What does the mission sound like? Government agencies and non-profit organizations

Practical work

Topic - Defining the organization's mission, developing goals and strategy

Exercise

1. Familiarize yourself with the theoretical material

2. Determine the mission of the organization (give two or three options)

3. Develop the goals of the organization, build a tree of goals

Mission of the organization

Mission- this is the meaning of the organization’s existence, which expresses the difference between this organization and others, its social role.

The key elements that make up the organization's mission.

1. Determination of all areas of activity in which the organization plans to operate.
2. Strategic goals that the organization sets, defining key indicators that the organization seeks to achieve in the future.
3. Personnel competence and competitive advantages. The mission establishes the essence of corporate values. Such values ​​include special knowledge and skills.
4. Circle of influence. The mission establishes groups of individuals and organizations, cooperation with which contributes to the development of the organization.
5. Main activities of the organization.
6. The main competitive advantages that the organization plans to achieve in the future. It is also necessary to identify the main shortcomings that are planned to be eliminated first.

Tasks that the organization’s mission contributes to solving.

1. Express what the organization exists for.
2. Determine how the organization differs from other organizations operating in the same market.
3. Determine the criterion for evaluating actions carried out in the organization.
4. Coordinate the interests of all persons associated with the organization.
5. Contribute to the creation of a favorable corporate atmosphere.

Creating a mission statement establishes why a particular organization exists. Typically, the mission remains the same throughout the life cycle of the organization.

Mission expression form: the mission can be formulated either in the form of a single phrase or in the form of a policy statement from the top management of the organization.

The mission can be used as a representative document for inclusion in the company's annual report to shareholders and as an intra-company fundamental document.

Peculiarity: The main condition for formulating a mission is understanding and acceptance by the company’s personnel. In this regard, it is advisable to involve company employees in the mission development process.

Factors taken into account when creating a mission:

• state of the external and internal environment of the organization;
• history of the organization;
• the resources that the organization uses to achieve its goals;
• existing style of activity;
• distinctive features of the organization.

Preliminary mission statement is a thought expressed in one sentence regarding what the organization is doing or wants to do.

Examples of the mission of famous companies

Here are examples of missions of successful companies (their short versions are slogans), which show how in one or two lines you can explain the reason for the existence of an organization:

o Kodak "We help the world create memories and make money."

o Disneyland “We work to ensure that adults and children spend more time together.”

o The mission of Castorama stores is that we help customers make their homes more perfect and comfortable, transform the labor-intensive and costly process of repair and arrangement into an interesting hobby that is accessible to everyone.

o "The mission of the Ritz-Carlton hotel chain is to provide tireless care and provide maximum comfort to every guest."

o Mary Kay Mission: “To enrich the lives of women around the world by offering customers quality products, opening new horizons for independent beauty consultants and providing them with unlimited career opportunities, making sure that women who come across Mary Kay can realize their true potential ".

o Google's mission is to “organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

o Facebook's mission is to “empower people to connect and make the world a more open and connected place.”

o IKEA: “To make a difference in the everyday lives of ordinary people.”

o XEROX: “Sharing knowledge through documents.”

o The Bank of New York: We strive to be recognized as a global leader and partner of choice in helping our clients succeed in a world of rapidly evolving financial markets.

o Harley-Davidson: We make people's dreams come true using our experience in creating the best motorcycles!

o Yandex's mission is to help people solve problems and achieve their goals in life.

· Nike's mission: “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world” (“If you have a body, then you are an athlete,” said the legendary track coach at the University of Oregon, and one of the founders of Nike - Bill Bowerman)

