The Guiding Principles of Vision, Mission, and Values
Introduction
Every organization is saddled with a responsibility; for establishing and protecting the central or dominant 
purpose, ethical principles, and also fundamental values governing the major activities and objectives of the organization. These are usually known as the vision, values, and mission. These three principles make up the foundation of an organization and how they are planning for the future. Usually, the vision, values, and mission of any establishment are put together at the initial set up of the organization, and the mission is then incorporated into the action or strategic plan of the organization. (“DIY Committee, 2015”)
An understanding of these principles helps an organization draft a constructive statement geared towards the achievement of any organization. However, developing these statements require the consideration of various issues relative to the organizational strategic plan. While some developing organization would view these principles as a mere tradition to be included in their profile, an understanding of these principles should be viewed as a foundational guide during the establishment of the objectives of any organization.
Reasons for these Principles
A mission statement lays emphasis on the reason for the existence of an organization, and how it poses to serve its major stakeholders. (Carpenter et al., 2015) The stakeholders in this case are the employees, customers, and investors. Other stakeholders such as the communities in form of environmental or social impact, or even the government can be an affiliate of the stakeholders. Having a mission statement is very important to every business. It clearly defines the overall goals for the business. (Belcher, 2015) A mission statement clearly summarizes the direction of an organization and outlines the goal a management team should accomplish. Additionally, the mission state inform the public with a clear explanation of what an organization is delivering and what they hope to achieve with their sales. The content of every mission statement is more detailed than the vision statement. The mission of any organization affect the leadership styles by determining ‘who they are’ and ‘what they value’.
Values are referred to as the beliefs of a person or group. In the context of an organization, it is based on how they are emotionally invested. Intuitively, values can further describe the desired culture. They can be referred to as behavioral compass. (Kenny, 2014) Many organizations qualify value with the word “core”. Therefore, core values are very necessary in an organization or establishment, it supports the vision of the organization, shape the culture and reveals the company values. The core value of any organization portrays the essence of the identity of that organization, that is, the beliefs, principles, and philosophy of the company’s values. Any organization provided with core values has the ease of decision-making processes. The provision of core values educates clients as well as potential customers about the features of an organization, especially in its competition settings. (“7Geese.com, 2013”) Lastly, core values show what makes an organization different from any other related one in its competition. (“The Growth Coach, 2015”) The value of any organization also affects the leadership style by the determination of ‘how they intend to achieve their vision’.
The vision statement defines the goal an organization wants to either achieve or become. The vision of any organization is expected to resonate with the members of the organization, in order to make them excited, proud, and be a part of the big dream of the organization. (Heathfield, 2015) Vision could be linked to achieve a strategy. According to Michael Hyatt, he says “there is a great importance to vision and strategy, although a priority exit between the,. Vision usually comes first always. If there is a clear vision, then attracting the right strategy becomes possible. If there is no clear vision, there wouldn’t be any strategy to save a person or organization.” (“Michaelhayatt.com”) Clear and effective vision offers many benefits to a business or organization, and it also assists in guiding the behavior of all the employees. Therefore, creating a strong vision for any organization will help improve the efficiency and productivity of the organization. Vision affects leadership style through the constraint of achieving ‘what they want to become’.
Vision, Mission and Values Guiding Principles: Conclusion
Every organization is saddled with the responsibility of developing a clear vision, mission, and value principles. These principles affect the leadership style of an organization through the stated goals to achieve. This is because a statement laid down will be the direction and culture they would follow, and will also guide the employees. The critical roles played by these principles include the communication of the purpose of the organization to the concerned stakeholders, communication of the strategy development, and the assistance in developing realistic and measurable objectives and goals to gauge the progress of the strategies employed by an organization. Therefore, these principles must be considered to effectively direct an organization to achieving productivity and efficiency.
Also Study: Vision and Mission Statement Examples
Works Cited
- 7 Reasons Why Core Values Are Important – Coaching Question of the Week. (2012, April 19). Retrieved December 3, 2015, from https://www.thegrowthcoachhouston.com/7-reasons-why-core-values-are-important-coaching-question-of-the-week/Carpenter, M., Bauer, T., & Erdogan, B. (2015). The Roles of Mission, Vision, and Values.
- Retrieved December 3, 2015, from https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/management-principles-v1.1/s08-02-the-roles-of-mission-vision-an.html
- Company Core Values: Why to Have Them and How to Define Them – OKRs and Continuous Performance Management | 7Geese. (2013, March 11). Retrieved December 3, 2015, from https://7geese.com/benefits-of-having-core-values-and-how-to-set-them-in-your-organization/
- Heathfield, S. (2015). How to Build a Values-Driven Company. Retrieved December 3, 2015, from https://humanresources.about.com/od/strategicplanning1/a/organizvalues_2.html
- Vision, mission and values. (2015). Retrieved December 3, 2015, from https://www.diycommitteeguide.org/article/vision-mission-and-values
- Why Vision Is More Important Than Strategy. (2015). Retrieved December 3, 2015, from https://michaelhyatt.com/why-vision-is-more-important-than-strategy.html