Question

1. List the characteristics of strategic thinkers and describe why these characteristics are important to successful strategic management?

The list of characteristics of strategic thinkers are: having a vision, understanding the business and your clients, external orientation, creatively generating new ideas, propensity for questioning assumptions, understanding the score of the game, knowing that change is inevitable, knowing strategic choices must have focus and forces, knowing the competition, knowing their customers.

Why the above-listed characteristics of strategic thinkers are important to successful strategic management?

2. What are of the some major categories of external environmental issues that are effecting healthcare decisions? Which issues do you think are more important in this healthcare environment and why?

Answer 1

1. The above listed characteristics are essential for a strategic thinkers for the following purposes:

• Direct himself/ herself and the subordinates towards goal oriented activities.
• understanding and identifying the problems and issues.
• Take an appropriate steps to solve the identified problems and successful running of business.
• Understand the available resources, way to use the resources effectively and identify about additional needs
• Innovations in effective health care delivery services, better cost effective outcome.
• Questioning and assumptions helps in identify the new answers and different strategies.
• Compete with unexpected situation and successfully facing the changing situations or environment.
• understand their current status and find a way to compete with others.
• Production or activities based on the customers needs and expectations.
• Observe the subordinates activities
• Evaluate the effectiveness of activities regularly on the outcome.

The above activities helps in successful strategic management.

2. Major external environmental factors affects the health care decisions are

• Physical issues- Access to health care services, distance of health care institutions or organization from their living place, available transport facilities
• Economic issues - patient and family income
• Cultural issues - cultural beliefs, customs and habits
• Social issues - Family members, friends and neighbors
• political issues - Availability of health care policies, schemes, benefits.

Even though all the above issues are considered as important in health care decisions- In my experience. i think economic issues mainly affect the health care decisions, Low economic status people even though they accept certain decision infavor of health, beyond the cultural , social, physical issues, because of economic difficulties, they cannot adherence with the decision taken.