Part 3
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By talking with doctors and nurses throughout his organization, Andy hears widespread interest in automation of processes such as supplies ordering. He knows that finding ways to decrease purchase-requisition paperwork would free up medical professionals to focus more on patient care— one of the three strategic mandates defined by the hospital. It would also boost the efficiency of the people employed in his group—another high-level goal. In addition, he suspects that if he could track supplies more closely, he might be able to consolidate large orders and thus negotiate lower prices from vendors—supporting the hospital's cost-cutting mandate.
A few days later, Andy has lunch with Katrina, a colleague in his group. He mentions the idea of the electronic inventory system. Katrina is intrigued. She mentions that she recently had a conversation with the purchasing director during which he told her that the hospital is setting up electronic medical records for patients and creating an electronic disease-diagnosis system.
Katrina casually says, "Imagine if all these systems were tied together. People could track anything they wanted, from anywhere in the hospital!"
view textHow should Andy respond to Katrina's idea?
Explore all the choices.
He should mention the idea of the elaborately interlinked automated systems to his boss and suggest assembling a cross-functional team to explore the idea in greater detail.
Correct choice. A key skill in strategic thinking is being willing to entertain ideas that strike you as provocative and even downright preposterous at first. Some ideas that seem initially unfeasible or too complex to manage may ultimately lead to new approaches that can generate practical value.
He believes that keeping the hospital's many electronic systems separate would be easier for the organization to manage. He cites the extreme complexity and likely astronomical costs of integrating such a system as additional reasons for nixing the idea.
Not the best choice. Though integrating electronic systems across the hospital would constitute an immense, expensive project—something on a scale the organization has never handled before—giving Katrina's idea some consideration would demonstrate creative thinking, a key strategic thinking skill. Strategic thinkers frequently generate creative ideas by imagining what might be possible in an ideal world. When you ask yourself and others, "In an ideal world, what would we see happening?" you often envision new possibilities that you might not have considered if you had focused instead on practical considerations that make ideas seem unfeasible.
Andy feels he doesn't have enough information to think strategically about this idea. He decides to withhold judgment on the notion for the time being.
Not the best choice. To be sure, integrating electronic systems across the hospital may seem too outlandishly complex to be feasible. But giving Katrina's idea some consideration would demonstrate creative thinking, a key strategic thinking skill. Strategic thinkers are willing to entertain ideas that strike them as provocative or even downright preposterous at first. Some ideas that seem initially unfeasible or too complex to manage may ultimately lead to new approaches that can generate practical value.
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