Proposed definitions of a mission and a mission statement
A thorough review of the literature as well as the discussion above show that purpose
(the ultimate reason for an organization’s existence) is central to almost all proposed
definitions of the mission statement (see Appendix). It is time to make a clear
distinction between the concepts of mission, vision, values, business definition, and
the like. The intention here, however, is to focus on the definition of a mission.
Defining other concepts, as important as it is, requires more research to develop
well-supported arguments, which is beyond the scope of this paper.
models, frameworks, or theories. These can then be used for making prescriptions.
Researchers, however, take different paths in moving from description to prescription.
The point is that when there is considerable diversity in practice, as Bart and
Baetz (1998) already observed, researchers will have different ways as how they deal
with such diversity. The paper presents the two dominant schools of thought in
tackling this diversity and argues for an alternative way of thinking about the way
forward.
As can be seen so far the early definition of a mission (see, e.g. Drucker, 1986, 2007)
as the fundamental purpose of business that explains its reason for existence, is
expanded in two ways: in checklists of compiled items and in well-structured and
coherent models of synthesized elements. This paper argues for going back to basics
and offers definitions of the mission and the mission statement in that spirit.
A simple and focussed definition of the concept of mission is suggested to serve two
objectives: to add theoretical clarity and rigor in defining mission and mission
statements, and to help practitioners make good use of the concept. The first objective
may help find a common ground for the various definitions of the concept in the
literature and ease the divergence in views. The second objective may free practitioners
from the dictates of “checklist” mission statements, and give them confidence in
their judgment of what is really salient in developing effective mission statements
for their organizations.
Arguably, a mission is a genuine and energizing purpose of business – a purpose
that is both affective and effective to create a sense of meaning and a sense of direction
in the hearts and minds of the members of the organization. In other words, a mission
is an authentic and ambitious purpose (see, Champy and Nohria, 2000; Ready and
Truelove, 2011).
Authenticity of purpose specifically means originality rooted in reality. Ambitious
purpose concretely means a significant value or outcome an organization intends to
generate for a cause it strongly believes in (Champy and Nohria, 2000). As such, a
mission is likely to be the product of a genuine feeling of responsibility to play a major
role to produce results valued by the organization and its members.
There is truth in the argument made by the authors of the three models of the
mission statement discussed above. It is proper to assume that a good mission has to be
lived and committed to, that a sense of mission is essential, and that the mission should
be reflected in culture and translated into strategy. These assumptions strongly imply
that a choice has to be made in the articulation and formulation of the mission. No real
choice can ever be made if there is no intention to carry it out. Without intention
a choice has no meaning, i.e. it is no longer a choice. A weak intention is extremely
unlikely to produce a sense of mission or develop a strong commitment. However,
the conviction that the choice is the right one and the resolve to honor that choice can
produce a sense of mission and develop a strong commitment (Champy and Nohria,
2000). Doubt and hesitation are unlikely to generate a genuine mission, and a
fabricated mission is probably worse than no mission at all.
Consequently, a new definition of mission is proposed as a resolute commitment to
create a significant value or outcome in service of a worthy cause – a cause that the
members of the organization admire and be willing to exert their attention and
energy in its pursuit. This definition has three pillars: an unyielding commitment to
reflect authenticity of the mission (a hollow rhetoric is not a mission, just like a mask
is not a real face); a significant value or outcome signaling a consequential challenge
that is exciting and inspiring to stretch an organization’s capacity; and a worthy cause
242
JSMA
5,3
Downloaded by WALAILAK UNIVERSITY At 00:57 29 November 2014 (PT)
to give meaning to the organization’s members so that they invest themselves in
creating the chosen value. It is up to each organization to decide the challenge it wants
to engage in so as to create value, and the cause it elects to serve, as long as both
choices are genuine and realistic. It is deliberately intended not to mention “customer
value” specifically in this new definition, knowing that it is probably the most essential
for successful missions (Drucker, 2006; Ellsworth, 2002; George, 2001, 2003; Khalifa,
2004). This is because some organizations may choose to focus on the wider value
for society at large, while others may focus internally on organizational value. Given
the context within which the mission is developed, these concerns for both societal
and organizational value may form strong and credible missions as well.
This definition is expected to provide organizations with two types of benefits at
both the individual and the organizational levels: soft human needs and hard
organizational requirements. First, it helps set a clear focus that directs people’s
attention and energies to serve their need for meaning, sense of purpose, and sense
of self-worth. Second, it helps in making strategic and resource allocation decisions to
realize their chosen customer value, societal value, or organizational value. These
benefits and advantages cannot be achieved unless the mission statement is an
authentic expression of a real sense of purpose and unless top management behavior
and organization’s culture, systems, and processes are all consistent and reinforcing
of that sense of purpose. Notice that the importance of culture, systems, and processes
does not mean that they are part of the mission.
This proposed definition of mission is quite broad in terms of the variety of content,
as the range of value and causes is limited only by lack of insight and imagination;
but it is very specific in terms of what an organization decides to focus on, i.e. what
value to create and what cause to serve. It implies that a choice among competing
alternatives has to be made – a choice which is subject to refutation in favor of an
alternative choice. This makes bland “motherhood statements” and “pious platitudes”
seem like quite unauthentic missions (Ackoff, 1999). It also makes it more likely
that an organization’s mission is unique. To make a real choice is to come up
with a deep insight into the realities of your business and its environment, and
deep insights are not readily or widely available to everyone. Making a choice is
difficult, painful, and risky (Drucker, 2001) and takes courage and creativity to craft
(Matejka et al., 1993).
The proposed definition is formulated in such a way as to be consistent with the
definition of “strategic intent” by Hamel and Prahalad (1989), the definition of
“purpose” by Champy and Nohria (2000), Ellsworth (2002), and Mourkogiannis (2006),
and with other definitions of purpose in the literature.
The above definition of mission, however, does not imply that a mission has to be
written to exist (Campbell, 1992; Lipton, 1996; Mourkogiannis, 2006). To be more
effectively communicated, however, a written mission statement is valuable. A mission
statement can now be defined as “a declaration of mission.” That is: “a declaration
of a resolute commitment to create a significant value in service of a worthy cause.” It
aims to make an organization’s choices explicit so as to make the commitment public
and to inform and influence the target addressees.
There is no standard format for writing the mission statement or ideal number of
elements that it should include. Creation of value is probably the most visible part of
the mission statement and is more likely to be explicitly expressed. The served cause
may or may not appear in the statement. An organization, for example, may choose to
write a mission statement focussing only on its role in society in the understanding that
243
Redefining the
mission
statement
Downloaded by WALAILAK UNIVERSITY At 00:57 29 November 2014 (PT)
the cause it intends to serve is strongly implied by that role. It may opt to focus instead,
on the compelling cause to give deeper meaning to a direction or effort it is already
engaging in, or on the assumption that what it does is implicitly known but lacks
a greater purpose. The degrees of freedom are quite broad as to how the mission
statement is expressed. However, an effective mission statement has to be concrete and
reflective of a choice; otherwise there will be no focus and no guidance for a clear
Before moving into suggesting a new definition it may be appropriate to
acknowledge the descriptive basis of the two types of logic that were described above.
Researchers do make sense of what they observe in practice and translate that into