Purposes of Having Vision and Mission Statements for Companies
Differences between vision and mission statements
Many companies confuse their vision and mission statements. As a matter of fact, organizations often use these two statements interchangeably. There are also organizations which alter the two statements. Ultimately, vision and mission statements are very important in an organization. Yet they are different in terms of their purposes and contents.
A vision statement is a statement that outlines a company ultimate goal and objective. It focuses on the future goals that the organization aims to achieve. This can be broad yet must bear clarity and should not be ambiguous.
On the other hand a mission statement highlights the present goals of the organization with a focus on what the organization aims to attain and how it intends to do this. It also states the specific clienteles that the organization aims to serve.
Importance of vision and mission statements
There are several purposes of having vision and mission statements. The vision statement helps to define the future goals of an organization and can be used to draft the mission statement. The mission statement helps to keep employees focused on the goals of the organization.
Although these two statements serve a different purpose, together they serve a bigger purpose to the companies that know how to use them. The following are reasons why every company must strive to have clear vision and mission statements:
- Strategic planning. Experts list vision and mission statements as some of the core proponents of strategic planning. This is because the statements form important definitions of the organizational goals. Strategic planners use these vision and mission statements to come up with relevant plans for organizations. Goals and objectives are usually embedded in the vision and mission statements hence all plans of the organization must be aligned with these statements.
- Building organizational culture. The vision and mission statements of an organization can help to define its culture. The employees of the organization will usually act in accordance with the organizational objectives. These goals and objectives, whether future or present are important in molding a specific culture for the organization geared towards achieving the goals. Additionally, these statements form the basis for organizational activities which more often than not influence organizational culture. An organization with strong and clear mission and vision statements is likely to have a strong organizational culture.
- Increasing productivity and motivating employees. While a vision statement contains future goals that an organization aims to achieve, the mission statement states present actions geared towards achieving these goals. Both these statements drive productivity in an organization. This is because they define the purpose for which the organization exists and in extension, why the employees work for the organization. A good mission statement is judged by how aptly an employee can cite and explain it. This shows it is a key driver and motivation for an organization’s employees.
- Attracting and retaining skilled personnel. The vision and mission statements can attract highly skilled employees to the organization. This is only possible if they are carefully and intelligently crafted. Employees with similar objectives will be drawn to an organization that spells out these objectives.
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