The applicability of Hoshin Kanri for strategic planning and deployment in the public sector: A case study from NHS North East

Abstract

Abstract The gap between strategy formulation and its implementation has been cited as one of the main reasons why strategies fail. This paper outlines the development and early implementation of a strategy deployment framework using Hoshin Kanri principles. Hoshin Kanri is a Japanese phrase that describes a systematic approach to deploying strategies to ensure alignment between strategy and implementation. These principles have been used very successfully by world-class private sector companies. The first part of the paper defines Hoshin Kanri principles, explores their history and how it is the critical success factor for many world-class organisations. This is followed by a case study description of how these principles were used to develop and implement the NHS North East's objectives, goals, initiatives and monitoring metrics framework.