Benefits of Vision Statement of an Organisation

VISION

A vision is the preferred future, a desirable state, and ideal state. It is an expression of optimism. It is a goal that is inspiring, overarching, has an emotional driven destination and long term. A vision is an organisational goal that evokes powerful and compelling mental images. It is the vision of what those involved wants their organization to become.

MISSION

A mission is more focused on the specifics of what an organization is to accomplish. It differs from a vision in that it focuses on function, is accomplishable and measurable, and is often statutorily or bureaucratically established.

VISION STATEMENT

A vision is a general statement encompassing the direction an agency wants to take and the desired end result once it gets there. It represents a destination that is driven by and evokes passion. A vision may or may not succeed. It depends on whether everything else happens according to a firm’s strategy. A vision is useless unless it is implemented. The organisation should have plans or strategy to implement the vision. It provides a fundamental statement of an organisation’s values, aspirations and goals. It may contain a slogan, diagram or picture.

When creating a vision it is important to consider simplicity. Although a vision should clearly present certain key values in describing and defining the organization, it should not be so complex that it is difficult to communicate. One of the problems often associated with vision statements is that they are extensive, hoping to cover all aspects of the company's or agency's values and principles. These visions end up being difficult to communicate to employees, clients and customers. Vision statements should be brief and clear. After all, acceptance of a vision statement by those involved cannot occur unless the fully understand it.

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission statement is a statement of an organization's basic purposes, often in terms of broad outcomes that it is committed to achieving or the major function it carries out. A mission can also be the reason an agency exists. A mission statement is a set of organisational goals that include both the purpose of the organisation, its scope and the basis of its competitive advantage. The mission statement is more specific and focused on the means by which the firm will compete.

COMPONENTS AND BENEFITS OF THE MISSION STATEMENT

Effective mission statement incorporates the concept of stakeholder management, suggesting that and organisation must respond to multiple constituencies if they are to survive and prosper. Customers, employees, suppliers and owners are the primary stakeholders but others may also play an important role. Mission statements also have the greatest impact when they reflect an organisation enduring overarching strategic priorities and competitive positioning.

A good mission must address each principal theme and must communicate why an organisation is special and different. A firm’s mission can and should change when competitive conditions dramatically change or the firm is faced with new threats or opportunities.

Mission statement and objectives should be:

• Measurable: that is able to measure progress

• Specific: provide a clear message as to what needs to be accomplished.

• Appropriate: be consistent with the vision of the organisation.

• Realistic: must be an achievable target given the organisation’s capabilities and opportunities in the environment.

• Timely: needs a time frame for accomplishing the objective.

Benefits of mission statement include channelling employees throughout the organisation toward a common goal. It helps the organisation concentrate and conserve valuable resources and work collectively in a more timely manner. Challenging objectives can help to motivate and inspire employees throughout the organisation to higher levels of commitment and effort. It helps individuals work harder when they are striving towards specific goals instead of being asked simply to do your best.