Somewhere in the distant past, somebody coined the term “economic climate,” likening the state of the economy to natural weather patterns. We have come to think and talk about the economy using this metaphor in phrases like clouds on the horizon, sunny day predictions, financial doldrums and bellwether stocks and companies. We act as if recessions and expansions are beyond our control. Yet, the metaphor of the economic climate has become a useful mechanism for separating the smart economic players from the mediocre economic players.

The direction of the economy is really the result of individual and collective actions before, during and after a recession, expansion, depression or golden time. We have a great deal more control over our economic condition than we realize. This is true at an individual level, a departmental or divisional level as well as at an organizational level.

Organizations often act as if there are two investment strategies, one for an upturn and another for a downturn. But smart companies make investments that pay off in any economy. In short, smart companies make their own economy. There are bull stocks even in bear markets.

Of course, you know I am going to include business intelligence in the list of investments that are good in any economy. But there are other investments that healthcare and other organizations can make that are economy-agnostic, and these investments share some of the same characteristics that make business intelligence capabilities resistant to economic swings.

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