title: What's your lab's strategy?
abstract: Important strategic choices cascade throughout a laboratory. Senior management should create a document that answers each of the five key questions explained on page 60. Once this has been detailed in writing, it remains important to disseminate the basics to all employees so they are singing the same tune. A useful way to accomplish this is through a coherent strategy statement that specifies three components: 1) objectives; 2) scope; and 3) advantages. Commercial and hospital outreach labs should be in business to win. It all starts with a definition of what winning looks like. To "participate" in your market contributes to mediocrity-and it's self-defeating. With no clear strategic direction of where-to-play and how-to-win choices that associate with the aspiration, a mission or vision statement can be frustrating rather than inspiring for employees. Articulate it plainly and concisely for everybody. With a care-fully prepared and designed strategy, you will be on your way to winning in the zero-sum game!
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Francis
mesh_terms: D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D006801:Humans; D007753:Laboratories / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017146:Models, Organizational; D009937:Organizational Objectives