A search for soul. Strategic planning will chart the way

As the 1980s has been the decade of competition and financial challenge for Catholic healthcare facilities, the 1990s will challenge organizational identity. The struggle for existence is leaving many facilities spiritually depleted. The Catholic healthcare facility of the 1990s will need to do some soul searching. A key tool will be strategic planning; the key planner will be the trustee. In its simplest form strategic planning is a tool for defining and establishing organizational identity. In Catholic healthcare it answers the questions, How can I awaken to a deeper understanding of the Catholic healthcare ministry in changing times? and, How should the organization be transformed to keep mission and values alive? Good strategic planning takes practice and discipline. As a judge of quality and effectiveness, as well as a participant in strategic planning, the trustee needs some benchmarks for assessing how well he or she is doing and how well the organization is doing. To understand how strategic planning will contribute to better governance and how the trustee should be involved, it is necessary to resolve three basic questions: (1) What is a good plan? (2) What are a good structure and process for planning? and (3) How is success measured?