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Marketing Definitions
Vision
and mission
The Vision and Mission of a company should be a
driving force, setting the strategic direction of
the business. But many are ignored at best, and
ridiculed at worst. Most of us would have sympathy
with this quote, from Hamel and Prahalad:
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If
we took the mission statements of 100 large
industrial companies, mixed them up while everyone
was asleep, and reassigned them at random, would
anyone wake up tomorrow and cry, 'My gosh, where
has our mission statement gone? |
Do you even know the Mission and Vision of your
own company? And what role do they play?
First, let's be clear about their respective definitions…
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A
Vision
is a description of the business as you want
it to be. In dictionary terms it is, 'a mental
image produced by the imagination'. It involves
seeing the optimal future for the business,
and vividly describing this vision. The
description might include HOW things will be,
WHERE, WHO with, WHAT you'll be doing and HOW
you'll feel. |
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A
Mission
is the definition of the 'special assignment'
being undertaken by the business. It is likely
to cover the customer groups that are being
served, as well as (perhaps more importantly)
the customer needs that are being met. |
Well,
that's the theory, but in practice everything gets
jumbled up. Which doesn't matter, so long as they
help the strategic development of the business.
This will only be achieved if the Vision and Mission
are able to:
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1.
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Bring focus and clarity to the desired future
of the business (and what makes it distinctive)
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2.
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Inspire
people to work towards that future |
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3.
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Guide
people in their decision-making as they reach
for this future |
Here are three good examples:
The Mission of GlaxoSmithKline is to improve
the quality of human life by enabling people to
do more, feel better and live longer.
The Mission of Ogilvy & Mather is to be
most valued by those who most value brands.
And Amazon aims to be the earth's most
customer centric company.
These statements don't contain the usual corporate
waffle about 'leadership, innovation, and best-practice'.
All these three statements are focused: they provide
a guide to behavior, yet the ideas they communicate
are big enough to inspire. This ensures they have
a valuable role to play in the development of the
business.
Ask yourself:
Do the Vision and Mission of my company:
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•
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Bring
focus and clarity to the desired future of my
business? |
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•
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Inspire people to work towards this future? |
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•
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Guide people in their decision-making as they
reach for this future? |
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