The process of strategic management is ongoing and, of course, strategic. It takes place in carefully planned and sequential steps as a series of management decisions that will forever impact the performance of an organization and the organization overall. The strategic management process is a long-standing and philosophical approach to doing business. Typically, it involves five steps, to be amended and adjusted accordingly: goal setting, analysis, strategy formulation strategy implementation, and evaluation and control. When everyone within the business understands the strategy, it is at its most effective. Each of these steps of the strategic management process include formal planning, analysis and continued feedback and amendment processes depending on the organization’s goals and objectives.
Strategic management is a time-consuming process that includes the five aforementioned steps, but also several small tactics and goals for the organization, such as the establishment of a mission and/or vision statement. The organization must be working on solid ground and have a goal or objective which its products and/or services will meet and fulfill. The proclamation of a mission or vision statement is a “prominent concept in performance improvement, talent management and change management” (Kirkpatrick, 2017, p. 87). Vision and mission statements are crucial to leadership and provide meaning and context to employees about an organization’s purpose. Without this guiding light of sorts, any part of the strategic management process is likely to fail. Organizations are largely meant to bring people together and especially professional associations centered around an industry or profession. Effective and cohesive vision statements improve organizational performance, employee attitudes, job satisfaction and the like. A study on vision statement development found five categories of approaches, from which one is typically selected and maintained in use throughout an organization’s statement of the vision over time. Vision statements came to be developed as a result of the inspiration to make a difference in leaders; even without a formal vision statement, but vision implementation instead; an unstated vision turning into a formal declaration; a process of refining the vision statement following feedback; and the periodical examination and revision of the formal vision statement. Per the study, the highest approach was vision statements that are unofficial or go uncommunicated.
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However, vision and mission statements should be clear, yet are limited in not being flexible, covering each possible eventuality or addressing tangential issues and atypical situations. According to Wadas (2014), mission and vision statements are abstract projects into the future, but also are thought of as a ‘screwdriver,’ top press, pry and hammer it into the minds of organizational employees (p. 108). The strategic management process, or even the vision and mission statement development process, are not meant to be archaic or authoritative, but instead provide a clear projection, as best as it can, of a company’s long-term goals. Vision and mission statements are instrumental not only internally, but externally as well. Corporate reputation cannot be controlled directly, but the proper management of corporate reputation is important to building a positive public perception, especially to consumers and stakeholders. Mission and vision statements, according to Spear (2010, p. 159), are “corporate identity cues.” They set and represent corporate personality and although there is no agreed upon definition of those concepts in the literature, it is shown through previous research that they are not being properly employed to an organization’s advantage. Vision and mission statements play great roles in organization cohesiveness and success and when properly ingratiated into it, can have a positive influence on stakeholder and customer perceptions. Future studies on the matter could consider the best nature and approach to creating such statements that will mostly stand the test of time, in order to understand how they fit into the corporate identity mix.
- Kirkpatrick, S. A. (2017). Toward a Grounded Theory: A Qualitative Study of Vision Statement Development. Journal of Management Policy and Practice, 18(1), 87.
- Spear, S. (2017). Impression management activity in vision, mission, and values statements: A comparison of commercial and charitable organizations. International Studies of Management & Organization, 47(2), 159-175.
- Wadas, L. R. (2017). Mission statements in academic libraries: a discourse analysis. Library Management, 38(2/3), 108-116.
