Strategic planning in long-term care organizations.

This article has endeavored to show that strategic planning is applicable to even the smallest, least complex organization. Strategic planning does not have to be, nor should it be, an extra burden foist on an already overworked staff. It can be an important, supportive element of the management process. Inclusion of strategic planning in an organization's routine management practice can help to perpetuate the organization. As one author (Infield 1989) recently noted, "In the current competitive health care environment, strategic planning capabilities may determine the survival of many long-term care programs and services."