• Unilever's mission is to energize life. We meet people's daily food and hygiene needs. Our brands help you feel great, look great and get more pleasure from life.
• The mission of the Coca-Cola company is based on 3 principles, which are formed as follows: Refresh the world, body, mind and spirit; Promote optimism through our drinks and our deeds; Bring meaning to everything we do. Our vision is based on five words that reflect our values! Each of them is based on a word that, coincidentally, begins with the letter “P.” This is what the five Ps sound like: Personnel, Planet, Products, Partners, Profit!
• Megafon's mission: MegaFon will unite Russia, breaking down barriers and developing communications to become everyone's obvious choice. MegaFon proceeds from a special attitude towards the company's social mission, which is to create conditions for people to communicate, without regard to borders and distances.
• Microsoft's Mission Statement: At Microsoft, our mission is to help people and business organizations around the world realize their full potential. Achieving this goal requires talented, energetic, bright and creative people with the following virtues: integrity and honesty, enthusiasm, openness and respect, willingness to solve complex problems, self-criticism and responsibility.
• Youtube video hosting mission: to provide quick and easy video access and the ability to share videos frequently.
• Lenovo company mission (Lenovo): For those who do! For those who do! (alternatively, “For those who act!”). At Lenovo, our vision is that Lenovo will create personal devices that inspire more people, inspired by our own culture, and through which we build a business respected around the world. This Vision guides us in achieving our mission to become one of the world's greatest technology companies. We will do this through: Personal Computing, Convergence and Culture.
• MTS Company Mission: We work to make MTS the best operator for its customers. We want every person who comes to an MTS salon, calls our call center, or uses the company’s services to enjoy being an MTS client. Thanks to reliable communications, MTS provides customers with the opportunity to build and improve their lives and constantly develop. All MTS resources are aimed at ensuring that, thanks to the company’s services, the lives of MTS clients become more eventful, interesting and filled with new opportunities.
• The mission of the Russian Railways (RZD) company is to satisfy market demand for transportation, increase operational efficiency, quality of services and deep integration into the Euro-Asian transport system. Russian Railways brand mission: We are the most important part of the global system of movement of people, goods and technologies. We work for clients, contribute to the unification of peoples, and integrate Russia into a single economic space. Our solutions are based on a unique infrastructure, the skill of a team of high-level professionals and innovative technologies.
• Mission of the Aeroflot Group: We work to ensure that our clients can quickly and comfortably travel vast distances, which means they can be mobile, meet more often, work successfully and see the world in all its diversity. Vision: Our goal is to remain the undisputed leader in domestic and international air transportation in Russia and to be among the best airlines in the world, combining dynamic development and high reliability with quality service.

o Mission: “Sakhalin Energy strives to be a leading producer of energy resources on the world market. We build our activities on the basis of efficient, reliable and safe production, and a responsible attitude towards social and environmental issues.” Vision: "To be the leading energy source for the Asia-Pacific region."

o Mission of AQUAART GROUP: We create new value in the lives of people around the world. We believe that only at home can we get that supply of positive emotions that fill our lives with meaning. That's why we chose home improvement as our field of activity.

o Wrigley Company Mission and Vision: Wrigley. Creating simple pleasures to brighten every day. Our Purpose: Wrigley is a company without borders. Because this is how we see the world. Whether it's chewing gum that keeps your mouth healthy, fresh and clean, or a handful of our candies that brings a smile to your face, we strive to bring goodness to people through our products, and never lose that. Our creativity keeps us moving forward, to new places, with new products, for new occasions, in new ways, so that the world can enjoy Wrigley. Whenever you want to add a little flavor to your day and add a flavor of freshness to it, we are always We are at your fingertips, but the right to choose always remains on your side.

o Rostelecom mission: More opportunities for everyone. Rostelecom creates more opportunities for people, both through its services and through the implementation of projects and initiatives that address topics important to society. Telecommunications have the ability to change and improve people's lives, and this is what Rostelecom strives for in its relations with everyone who comes into contact with the activities of our company.

o Benetton's mission and vision. Benetton Group is focused on the future. Her story is built on innovation and seeing what others don't see. The Benetton Group has always been a leader and at the forefront: with flowers, with a revolutionary approach to sales, with an absolutely unique production and sales network and with a universal form of communication that is created as a social phenomenon and as a cultural debate. The Benetton Group's mission has been global since before the advent of globalization, but the company has always followed its own path. From the very beginning, Benetton envisioned fashion for a global community where young people of every race live. Benetton is moving in its development at high speed, overcoming geographical, political and any ideological boundaries. Benetton is a responsible Group, sensitive to the needs and challenges of our time, attentive to the environment, human dignity and the transformation of society. Benetton is committed to growth, not as an end in itself, but as a means to promote progress.

In this article we offer you a selection of missions of large well-known companies in the world's leading markets. The given examples of missions of organizations and manufacturing enterprises will help you fully understand the meaning and meaning of this concept and will help you create the right vision for the business.

All examples of missions are divided into key product groups and markets.

Retail brand missions

Wallmart Mission:“We help our customers save money to make their lives better.”

Target Mission:“Become the preferred shopping destination through innovative solutions, exceptional offers, and exceeding customer expectations.”

