This report will be evaluating the suitability of strategic management within the NHS, by looking at the purpose of the NHS and the plans and actions that they make in order to achieve that purpose. – Lynch – Strategic management (2012) page 7 I hope to answer the following questions; 1) What is the NHS's approach to strategy? 2) Is their strategy suitable? Strategy On the face of it, strategy can often appear to be a relatively simple idea. Many may describe it simply as an intended plan. But yet, strategy is also an emergent pattern. -Mintzberg, Henry “Crafting Strategy”, Harvard Business Review, July/August 1987. To some however, namely Porter (1980), strategy is about your position, to others it's about a strategic ploy or perspective …show more content…
The nature of the NHS, that is, an organization that provides healthcare, free at the point of use, is one that the whole nation is a stakeholder in, everyone has an opinion and an interest in the NHS and its future strategy. In the UK, our NHS is a highly criticized system, around topics such as privatization, waste, efficiency and direction, this is often fueled by sensational media reporting http://www.england.nhs.uk/2013/11/05/jenny-hicken-2/. As Dr. Ian Wilson, chairman of the BMA's representative body explained that "Far from being wasteful, the NHS is in fact the most efficient healthcare system in the world" - http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/nov/05/nhs-wastes-over-2-bn-on-unnecessary-treatment Current NHS strategy – (Intended) The NHS, founded in 1948, brought together hospitals, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, opticians and dentists under one umbrella organization. At this time, the NHS was based on 2 main principles which have remained at the base of the NHS, but has developed into the 7 principles that guide the NHS today; Original • The NHS provides a comprehensive service available to all. • Access to NHS services is based on clinical need, not an individual’s ability to pay. Developed …show more content…
Is it really possible to achieve that "one best way"? A quest that Frederick Taylor ceaselessly strived for. Intended is not suitable In the article, "When planning for others", Bass offered eight of reasons why planning from the top down produces less productive and less satisfied employees, the main takeaway of which is the idea that the sense of accomplishment is lessened when executing someone else's plan. Bass, B.M. "When Planning for Others." Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, June 1970 (See appendix 1.1 for the full results) Emergent is not suitable In the case of the public sector, strategy and freedom are often brought up as it is believed that strategy in fact diminishes democratic control. The thousands of administrative orders and decisions required to run a public sector organization are not made by "the people" and can be criticized for coming from those that cannot have a detailed understanding of each order and its effects. - LEWIS, W. ARTHUR. The Principles of Economic Planning (1969) Emergent is not