1. Part A
Business.Whatisit?A veryrathercomplicatedwordof a sort, puttinganybusinesspersoninaroller
coasterof definitions.However,asinanyrollercoaster,there are upsand downslike anyother
businessinthisworld,andforeachbusiness there isboundtobe a start and an end.Anend,merely
the rise of a newand successful businessorrather,a failedandfallenbusiness.Itall dependsonthe
business’future goals,andthose goalsare nothingmore butvisions,dreamsof how acompany can
be broughtup intosoaringheightsandfollowingthese visionsare missions,missionsthatprovide
the pathwayto these dreams.
Nevertheless,visionsandmissionsare nothingmore thanordinarydreamsorstepstakentoachieve
them, unlessof course, these were all createdbyamindwhose dreamshave beensealedfor
absolute achievement.These mindswill choose the bestpathtoachieve theirdreams,although
unguaranteedwithmomentsof failure.Butwhatif the dreamerdoesnotchoose to soar through
onlyone path?How wouldhe or she choose whatare the otherpossible pathsavailable?Whatif he
or she was leadinganorganization?Fromthere,how are these people goingtotranslate andconvey
theirvisionsandmissionstotheiremployees?
Let usstart off withthe smallerfractionof businesses. Smallerorganizations couldeasilyconvey
theirvisionandmissiontotheiremployeesor managersaslongas theycommitto a simple
managerial style.If these translationsof the companies’visionsremainconsistent,ormore
importantly,understandable,anyemployee should be able tounderstandthe company’svisionand
missionthroughaplain,butsystematiccommunicationsystem. Whatif the companywere to,letus
say,grow much bigger?Woulditbe harderfor employeestocomprehendthe companies’visionor
missions?Asunfortunateitis,the answerissimply,yes. The processstartsoff fromthe managerial
positions.The visionsare developedthensentdownthe organizationalhierarchywhere bitsand
piecesof the visionare tornoff resultinginthe areaof informationloss,unbearable. Thatiswhya
visionandmissionshouldbe specificallydesignedtoprovide amuchsimplerunderstandingamong
the employeeswithoutthe riskof informationloss.
A vision statement,asstatedintermsof a businessmindset,isdefinedasan
aspirational description of whatan organization planstoaccomplish inashort-termorthe long-
termfuture.It is designedto guide employersand employeesinchoosingthe bestmissionsto
achieve these visions.
2. On the otherhand,missionstatementsare definedasthe allegationof anorganization’smain
purpose thatremainsunalteredovertime.Properlyconstructedmissionstatementsshouldfilterout
whatare importantto an organizationandwhatisnot, establishanunderstandingof the
organizational pathwaywithinthe organizationaswell asstate whichmarketsare tobe servedand
howtheyare to be served.
In mostcases,visionandmissionstatementsmaylookblanklysimilar,butthe maindifference
upholdsthe identifyingline of whatavisionormissionactuallyare.A missionissolelydifferentfrom
a visionstatementwherethe formerstatementisthe cause thatneedstobe accomplishedto
achieve the latterstatement.Fromthisitself,existsafine line of understanding of how avisionisto
be formedandhow missionsare designedtoaccomplishthe visionset.Acquiringavisionstatement
isone thing,but keepingitalive isonawhole otherlevel.Asimportantitis,oras easyas it may
sound,itis actuallyalmosttoodifficulttokeepthe visiongoingthroughoutthe years.Youmaywork
as hard as youcan byexpandinganypossibleareastoexpandyourvision,butthiswillonlyplummet
your organizationintoahole of bankruptcy. Itis importanttonote that whenyousetyour mission
statements,youmustalwaysrememberwhyyouare settingthe missionstatementsinthe first
place.What hasdrivenyouintoformingyourfirsthand tasks to achieve yourlonglive dream?Do
any of your missionstatementscontradictwithyourvisionstatement?The answer,lieswithinyour
understandingof the visionyou yourselfhave established.Anycontradictingmissionstatements
may resultinyourpositionbeingstrayedawayfromyourvision,thusdestroyingthe foundationof
the ideawhichseemedsoperfectinthe firstplace.
RelatingtoMark Lipton’s‘Demystifying theDevelopmentof an OrganizationalVision’,he has
promptedanintriguingsuggestionunlikemanyother.Hissuggestionwasthataneffectivevisionof a
companycomprisedof missions,strategiesandculture.Throughhisresearchof firmslistedin‘The
100 Best Companiesto Workforin America’,Mark concludedthatvisionsare bestdefinedwith
missionsthatstartoff withfirstunderstandingthe stakeholdersinvolvedandthenlayingdownthe
expectationsfromeachof these shareholders.Thiswasconcludedbecause,generally,stakeholders
alsoplaya mere yetsignificantpartinan organizations’missionandvision.If noconsensusof a
visionwasachieved,thenthe stakeholderswouldbe reluctanttoprovide theirfairshare of effort.
