Articulating, reaffirming or rewriting vision and mission statements lay the foundation for the strategic planning process. In order to accurately reflect what an organization is, whom it serves and what it wishes to be, both statements need to be carefully crafted and be perceived as inspirational, ambitious and authentic. Vision statement articulates desired future state and paints the picture of ultimate success by providing succinct answer to the question “What do we aspire to be?” Vision should be audacious, exciting and challenging enough to stand the test of time and guide the organization for many years. Mission statement drives activities that really matter today, unlocks transformational strategies, provides focus and direction, and answers the question “How will we achieve our vision?” Core organizational values or guiding principles are defined to reinforce expected behaviours, promote the desired culture of an organization and help achieve the strategic goals. For example, organizational values may include compassion, transparency, integrity, innovation, collaboration, accountability, respect, trust, uniqueness, diversity, and many others. In order to maintain focus and clarity most organizations tend to adopt only a few fundamental values. It should be noted that the terms vision and mission are used interchangeably across industry sectors. Regardless of the terms used, organizations ultimately need to:
- Create an attractive and engaging picture of the future
- Clearly define and communicate an organization’s purpose
- Intrinsically motivate employees
- Align and coordinate individual actions
- Provide strong sense of direction
- Outline basic beliefs and aspirations within an organization
- Provide a basis for allocating resources
