Dear Editor,

Through my job as an acute care oncology nurse, as well as my continued education in nurse leadership, I have learned much about effective leadership and the effects it can have on an organization. Strategic planning for large hospitals is a challenge. The current hospital I work for has a strategic plan in place addressing areas of service, people, finance, and quality.

In response to the article "Building a Team Through a Strategic Planning Process,"1 I have an appreciation of this organization seeking out opinions and interests of all staff members, as well as concerns about the length of time it would take to implement such a process and how to maintain it.

I firmly believe the success of an organization depends on how well leaders include team members in the decision-making process. Because of this inclusion, other members of the organization will be more inclined to accept and implement decisions from their own peers, who know and understand the hardships and successes of day-to-day experiences. On the other hand, such a large task of strategic planning can be time consuming, and the chance of this project's long-term success becomes a challenge. It may become obsolete over time. This can result in a risk of a decline in succession planning for the future of the organization.

In a discussion article by Trepanier and Crenshaw, it was stated that a strategic planning program might offer many benefits to an acute care hospital, including increased retention rates, increased staff engagement, and enhanced financial performance. The authors say that nurse leaders must actively engage in a formal planning succession process to meet the demands of the future of the organization.2

I suggest that an action plan be in place for the organization described in Nursing Administration Quarterly, to ensure succession of their new strategic planning process. To keep the energy of this new plan alive in the organization, there must be designated individuals specifically assigned to conduct periodic meetings and to reevaluate effectiveness.

University of Chicago Medicine should have great success with their new team strategic planning process, as long as they have a firm plan in place to ensure its future success.

Sincerely,

-Anna Martinez, RN, BSN, OCN

University of Texas

Arlington, Texas

[email protected]

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