Some organizations maystartoff withofferingmonetaryprofitthatthe stakeholdersmayacquire
fromagreeingtothe same general vision.Thisisnotadvisable asstakeholdersare merelyhumans
and theirthoughtsof visionsshouldalsobe considered.Tosome,moneymaynot be theirmain
priorityat all as some mayjustbe lookingfora more challengingormeaningfulroadtosuccess.Not
3. everybody’saimistobe the richestpersononthe planet.Simple enough,moneydoesnotmotivate
employeestoworkefficientlyforthe organizationasmoney,beingthe mainpriorityinalmostany
businessnowadays,wouldmake the organizationseemanymore indifferentfromanyotherexisting
organization.Hence,the reasonwhyagoodvisionstatementisneeded.A statementwhich
considerseverybody’sshare of visionsandalsotomake the organizationseemmore differentfrom
any othermoneylaunderingorganization.
Mark alsodefinesstrategyasabusinessinwhichacompanycompetesandthe distinctive
competence orcompetitive advantage that itiscurrentlyhasor plansto develop.’ Strategyisclearly
important,upto a sense where anorganizationwouldnotbe anythingbutamere emptybodywith
no fulfilmentof logicif noinitial strategywasformed. Missionstatementsthatare enforced should
be able to include andexplain the varietyof strategicprinciplesrequiredto accomplishthe initially
statedmissionsothat managerial departmentsare able todetermine how the companyisable to
achieve theirmainideals.
Puttingthe missionandstrategycomponentsaside,aneffectivevisionstatementalsoneedstostate
and clarifyhowan organizationshouldbehave toaccomplish theirgoals.The mainvalue of avision
statementdoesnotlie withinneitherthe missionsdeterminedtoachieve goalsnorthe impressive
strategiclayoutsforthe organization,butactuallywithinthe culture of anorganization.An
overlookedcomponentinmostorganizationswhich hascausedthe downfall of mostorganizations.
Thisis because organizational culture directs andsustainsthe behaviourwithinthe organizationto
ensure thatpeople notice the desiredculture andunderstandhow the culture supportsthe purpose
and the strategy,whichseeminglyresultsinthe automaticknowledge of whatisexpectedfromthe
people withinthe organization.Tosimplifythis,consistent,clearandsharedvaluesintervene with
personal andorganizational efficiency.This,inturnmaximisesprofitandefficiencyof the company
while satisfyingmaximumjobsatisfactionamongthe employees.
4. Howevergooda visionstatementmayseemdependingonanowner’sstandards,the vision
statementwill be deemedunviable unlessithasfulfilledseveral factorsof aneffective vision
statement.Anygoodandviable visionstatementshouldconsistof the followingcharacteristics.
1. Be Inspirational
Visionstatementsare designedtochallenge,enthuse andmore importantly,inspire.Powerful
wordsshouldbe usedinvividphrasesthatare able to expressthe type of organizationthe
owneristryingto become.Thismanifestschancesthatliftanorganization’sgaze above the daily
exhaustinggrindingsandrelentlessproblemsandinstead,focusonthe biggerpicture andany
potential awardsawait.
2. Be Ambitious
An ownershouldnotbe afraidto setambitiousheightsforhisorher organizationtoclimb.Itis
goodto give the organizationahighstandard benchmarkforwhenitsucceedsinsurpassingit,
the organization’sreputationwill skyrocketimmediately.Whatstandardsortargetsyou setand
howhightheyare alsoshowsa brief picture of yourorganizationtoothers.Beingambitiousmay
create impressionsof beinganorganizationthathasa brightfuture aheadtowardsothers.
3. Be Realistic
Althoughitisgoodto set ambitiousandhighstandardsforan organization,itisalwayswise for
an ownerto rememberthatthe higheryouclimb,the harderyoufall.Onsimple mistakeandany
reputationearnedwillslipdownthe drainalmostimmediately.Ownersshouldbe aware of an
organization’slimitsanditsabilitytocarryout highstandards.Therefore,itisbestforownersto
setan ambitiousaswell asa realisticmarkon how highan organizationisable togo.
4. Be Creative
To thinkdifferentlyistoputoneself inapositionunlikeothers.Hence,creativityis vital inany
visionstatement.Withoutit,avisionstatementwillremainanordinarystatement.Creativity
allowsanownerto fill inanyloopholesthe organizationmightface.AsAlbertEinsteinonce
quoted‘imagination ismoreimportantthatknowledge’.
5. Be Descriptive
Unlike avisionstatement,there isnoneedforpressure toprune yourvisiondowntothe bone.
Althoughitisgoodto be concise,there isnoneedtoenforce discretionarylimitstoitslength.An
ownershouldtake asmuch space as he wantsto gethisvisionsacross.
5. 6. Be Clear
As simple asthissounds,beingclearaboutmissionstatementsisverycrucial toanyeffective
visionstatement.Italwayspaystoavoidany unnecessaryjargons,keepsentencescleanand
straighton pointas well as use of precise language.Otherwise,therewillbe ariskof losingthe
pointof a message whenconveyedtothe employeeswithinanorganization.
