t here. Rather, it is the proactive matching of
organizational capabilities with environmental conditions - formal
strategic planning - that is believed to hold the greatest potential
The second section of the article contains a critique of the previous
empirical investigations of strategic planning in hospitals. As will be
Next, factors are examined that may determine the type of planning in
which different hospitals engage. Conditions such as ownership type and
size may influence the degree to which hospitals engage in strategic
planning. Therefore, these factors may be viewed as intervening
variables that, at least partially, determine the result that can be
Finally, a proposal is offered on how practitioners and academics can
begin to examine the benefits and problems of formal strategic planning
in hospitals. Also, it is hoped that this article will serve as a common
guide to the important issues in strategic planning for hospital
...