Strategic Management in Action: An Analysis of Three Acute Hospital Trust Boards

Duncan I Haigh,
The Management Centre, University of Leicester

Introduction

This is the third in a series of three articles seeking to examine the effectiveness of three NHS Trust Boards within the spheres of Governance, Accountability and Strategic Management. In the first two papers (see I.J.A.M. Volume 1 Number 1 and I.J.A.M. Volume 1 Number 2) data had been gathered and presented in the context of subsequent observations of the public Board meetings of each of the three Trusts, coupled with a detailed analysis of the official minutes of those meetings.

The research process commenced in 1998 and is still ongoing
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Two main issues were and are still being explored in the study, namely:

1. the role of the Board as a mechanism for accountability to its major stakeholders and as decision-making body;
2. An assessment of the Boards’ performances with regard to matters of strategy.

The major thrust, however, of this article is to focus upon wholly strategic management issues. The basis for the subsequent analysis emanates from some thirty in-depth interviews carried out with the members of the three Boards. Those interviews sought to determine, from both Executive and non-Executive members, their views with regard to the strategic management of the hospitals which they represented; analyse their responses; and draw conclusions from that analysis.

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