The Home Depot Mission:“To provide each customer with a high level of service, a wide range and competitive prices”

IKEA Mission:"Improving everyone's daily life"

Amazon's Mission: “Create a space where everyone can buy anything they want online”

CVS Mission:"Helping people improve their health"

Best Buy Mission:“We solve our customers' unmet needs through the ingenuity of our employees.”

Missions of IT and Social brands

Google's mission:“It’s convenient to organize all the information in the world and make it accessible and useful to everyone”

Microsoft Mission:“To give everyone the opportunity to realize their full potential”

Skype Mission:“Become a platform for people to communicate in real time”

YouTube Mission:“Provide quick and easy access to video content and provide the ability to share videos with each other”

Twitter Mission:"Instantly connect people everywhere"

Apple's mission:“To provide students, educators, and creative professionals around the world with the best personal computers through innovative solutions.”

Missions of sportswear brands

Adidas Mission:“To become the best sports brand in the world. Never compare quantity with quality. The athlete always comes first.”

Nike's Mission:"To provide inspiration and innovative solutions to every athlete in the world"

Umbro's Mission:“To excite and inspire. Let everyone fall in love with the wonderful world of football"

Asics Mission:“Becoming number one for sports enthusiasts. To achieve this, we promise to produce the best product, backed by our technological advancements, and to push the boundaries of what the body can do."

Missions of food and beverage brands

Coca-Cola Mission:“Refresh the world, body, mind and spirit; Promote optimism through our drinks and our deeds; Bringing meaning to everything we do."

Pepsi Mission:“To be the world's best food company focused on prepared foods and beverages. In everything we do, we are guided by three principles - honesty, consistency and fairness."

Nestlé Mission:“We believe that research and development will help make food better, thereby improving people's lives.”

Danone Mission:“Provide as many people as possible with healthy food”

Missions of B2B brands

Cisco Mission:“The company's software, hardware and services are used to create secure networks that provide easy access to information anywhere, anytime.”

IBM Mission:“To lead in the invention, development and production of information technologies, including software, computers, information storage systems and microelectronics. And help improve the business of our clients around the world with the help of advanced technologies."

Intel Mission:“Create and improve computer technology to connect and improve the lives of every person on earth”

General Electric's mission:“We exist to solve the problems of everyone on earth, be it a company or an individual.”

British Petroleum's mission:“Promoting human progress through the following qualities: honesty, openness of dealings”

Ready solutions

We have a ready-made template with which you can easily apply the theoretical knowledge of this article in practice. You can download a sample for developing the mission of your organization or product in the section.

In this article we will tell you what the company’s mission and values ​​are, when such a subsection on the website is needed, and when it makes no sense.

What is the company's mission

The mission of a company is the reason for its existence besides making money. Mission is the cause you serve. It shapes the values, beliefs and principles of business, reflects the purpose of the company, its positioning (difference from other market participants), determines the role that the company wants to play in society.

The subsection with the mission can be called differently: “Philosophy”, “Anatomy”, “Biology”, “Brand DNA”, “Company Values” and so on - as far as the marketing department’s imagination allows.

Variations on a theme:

In the book by Bangladeshi social entrepreneur Yunus Muhammad, “Creating a World Without Poverty. Social business and the future of capitalism" is the concept of "corporate social responsibility". It brings all philosophies, missions and the like under one roof - it is a commitment to do good to people and the world around us, or at least not to harm them.

Why does a company NOT need a mission statement?

Yunus Muhammad, to whom I have already referred and will continue to do so, says that modern consumers are rejecting the services of companies with a tarnished image. However, when preparing the article, I did not find any convincing evidence that “negative social positioning of a brand” has a bad effect on commercial performance. If you know of such studies, please send links in the comments.

But there is data confirming the opposite. In an article devoted to the results of Dieselgate, Bloomberg View analyst Leonid Bershidsky argues that the Volkswagen concern not only did not suffer from the environmental scandal of 2015, but also increased its efficiency. Moreover, it was in the “dieselgate” year of 2015 that the Volkswagen Group displaced the long-time leader Toyota from first place in terms of sales volumes in the world. And, according to the latest data, VAG is only increasing its advantage; PR has only played to its advantage.

Another example: let’s compare the rating of the largest cosmetics manufacturers from Brand Rankings with the lists of the international organization PETA, which fights for the ethical treatment of animals. For the entire TOP 10 we see the following picture:

Eliminating animal testing has commercial implications for cosmetics makers who appeal to a narrow audience of animal rights activists. For example, for the manufacturer of environmentally friendly cosmetics Bare Escentual.