7. Be Consistent
Bearinginmindof theirdifferentpurposes,theremustbe aline continuitybetweenmissions
and visionswhile the visionsdonotneedtobe constrainedbycurrentdispatchof missions.
Ownersshouldnotventure toofaroff fromthe course of the visionstatementbyattemptingto
carry out missionsthatmaycontradictwiththe visionset.
The visionsandmissionsstatementsare clearlyelaboratedbutnow the ultimatequestioncomes
intoplay.Why doesa visionfail?Infact,how doesa visionactuallyfail?While mostorganizations
have faileddue to theirmanagerial inconsistency,withthe statementprovided, the statementitself
couldhave some particularwordsthat eitherbringcontradiction orprovide irrelevance tothe
workers.If a statementis finalizedwithoutanysingleconsiderationof the stakeholders,the wordsin
the statementare deemed tobe irrelevantand conclusively ignored.This problementitles
employeestowork inconsistentlyinrelationtoanygoalssetby ownersor stakeholders.One wayto
solve sucha problemwouldbe throughformal or informal formsof communication ornegotiations
betweenmanagerandemployees.Without anestablished communication,itis difficultto
comprehendwhatthe employees wantorneed.Managerswhoignore hostile environmentsinan
operational organizationsusuallyleadtounrecognizable visionswhichinturnmovesavisionfrom
itsoriginallysuccessful pointtoa more distinctlaughingmatter. Itisverycrucial for any organization
to understand anyweaknessesandchallenges itfaces.Fromthenon, onlyshouldaneffectiveand
believablevisionbe formed.
6. Througha simple example,I will provide athoroughanalysison Apple’svisionandmission
statements. Intheirofficialsite,they have stated;
VISIONSTATEMENT
“Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional
software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Applehas reinvented
the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and
computing devices with iPad.”
MISSION STATEMENT
“Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative
professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet
offerings.”
Firstoff, itis outstandinglyobviousthatAppledidnotentirelythinktheirvisionstatementthrough.
The lengthof theirvisionisastoundinglylongforone.Then,there isthe descriptionof the vision
statement.Itisliterally,alistdownof Apple’sonline shopping itineraryandtheirrespective
functions.Appledefinitelymade itassimple,orsluggishlylazyforafact, as theycould.Itis as if they
couldn’tcome upwitha brilliantvisionstatement.Ironic,forafact that theymade theirdevices
inevitablysimple touse.Theirvisiondidnotmentionanykeywordsaboutthe customers,theirself-
conceptand more importantly,theiremployees.Itwasentirelyaboutproducts.Just,products.
Much worse still,theirmissionstatementwas more orientatedtoa visionstatement,since it
mentionsmore aboutthe customers,products,marketsandself-conceptof Apple.Noteffective,but
it can helpkeepApple’svisionupandalive,if the missionandvisionswitchedplaces. Regardlessof
the switchhowever,bothvisionandmissionssoundutterlyuncreative.Theysoundlikewhatanyten
yearold kidcouldcome up with.Apple needstoredefine theirtermsof simplicityandlaziness.For
one thing,surprisingly,Apple’spinpointontheirproductsare ontarget,literally.Theyare nothard
to miss,since theyare alreadystatedintheirvisionstatementthemselves.Overall,Appleprobably
has one of the simplestandworststatementsof all time.
7. I suggestthatApple mayhave to rethinkanentirelydifferent visionstatement,andbydifferentIdo
not meanbyaddingthe functionsof the new Apple iWatch. Anexample of whatApple’svision
statementshouldlooklike:
“We believe that we are on the face of this Earth to create the most innovative products, to bring anybody
closer to everybody with a simple tap, honestly.”
In conclusion,there isno perfectwaytocreate a visionormissionstatement,because these
statementsare solelysubjectedtothe operational viewsof the organization.Visionandmissionsare
simply, guidelines foranyemployerorhisemployeestowalkonthe right path,together.Manya
time, there existsguidelinesthatlead toimminentfailure whilethere afew thathave the meansof
achievingsuccess.
References
1. What makes a good vision statement? (2012, September 19). Retrieved October 17, 2015,from
http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/mission-vision-values/vision-statement/good-vision/
2. What is Apple's current mission statement and how does itdiffer from Steve Job's original ideals?
(2015,April 23). Retrieved October 17,2015, from
http://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/042315/what-apples-current-mission-statement-and-
how-does-it-differ-steve-jobs-original-ideals.asp
3. Blodget, H. (2013,August 3). Apple's 'Mission Statement' Is MakingPeople Worry That The Company
Has Gone To Hell.Retrieved October 17, 2015,from http://www.businessinsider.com/apples -new-
mission-statement-2013-8?IR=T&
4. Demystifying the Development of an Organizational Vision.(n.d.).Retrieved October 17, 2015,from
http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/demystifying-the-development-of-an-organizational-vision/
5. Albert Einstein quote. (n.d.). Retrieved October 17, 2015,from
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/alberteins129815.html
