Deck 10: Communicating the Strategy and Developing Action Plans

Question 1

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

A) Provide "maintain or change" guidance.
B)Provide specific objectives and timelines.
C)Provide detailed action plans.
D)Provide guidance only when a "change order" has been issued.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

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

A)Objectives should reinforce organizational strategic goals. Strategic goals relate to mission- critical activities. Reinforcing objectives ensures that the various units contribute to the accomplishment of the organization's mission.
B)Objectives should be challenging but attainable. Objectives that are easy to accomplish do not require stretch. Objectives that are impossible to attain are not motivational.
C)Objectives should acknowledge the weaknesses of the organization and the strengths of the action plan to be implemented.
D)Objectives should identify the time frame for accomplishment.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

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

A)The strategic planning team.
B)The organizational unit.
C)The chief executive officer.
D)The board of directors.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

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.

Question 5

The primary value of the Balanced Scorecard approach is:

A)To focus the health care organization on those aspects of its operations that most directly impact the accomplishment of its strategies.
B)To provide direction to unit managers in the development of unit action plans.
C)To measure the success of senior management in communicating the overall organizational strategy.
D)To inform lower-level employees of the need to pay close attention to the detailed action plans being implemented by their supervisors.

Question 6

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.

Question 7

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

A)Unit manager action plans are dictated by the strategic planning team.
B)Unit managers do not develop action plans, they implement action plans developed by their superiors.
C)Unit manager action plans only matter in situations where "maintain" directions have been issued.
D)Unit manager action plans in aggregate represent the implementation plan for the organization.

Question 8

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

A)Business plans.
B)Action plans.
C)Sequential plans.
D)Tactical plans.

Question 9

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

Question 10

Discuss what is required for successful implementation of a strategic plan.

Question 11

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

Question 12

Discuss the importance of communication in strategy implementation.

Question 13

Discuss the "broad strokes" of strategy and action plans.

Question 14

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

Question 15

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

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

Question 16

The chaos paradox of strategic management holds that the more chaotic the external environment, the more strategic planning is needed.

Question 17

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

A)The strategic planning team.
B)All employees.
C)The organizational unit.
D)The consultants involved in developing the strategic plan.

Question 18

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

A)Expected revenues.
B)Costs of personnel.
C)Costs of all resources associated with implementing each activity.
D)All of the above.

Question 19

Discuss the need for and the methods used to manage action plans.

Question 20

Contingency plans are:

A)Specific time- and resource-oriented action plans to achieve alternate sets of strategic goals.
B)Generic alternative plans.
C)Alternative plans that are put into effect if the strategic assumptions change quickly or dramatically, or if organizational performance is lagging.
D)"Gotcha" plans used to find unit managers who have not been effective in implementing the organizational strategy.

Question 21

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

Question 22

It is important to have specific milestones in the strategic planning process to provide 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.

Question 23

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

Question 24

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

Question 25

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.

Question 26

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

Question 27

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

Question 28

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

Question 29

The engagement of employees is not essential to implementing strategies.

Question 30

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.

Question 31

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

Question 32

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

Question 33

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

Question 34

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.

Question 35

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.

Question 36

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

Question 37

Objectives should easily be accomplished.

Question 38

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

Question 39

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