True

Effective strategy implementation requires the same determination and effort as situation analysis and strategy formulation.

True

Identifying objectives, determining who is responsible to accomplish them, the resources required, and how results will be measured is an approach that keeps the strategic plan straightforward and comprehensible.

True

If the managers do not have a map it is difficult to start the journey.

True

Successful strategy requires a willingness to seek the good of the entire organization over any individual division or unit.

True

The Balanced Scorecard approach to strategy implementation is compatible wit and complementary to, the value chain concept.

True

The development of the initial strategic plan is usually the product of a relatively few informed and engaged strategic thinkers that can focus on the big picture.

True

The initial strategic plan for an organization is usually the product of a relatively small number of strategic thinkers.

True

The primary value of the Balanced Scorecard approach is to focus the health care organization on those aspects of its operations that most directly impact the accomplishment of its strategies.

True

Unit manager action plans in aggregate represent the implementation plan for the organization.

True

Specific milestones in the strategic planning process should be communicated to which of the following groups?

All employees

Contingency plans are

Alternative plans that I put into affect if the strategic assumptions change quickly or dramatically, or if organizational performance is lagging

Which of the following is NOT one of the areas of short-term activity not specifically linked by the overall strategy as measured by the Balanced Score Card:

Cultural perspective.

A balance scorecard is an effective tool for

Defining what is important to the organization. Developing ways to measure strategic goals. Focusing the organization on its strategic direction. All the above. <——

Strategic control is the process of

Determining whether the strategies are successful and taking corrective action

Strategic plans are based on assumptions that are considered less likely because in this way plans may always allow the health care leader to make less risky strategic decisions.

False

Budget requests associated with unit objectives should include which of the following?

Expected revenues, cost of personnel, cost of all resources associated with implementing Each activity , all of the above

All communication within the organization concerning strategies and strategic implementation should be "top down."

False

Because of their involvement in the development of the strategic plan, every employee within the organization knows the underlying issues and assumptions that were used to develop the strategy and the associated goals for the strategic plan.

False

Concerning objectives, attainability as a characteristic is not necessary as long as the objectives support strategic goals and are measurable.

False

Continuity of operations planning is not an example of contingency planning.

False

The difference between the term "business plan" and "action plan" as descriptors of implementation strategies is that business plan is strategic and action plan is tactical.

False

The engagement of employees is not essential to implementing strategies.

False

The establishment of measurements for results is not an element of developing an action plan.

False

With well-defined directional strategies, there is little need to translate the strategic plans into specific actions because the directional strategies will make the implementation clear.

False

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic that should be demonstrated by unit objectives?

Objectives should acknowledge the weakness of the organization and the strengths of the action plan to be implemented

Which of the following are components of action plans

Objectives, activities, timetables, and responsibilities,

If strategy is to be successful it must be integrated into which of the following systems:

Performance evaluation system. Resource allocation systerh (budgeting). Action planning systems. All the above. <—-

Successive layers of management must communicate the overall strategy by doing which of the following?

Provide "maintain or change" guidance.

Strategic goals should:

Related specifically to mission critical activities

Which of the following is NOT a step in the development of action plans:

Scanning the environment to ensure changing conditions have been incorporated into the action plan.

Which of the following terms does NOT refer to implementation strategies?

Sequential plans

Within an organization, what is the best choice for developing action plans?

The organizational unit.

Balanced Scorecard The primary value of the approach is:

To focus on healthcare organization on those aspects of its operations that most directly impact the accomplishment of its strategies

A critically important responsibility of the health care organization's leadership is to carefully articulate its strategy to the unit managers.

True

A primary reason why strategies are not implemented is because, in many health care organizations, effective or ineffective implementation makes little or no difference in resource allocation and reward distribution.

True

A process is a collection of activities that takes one or more kinds of inputs and creates and output that is valuable to an organizational stakeholder.

True

It is important to have specific milestones in the strategic planning process to provide updates for all employees, telling them that the process is ongoing and explaining expected timelines for the strategy to be handed over to those who will be responsible for carrying it out.

True

Objectives should be formulated with the assistance of the individuals who will be responsible for accomplishing the work.

True

Strategic control is the process of determining if the strategy is successful and, where appropriate, taking corrective action.

True

Stretch moves the organization toward its goals by leveraging resources or systematically achieving more than is normally expected.

True