The Role of Communication in the Strategic and Program Planning Term Paper

The Role of Communication in the Strategic and Program Planning Processes in a Health Care Oganization - Term Paper Example Sometimes changes can be small tweaks and fine tuning of the existing strategy or a complete replacement of the old strategy with a new one. A development of a strategy or a program, majority of the times, is a case for change. The change can be for development of an existing service or introduction of an entirely new service and it can involve minor or major changes. But irrespective of what kind of change is being brought in organizational strategy, it will definitely make an impact on the quality of care (Rowe, 2008) Communication plays a very important role not just in the implementation process but also in the strategic and program planning process. Health care organizations have very less products and in all probability are completely based on the service offered which is wholly dependent on the human resources of the organization. It is the employees at the bottom level who have hands on experience of what the problems are at the most basic level than those at the top manageme nt of the company. Their inputs during the strategic and program planning process can be vital. Also it is the employees at the bottom level who are responsible for the actual implementation of the strategy and program designed by the top management. Communication need not be one sided but needs to be an interactive process where there are exchange of views and ideas. Active participation and effective communication among all stakeholders (internal to the organization) can be the difference between designing an effective strategy and a mediocre one. Also even more important is the role that effective communication can play in the process of identifying the areas that are problematic and need to be addressed. Hence, communication channels must be created between the employees at the basic level and those at the top for the formulation of an effective strategy. Now moving on to the implementation phase of the strategy and programs, communication plays an even more important role. As m entioned earlier, any organizational strategy is a case of change and change is always met with resistance from employees. Employees at all levels need to be communicated the purpose and need for the change. Also, what the change in strategy could mean to the employees and how it can improve their job performance. It is only when employees identify with and understand the intent and need for the change in strategy or a program that their full cooperation can be expected and this is vital for the overall success of the strategy. A health care organization has numerous functional units and the broader organization strategy will not be able to cater to the different needs of each of these units. A broader organizational strategy must be used a reference and a strategy must be prepared by the managers and the stakeholders of each functional area that would best suit the function. There are two main criteria that need to be considered here. One, the functional area strategy must be in ac cordance with and mesh with the wider organizational plan. Two, it must be in sync with the plans of the other functional areas (Moseley, 2009). The role of communication is vital in the process. Effective communication between stakeholders of the functional areas and that of wider organization is essential to meet the first criteria. More important one is the communication