But for a wide audience this factor is not of great importance. Cruel, but true.

Before you tell your clients about the mission, you need to understand one thing: the mission is not for clients, not for partners and not for profit, it is personal for the business owner. If he himself wants to live in a “green” world or so that sick children have the opportunity to recover, if he is willing to give part of the profits for these purposes, the company will have a mission.

But mission costs are not an advertising budget. You cannot expect to invest a certain amount and then calculate the effectiveness of the investment. This is equivalent to me giving a beggar at the entrance to Magnit 100 rubles, and then asking the store for a discount. I’m so kind, do you feel sorry for me?

Yunus Muhammad says the same thing: some corporations view social responsibility as a type of advertising. 1% of the profits are sent to help the poor, and the remaining 99% - to production, where the labor of the same poor is exploited in violation of basic labor laws. Don’t do this, be honest at least with yourself.

But this does not mean that social projects should be hidden away and shrugged in shame if someone finds out and asks. Social projects are “white” PR in its purest form and the right path to regional and federal media. You can and should talk about them, but honestly, without pathos and attempts to manipulate people. This is my personal belief.

Why then is a mission needed?

To answer this question, you should first ask yourself another:

To whom do you owe obligations?

Social obligations can be held to society as a whole.

Social obligations can be kept to a specific group of people.

Social commitments can be made to your employees.

The press service of Sela confirmed that the personnel department uses methods for identifying the personality traits of applicants. If a candidate does not show the required qualities, he will not be hired.

Social responsibilities can be maintained to customers.

So, the mission:

1. Increases public interest in business. The logic of “Sportmaster” is clear: more people involved in sports means more buyers of sporting goods.
2. Attracts employees, clients and partners with similar views, tastes, and interests. A few years ago, the Xiaomi brand also advanced on this topic. The manufacturer has consistently created a fan environment: starting with its product line (the principle of “powerful and fast hardware for little money”) and ending with the official international MIUI fan site.

1. Stimulates actions that may ultimately lead to the purchase of a product or service.

1. Activates emotional factors in choosing a product and service.

Is there a need for a subsection with the company’s mission on the website?

Understand correctly: charity is wonderful, but if you write a few pretentious phrases on your website that have nothing behind them, you will not convince others that you care about world peace.

Reading this, I just want to shout: “Guys, you’re just selling balls and bicycles!” Seriously, what if your client bought a treadmill from you, ran it for several days and realized that it was too hard and the sport was not for him at all? If the purchase does not make him cheerful, cheerful, or happy, what will you do? Will you take the exercise machine back and enroll the buyer in body positivity courses?

Less pathos and abstractions, more references to real affairs.

Publish certificates and gratitude from public organizations and foundations

The Taxovichkof taxi service from St. Petersburg transports employees of partner charitable foundations and public organizations free of charge. A representative of any social project who needs help with transport can leave a request on the official website. There are several dozen such certificates in the “Charity” subsection.

Tell us what charitable causes your products go to

Show how your business processes improve the environment

It would seem that there is nothing special here. Many trucking companies are buying gas-powered vehicles and optimizing routes - it's simply cheaper than gasoline and driving in circles. But Gruzovichkof translates its principles into an environmental dimension and receives a bonus to karma.

Publish reports on charitable events in the news section on the website

At the same time, you can get into the federal press.

Set goals and track the percentage of their completion

If you look closely, the goals of pet food maker Purina are not much different from those of its competitors. As well as from other large companies.

G. Ford defined the mission of the Ford company as providing people with cheap transport. He understood well that the company’s mission should be aimed at the consumer and solve primarily the consumer’s problems, and not the internal problems of the organization, such as ensuring profit, expanding the market, increasing sales, etc.

The mission of the famous Eastman Kodak company is: “To become the world leader in chemical and electronic imaging.” Here we see that the statement outlines the company's main long-term goal - "to become a global leader", but also specifies in which industry. At the same time, despite the fact that we know this company more as a manufacturer of photographic products, the company's management does not limit itself only to these products.

Matsushita Electric's mission is to "contribute to improving the quality of life by providing society with household appliances that are as cheap as water."

Considering this mission, we see that, on the one hand, it is quite specific, because:

the company's field of activity is named - production of electrical household appliances;

a global goal has been outlined - improving the quality of life of society;

It is clear how the company is going to achieve its goal - supplying society with cheap electrical appliances.

