Strategic Management of Healthcare Organizations

Catalog description

This course focuses on questions of mission and vision ("What areas or activities should we be working in?") and on questions of strategy and operations ("How can we perform effectively in this area?"). We will cover both strategy formulation ("What should our strategy be?") and strategy implementation ("What do we need to do to make this strategy work?"). All healthcare organizations face substantial challenges that demand strategic responses, often in uncertain economic, social, or political contexts. To deal effectively with these challenges, managers need knowledge and skills in strategic management: setting and aligning goals with the organization’s mission; handling complex trade-offs between demand for services and resource constraints; leading organizational change; defining measures of success; improving work processes; motivating staff and other stakeholders; cultivating relationships with diverse groups—often addressing issues of equity and inclusion; and dealing with crises and environments in transition. In short, the course emphasizes the multiple, related requirements of the work of managers: analysis, creativity, and action.