I joined an organization that is in the process of redeveloping its vision statement, mission statement and goals. Two questions came up when presented with the current mission & vision statements. The first was “what is the difference?” and the second was “which supports which?” One member of the group responded that the vision supports the mission; most others in the room nodded in agreement. I disagreed with the consensus but kept my mouth shut for the time being. Well, I am on the committee that was charged with the task of developing the mission statement, vision statement & goals, milestones and statement of values. The following is a summary of the definitions I’ve received so far.
- Vision. An exercise of this sort begins with a vision statement, a declaration of an organization’s tangible expectations for the future. This statement should be developed first because it reveals the intentions of the organization under which one or more strategies for achieving it can be developed. The mission statements support a vision and so they go hand-in-hand. A key aspect of a vision is that it is developed in the interest of the beneficiary of the organization, not in the interest of the organization itself. A good vision statement is a memorable, forward looking, passionate, vivid, hopeful, motivating and compelling description of the state of things as it will one day be.
- Mission. Once a vision for the organization has been established, a mission or strategy for getting there can be developed. A good mission statement gives rise to a purpose, a direction and/or a strategy that is easy to understand and can be easily adopted by those in charge with developing underlying actions, initiatives and objectives. Whereas a vision statement answers the question “What”, a mission statement answers the questions “Who”, “Why” & “How”. It is expected that over time, an organization’s mission can change while the vision remains the same. Visions, however, can also change, at which point its mission will necessarily change.
- Objectives. While a vision speaks to intentions and a mission speaks to purpose, an organization’s objectives speak to its actions. When properly drafted, all objectives support a mission which in turn leads to a transformation of the organization in accordance to a vision. Whereas the mission statement is broad, objectives are specific. At the time of development, they should be achievable, observable and measurable. Observability and measurability allow for the development of milestones that monitor progress, identify inefficiencies and alert to the need for course corrections along the way.
- Values. Often overlooked is the need for a statement of values, which provides a framework for decision making within an organization. Properly drafted, a statement of values reveals an organization’s belief system and allows decision-makers to apply those beliefs in weighing the need for tradeoffs.
This is as much as I’ve got for now and invite comments. If there is anything that was said here that doesn’t make sense or requires clarification, please feel free to comment below or send me a note via twitter. Wish us luck in this exercise.