But at the same time

the aspiration of Matsushita Electric is formulated very broadly and implies the presence of a variety of projects leading to one global result;

The direction of development is also formulated broadly and gives greater freedom in choosing specific ways to achieve the goal.

The mission statement of Sun Banks, one of the world's largest financial institutions, is a prime example of a mission being the product of careful and serious thought. Sun Banks' mission is to promote the economic development and welfare of the communities served by the company by providing citizens and businesses with quality banking services in a manner and to an extent consistent with high professional and ethical standards, providing fair and appropriate returns to the company's shareholders, and equitable relations with company employees.

Another example of a successful (in the author’s opinion) mission is the mission of the Reyter company. It goes like this: “Providing services to those who seek to improve the management of their company is our only business; customer satisfaction is our main goal.” In stating its mission, the company does not limit itself to a certain set of clients, but is ready to provide its services to all those who need it, with maximum benefit to the consumer.

Despite the fact that Russian companies are just beginning to realize the importance of the mission for the functioning of organizations, many companies still have a mission statement. As an example, here are a few excerpts from the missions of Russian companies.

Dovgan Corporation - “protected quality, protected health.”

The mission of the management and marketing consulting center is to “promote the economic rise of Russia and win its worthy place in the world market through the development of Russian entrepreneurship.”

The Radian company is “providing the region with modern engineering and technical security equipment from leading companies in the world, comprehensive solutions that combine: security and fire alarms, video surveillance systems and restrictions on access to premises, as well as air conditioning and lighting.”

An example of a differentiating mission is Nokia's mission: "By connecting people, we help meet the fundamental human need for connection and social contact. Nokia builds bridges between people - whether they are apart or face to face - and helps people get the information they need." It would seem, which of the things listed in Nokia’s mission are not being done by other mobile communications manufacturers? Motorola, Sony-Ericsson, LG, Panasonic and other players in this market offer absolutely the same things.

For example, the Russian industrial company OAO Severstal, listed by Forbes magazine, uses its mission statement to communicate to employees the company's key priorities and how it relates to them and other stakeholder groups. As a result, if a company employee has a question about what to do in a given situation, whether it is worth looking for non-standard solutions or being content with long-accepted approaches to work, the mission provides answers to these questions.

In addition, being a large company with an extensive structure, Severstal OJSC invests in the development of the infrastructure of the regions in which the company's production is located, which is reflected in its mission and values. Such investments not only contribute to business development, but also have a positive impact on the loyalty of employees to the company - thus they have the opportunity to feel part of something important and greater than just the production of steel products, which they do not even deal with in life.

The mission of Severstal OJSC: “To be the best partner for all stakeholders: to create competitive advantages for its consumers, to generate growing and reliable demand for suppliers, to guarantee an attractive return for shareholders and a decent level of remuneration for the company’s employees, to help unleash the creative potential of employees. Most significant and priority standards of behavior in the company are reflected in the strategic values ​​of Severstal OJSC: continuous improvement by unlocking the creative potential of employees, focus on results, team spirit, trust and honesty, willingness to accept challenges, leadership, customer focus, social responsibility."

Citibank Mission: We help people manage their money effectively.

EBay's Mission: To provide a global marketplace where anyone can buy or sell virtually anything.

Ford Motor Mission: We are a global family and proud of our heritage of bringing personal freedom to people around the world.

Mary Kay Mission: To brighten the lives of women around the world by offering clients quality products, opening new horizons for independent beauty consultants and providing them with unlimited career opportunities, doing everything to ensure that women who come into contact with the Mary Kay company can realize themselves.

focusing the attention of stakeholders on specific aspects of its strategy and specific types of products, customer groups, markets, geographic regions, or ways to achieve business goals. The narrow approach is especially actively used by companies that at one time were the first to introduce a certain innovation to the market, since it is precisely this that is their main competitive advantage and strategic guideline. Or, the mission is formulated narrowly if the success of the company requires an absolutely clear understanding of every aspect of its activities.

Examples of a narrow approach to mission statements include companies and organizations such as IBM, Polaroid, Starbucks, and the CIA, among others.

IBM Mission: We strive to be leaders in the invention, development and production of the industry's most advanced information technologies, including computer systems, software, storage systems and microelectronics. We turn these technologies into value for customers through professional solutions, service and consulting services around the world.

