Vision | Mission | Values | Design Best Practice for Businesses

Vision Statement: (Where We Want to Be)

A Vision Statement is aspirational and expresses what the organization hopes to achieve, and what differentiates it from the competition. The primary difference between a vision and mission statement is the timeline, although there can be an overlap between the two. In general, a mission statement defines what an organization is currently doing to accomplish the stated objectives with continuity. While a vision statement is the ultimate goal of what they’d like to accomplish through the lens of infinity.

Key questions to ask when developing a Vision Statement include:

• What do we expect to achieve in the global market?
• What differentiates us from others?
• How do we steward our culture in all we do?
• How do we steward excellence in all we do?

Mission Statement: (Who We are Now)

The Mission is tangible and describes what business the organization is in and the markets and customers it serves. It embodies the core competencies of the organization and the reason the organization was created in the first place.

Key questions to ask when developing a Mission Statement include:

• What do we do?
• How do we do it?
• Whom do we do it for?
• What value are we bringing?

Core Values (How We Treat Each Other)

A company's core values are palpable and are the core principles that help it accomplish its mission and vision. For example, a company that sees itself going carbon negative within 10 years may embody the values of sustainability and community. The company values act as a behavioral standard for the actions of the business and its employees.

Key questions to ask when developing Core Values include:

• What are some of the most important values we want all employees of this organization to bring to the work they do?
• What values lie at the heart of the most important promises we make to our customers/clients?
• What values serve as the hallmark of our service?
• What values might best capture our reputation and how we want to be seen by our customers in the marketplace?
• What will I see and hear that will characterize the values coming to life, day-to-day?
• What should be the hallmarks of all our managers?
• What are employees saying to their closest friends and family about what it is like to work here?

Integrate the Employee Value Proposition and Strategy

• Perform an "Organizational Assessment" to identify gaps on the Business Structural Framework (BSF)
• As an option to the above in "mature organizations," we leverage existing EVP and Strategy models
• Provide a gap analysis against current and future state models
• Create and distribute Stakeholder and Employee Culture Surveys
• Stratify data and enlist core focus groups for validation
• Collaborate to update "statements" via a stakeholder workshop to promote buy-in

Why Vision | Mission | Values - Design Are Important for Businesses

This effort is meant to help your organizations efficiently identify and cultivate the Vision, Mission, and Values to meet cultural goals. This dynamic and highly collaborative approach will afford you with a sustainable beacon to guide strategy execution, while supporting the Employee Value Proposition, Internal, and External branding that embodies "how you do business."