Expanding the Boundaries of Healthcare Human Resources Planning into multi-dimensional needs (Thunhurst, 1985) for the populations that HHRP consider in the planning process. Also critical for HHRP and HRM in health- care settings is that the planning process can, and should be, informed by lessons and approaches taken from other disciplines, such as management, strategy, leadership, operations research, statistics, and economics. Gaining an awareness of these can offer ways of viewing planning efforts that leaders would have otherwise not considered. The boundaries between strategy, strategic management, strategic initiatives, workforce planning, and human resources management are not distinct. For example, as we move from larger organizational strategies and plans to the tactical and operational realities of organizational settings, the technical aspects of human resources manage- ment are relied upon to provide substance to the strategies. The specific HR functions, such as recruitment, selection, training, and performance appraisal, all contribute to meeting the planning needs of the institution. Other methods, such as increasing educational opportunities, altering methods of healthcare delivery, changing scopes of professional responsibilities, aligning incentive systems, are all potential solutions that can help mitigate current and future worker shortages. These ideas, and countless others, will span the breadth of strategic and human resources manage- ment. Between these two, we find the concept of HHRP. Although HHRP may be novel from an HRM perspective, some nations have taken an aggres- sive stance and made tremendous strides in large- scale collaborative efforts that have incorporated evidence-based methods with HR planning. The Canadian Nurse Association (2007) reports that several large-scale, research-based studies have been undertaken to build a sold framework for HHRP, which includes a focus on development of standardized population health data and the use of these data in HHR planning. HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND HEALTH HUMAN RESOURCES PLANNING LINKAGES WITH STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT Strategic management refers to "formulation, implementation, and monitoring of strategy" (Shortell & Kaluzny, 2000, p. 398). Although the literature does not provide consensus on a definition of strategy, Mintzberg's conceptualiza- tion that "strategies are both plans for the future and patterns from the past" (1987, p. 67) clearly embodies the idea that planning has an explicit linkage with an institution's larger strategic ef- forts. In fact, it resonates with one of Klarman's key ideas about health manpower planning: "... estimates of future requirements must rest on firm knowledge of the present situation and the past" (1969, p. 373). The view that strategic management is both internally and externally focused underscores the critical role that HHRP can, and should, as- sume in supporting a healthcare organization's strategy (Shortell & Kaluzny, 2000). Using stra- tegic management ideas and concepts calls for HRM and HHRP to fully gain an appreciation of the internal and external environment in the development of planning estimates. Incorporating strategic management ideas into the HR planning process clearly calls for an expanded role of the HR professional. The theoretical frameworks of industrial organization, resource-based theory, and contingency theory are considered foundations of strategic management (Parnell, 2006), and each of these frameworks offers perspectives with linkages to HHRP. Resource-based theory is focused on the internal resources and the unique character- istics of an organization to create a competitive advantage, whereas contingency theory creates a fit between the organization and its environment (Parnell, 2006). Regardless of the framework, a future-focused orientation is one of the central themes and best practices in strategic manage- 9