Polaroid's Mission: To advance the instant photography and digital market to meet people's growing need to capture the faces of friends and family, places dear to their hearts, and life's funny moments.

Starbucks Mission: To be the world's leading provider of the world's finest coffees while growing the company through our unwavering principles (a respectful place to work; cultural diversity; coffee excellence; customer satisfaction; community contributions; profitability).

CIA Mission: We are the eyes and ears of a nation, and sometimes its invisible hand. We achieve the mission as follows:

By collecting only the necessary intelligence.

By providing relevant, objective and comprehensive analysis – on time.

Performing protective actions against the President of the United States to prevent threats or to achieve U.S. political objectives.

You need to start talking about developing a company strategy by talking about the mission.
Conversations about the company's mission are perceived ambiguously. Some people see “water” in this, others are trying to find something sacred.
When you discuss mission with others, many say that it is necessary and gives meaning to activities, but it is difficult to find.
It's actually easy to find. Just don't make the mission search unnecessarily complicated. There is no need to invent a mission or search hard for it. It already exists. We need to open it.
It was not my purpose in this article to describe the need to create a mission. We will touch on this topic indirectly. Let us only indicate its place in the structure of creating a company strategy and talk about the techniques for its development.
Let's look at a simple scheme for developing and implementing a business strategy, without taking into account the corporate one.

The mission is part of the company's vision. It is the company’s vision that is formed at the first stage of creating a strategy.
A company vision, like any other form of planning, is not needed in good times and when it is clear what to do. Plans are important in situations where it is not known how to act, when the consequences are unpredictable. Then we need some landmarks - distant beacons.
The role of such a beacon is played by the company's vision.

Company vision

A vision consists of two elements:
1) Basic ideology;
2) Image of the future.

The basic ideology, in turn, consists of:
1) Core values;
2) Main purpose (Company Mission).

And the image of the future consists of:
1) Ambitious goal
2) A visual description of the future.

Company vision diagram

Unfortunately, I have almost no examples for you from Russian practice. Why? There are two reasons:
1) Russian business is not even 30 years old, and the markets were still not saturated and not competitive, it was necessary to work and saturate them. There was no competition. It was necessary to survive first, and then get enough. It's hard to talk about a mission with an unfed person. Today, when markets are becoming saturated and competition has increased, it is time to think about what and how to do, and not just saturate.
2) Russian companies, even if they develop missions and visions, do not advertise them.
By the way, it is quite possible that American business is greater than ours because they have a vision?

Let's first talk briefly about the remaining elements of the company's vision.

Core Values- these are 3-5 fundamental deep values ​​that will never change. Often they try to insert “quality” here, but if you were a manufacturer of household appliances, today, ensuring their quality, you would fly out of the market. The same thing, unfortunately, applies to almost all other sectors of the market. Quality can be part of a business strategy (i.e., a goal for some period), but not a key value, but a globally unchanged one. For example, one of the values ​​of our DC group of companies is “simplification”. The value of the Japanese company “Sony” was “improving the image of Japanese culture.” IKEA is thrifty. Zappos has a “Wow” thanks to the service.

Ambitious goal- clear and inspiring goals that clearly mark the finish line. Like going into space or landing on the moon. There are 4 types of such goals:
1) Subject-based (target on market share or segment);
2) Competitive (surpass a competitor);
3) Imitation (become like...);
4) Reformist.

Examples:
1960, Nike: completely smash Adidas.
1995, Rockwell: Stop being a defense company and become a better diversified high-tech company.
Early 20th century, Ford: create a cheap car for the masses.

Visual description is a picture of the future of the company, which will come when the company achieves its goal.
(You can read more about these elements of vision formation in the article “Formation of a company’s vision.” D. Collins, D. Porras in HBR issues)

Let's get back to talking about mission.
Speaking about the mission, it is necessary to clearly differentiate: 1) the mission of the owner of the company, 2) the mission of the company.
Because In our country, most companies are tied to owners and there are few open joint-stock companies, then of course the owner and his vision determine the mission of the company itself.

Owner's mission

If you are over 30 years old and have life experience, then you probably already intuitively understand where life is pushing you and what tasks you enjoy solving.
Defining this mission will remove the fuss and give confidence in actions and choice of path.
The mission will allow you to understand what not to do and what not to do.

If you allow me, here I will give a personal example. When I realized the need for a written statement of a certain mission, I looked back at my experience and realized that all my life (whether I worked in a hospital as a doctor, as a salesman in corporations, in my own trading business) I had been doing the same thing: processing information, systematized it and developed algorithms based on it.

