What is strategic management?

To discuss the theoretical concept of strategic management and explore its relevance for healthcare organisations and nursing management.

Despite being a relatively new approach, the growth of strategic management within organisations has been consistently and increasingly promoted. However, comprehensive definitions are scarce and commonalities of interpretation are limited.

This paper presents an exploratory discussion of the construct of strategic management, drawing on the literature and questioning its relevance within health-care organisations.

Literature relating to strategic management across a number of fields was accessed, drawing primarily on meta-studies within management literature, to identify key concepts and attempt to present a consistent definition. The concept within health care is explored in relation to nursing management.

Inconsistency in definitions and utilisation of key concepts within this management approach results in the term being loosely applied in health-care organisations without recourse to foundational principles and a deep understanding of the approach as a theory as opposed to an applied term.

Nurse managers are increasingly asked to adopt the 'next-best-thing' in managerial theories, yet caution needs to be taken in nurses agreeing to use systems that lack an evidence base in terms of both efficacy and relevance of context.