By Virain de Mel
All organizations in the world comprise of a mission statement. According to the theory of organizational strategy, mission statement falls in to the establishing organization’s strategy and direction criteria. Mission statement of an organization answers the question of why the organization was created and the reasons for its existence. This reason of why the organization was created years ago maybe to address some problem or to capitalize on a market in the business place. Your mission statement can remain the same if the factors that created the organization remained so in the present, but if the total environment of the organization has changed, then the mission statement needs to reviewed and updated according to the present reasons for the existence of the organization.
Hence, in examining the importance of a mission statement for a business, the mission statement of the organization has the purpose of explaining eloquently, briefly, and passionately the core reasons for your business’s existence and inspiring others to want to know more about your ideas, helping to position your company in the marketplace and to fuel growth.
With the knowledge that the mission statement for a business is at the helm for importance for good performance, it is vital to understand what constitutes an effective business mission statement. We should look at the following six questions and include the answers to those questions in the mission statement.
- What is our business and what it should be?
- Who are our customers and who should they be?
- What methods we use to deliver products and services to our customers and what those methods should be?
- What is the philosophy of our business?
- What is the social responsibility of our business?
- What is the ethical concept of our business?
What is our business and what it should be? Who are our customers and who should they be?
The mission statement should clearly explain what the business is, what special position it inhabits in the marketplace, and how it will affect the lives of customers and clients.
What methods we use to deliver products and services to our customers and what those methods should be?
Since in the modern business world there is intense competition, it is important to identify the business’s basis of competitive advantage. In order to achieve the latter, we need to address the following questions. How is it that we stand out from those other companies? Is it because we do something better, cheaper, or faster than our competitor?
What is the philosophy of our business? What is the social responsibility of our business? What is the ethical concept of our business?
It’s important to use the mission statement to build a unique brand for the business. To achieve this we need to make sure that we communicate the business’s key value to the customer or client segment that we are serving. In addition we need to highlight our philosophies or values that guide the company.
Apart from the above six question guide, the mission statement should contain the following the characteristics as well.
A strong mission statement shouldn’t be an endless long story. Ideally, it should be in the form of a summary. It should communicate what needs to be communicated to the stakeholder, as fast and clear as possible. In other words, it should be “short and sweet”.
- It should not be too elaborative
When reading the mission statement, we need to get the feeling that it’s based on reality and it’s not self-congratulatory in anyway. If it’s so, the mission statement may not be attractive to the one reading it, thus failing the mission of the mission statement.
- It should be a team effort
When writing the mission statement it should not be written by one person. It's extremely helpful to get the input of others, both inside and outside the company. They can better see the strengths and weaknesses of your mission statement. Hence, it is advisable to ask for the input of employees, family, and friends, and perhaps even clients with whom the company may have very close professional relationships.
It is important that the formulated mission statement be reviewed by several persons who have good command of the language, so that they may correct the errors as well as include dazzling and catchy words to make it more attractive.
- Communicating the mission
Once the mission statement is complete, it should be shared. This maybe achieved using the following ways. It could be prominently displayed on the company’s website, as well as in brochures and other marketing media. It can even be added to the bottom of company e-mails or it can be sent out as a press release. How one makes mission statement known to everyone can be a creative task.
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