For example, I remember how in medical school we suffered, trying to remember the following layers of the eye cornea in the correct order: epithelium, Bowman's membrane, stroma, Descemet's membrane, endothelium. Out of habit, everyone was cramming, but I noticed that the name of the layers coincides with the beginning of the Latin alphabet: ABCDE. I remember how pleased my students and classmates were with this mnemonic discovery.

I defined my personal mission as reducing entropy. Entropy here is a kind of measure of chaos. I struggle with it in myself and in the surrounding information, in the actions of colleagues and clients.
This is really true - I don’t create anything new, I don’t teach, I reduce entropy, remove chaos in my head and the heads of my clients, looking for simple direct paths. Those. I see my task as simplification.

By the way, this mission is reflected in the name of the company “DC”. DC is a direct current, where the electrons flow in one direction, as opposed to an alternating current, where the direction of the electrons is constantly changing. This way the mission can be reflected in branding. DC is a direct path, direct solutions, without entropy (variability).

When I managed to formulate a mission for myself and understand it, my periodic impulses to try myself in the production or trading sphere disappeared. I was able to focus on my core projects, each of which reflects my mission in its own way.

Think about whether there is something similar in your life.

Steve Pavlina says that a personal mission can be defined in 20 minutes. You need to take a sheet of paper, title it “What is the meaning of my life” and write without stopping for 20 minutes. No need to think about syllable, spelling, etc. Just keep writing. At some point you will be hit. And search advertising and SEO specialists can, in addition, check the semantics of the resulting phrases, finding the most common ones among them.

Company's mission

Let's return to the question of why it is needed. A parable comes to mind:

The monk who supervised the construction of the cathedral decided to watch how the masons worked.
He approached the first one and asked him to tell about his work.
— I sit in front of a block of stone and work with a chisel. “It’s boring and tedious work that exhausts me,” he said angrily.
The monk approached the second mason and asked him the same thing.
— I work on stone with a chisel and earn money from it. Now my family will not starve,” the master answered with restraint.
The monk saw the third mason and asked about his work.
“I’m building a Temple,” the mason answered, smiling.

The mission will be reflected in the future of your company, in the branding of your company, in the plans of your company. Perhaps it will add some sacredness to your work and become a connecting link for your team, especially in difficult moments.

• A mission is not a goal or a strategy.
• Mission is a certain meaning of existence and purpose of an organization.
• The mission cannot be achieved completely, but I want to strive for it.
• A mission should not be confused with a company's slogan or strategic principle, although sometimes they sound the same.
• A mission cannot be invented, only revealed.

Strategies change, missions remain. For example, the IBM company (to be leaders in innovation) or the Apple company (computers of the highest quality), which did whatever they did.

How to define a company's mission. I usually gather the decision makers in the company and start asking them the question “Why?”. Why are you in this business? And I continue to ask this question at least 3-6 times.

With one of my clients, a gun seller, we started with beautiful phrases about high-quality and affordable products for men of all ages, went through childhood dreams and war games, and ended with the possibility of providing a sense of security for the family.

Another good idea is to ask top management: “Suppose you already have enough money in your account, what else would motivate you to come to work?” It’s especially good to ask it after a series of “Why?” questions, because it shows how sincere the answers were.

Another technique for developing a company’s mission or strategic principle is the “elevator speech.” Explain the meaning of your activity during the elevator ride.

You can look up the missions of the world's largest companies on the Internet, but I'll tell you... example, the missions of some companies in which I am a co-owner:

• "Guy and Company" - help companies move from operational efficiency to strategic efficiency, creating additional value in their projects.
• "DC" - increase process efficiency through direct solutions(essentially the same decrease in entropy).

There is no point in analyzing the correctness or incorrectness of a mission. And, to be honest, it can always be corrected without changing the meaning. For example, HP's Packard is known to have adjusted the company's mission several times. HP's mission statement is “Creating technological advances for the benefit of humanity.” And this is probably true, because it is known that it was in HP laboratories that the graphical computer interface and the first handheld computer were developed. But they didn’t put these technologies into practice, but Steve Jobs spied on them and launched them.

The mission is important, don't ignore it. Perhaps our companies find it difficult to create additional value because we do not attach importance to creating a company mission and vision.

Ask your question:
(Only the site administrator will see your email and message)