Managers must maintain a balance between strategy and resource flexibility. Experienced managers usually find balancing strategy and resource flexibility extremely difficult.
Finding this correct balance is continuous and most difficult to achieve.
Frequently, we have found management flexibility of both managers and teams as rigid in their thinking and reaction to competitive forces. These problems may be related to both the physical assets of the operation, but mostly with managers locked-in mindsets.
As might be expected, asset rigidity appears to be an experienced manager’s greatest problem. Often the terms managers’ use are, “we’ve always done it this way, and we’re not going to change now”.
Managers sometimes really fail big time, at using the physical assets they have available to them. Even when forced into the strategic planning process people within the organization are unable to see or think of the options available to them.
Healthcare managers especially, must consider this strategic flexibility as part of their strategic thinking. This type of thinking suggests that expensive healthcare programs must have the capability of correctly examining and quickly repositioning their assets and liabilities. Speedy Strategies must correctly anticipate a changing marketplace.
