In the most general and at the same time in the most in-depth understanding, the role of the organization’s mission is that it establishes a connection, orients in a single direction the interests and expectations of those people who perceive the organization from the inside, and those who perceive the organization from the outside. Moreover, the mission allows you to orient or even subordinate the interests of people “internal” in relation to the organization to the interests of “external” people. By defining what the organization was created and exists for, the mission gives people's actions meaning and purposefulness, allowing them to better see and realize not only what they should do, but also why they carry out their actions. There is a broad and narrow understanding of mission.

In a broad sense, mission is the philosophy and purpose, the meaning of existence of an organization.

An organization's philosophy defines the values, beliefs and principles by which the organization intends to carry out its activities. Purpose defines the activities that an organization intends to carry out and what type of organization it intends to be. The philosophy of an organization rarely changes. As for the second part of the mission, it may vary depending on the depth of possible changes in the organization and in the environment of its functioning.

In a narrow sense, a mission is a formulated statement regarding what or for what reason an organization exists, i.e. mission is understood as a statement that reveals the meaning of the organization’s existence, in which the difference between this organization and similar ones is manifested.

A correctly defined mission, although it always has a general philosophical meaning, nevertheless, necessarily carries within itself something that makes it unique in its kind, characterizing exactly the organization in which it was developed. Next we will talk about the mission in a narrow sense.

EXAMPLES OF MISSIONS Here are examples of the missions of various organizations. At the beginning, I would like to give examples of the missions of large global companies that have long proven themselves to be successful, growing organizations in the world market.

1. The mission of the currently most popular Apple Computer company is as follows: “We offer computers of the most high quality for people all over the world."

2. The mission of the famous company Eastman Kodak is: “To become the world leader in chemical and electronic imaging.”

3. Another example of a successful 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.”

4 Mary Kay - skin care products and decorative cosmetics. : "Beautifying the lives of women around the world

We will achieve this by offering customers quality products, opening new horizons for Independent Beauty Consultants and providing them with unlimited career opportunities. We will do everything so that women who come into contact with Mary Kay can realize themselves. We will proudly carry out our mission, based on the positive philosophy of our Company."

5 American Red Cross "The mission of the American Red Cross is to improve quality human life; develop people's self-confidence and responsibility; We teach people to avoid accidents and at the same time be prepared for them, to be able to provide first aid."

Slogan: "Protect the defenseless"

Even though Russian companies 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.

4. Radian Company – “providing the region with modern engineering and technical security equipment from the world’s leading companies, comprehensive solutions, combining in themselves: security and fire alarm, video surveillance systems and restrictions on access to premises, as well as air conditioning and lighting.”

5. The mission of Alfa-Bank is as follows: “Alfa-Bank carries out all types of banking operations, helping you better navigate the world of finance, manage money effectively and provide the convenience of banking services.”

6 Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) - Russian mobile operator:

Old version:

“Our mission is to build a sustainable mobile world that connects people, enriches their lives and unlocks their potential - at work and at home.

We are confident that we will achieve the company's goals thanks to knowledge of the needs of our clients, the work of highly qualified specialists, the constant introduction of new technologies and systematic approach to the development of the company."

New version:

How we work

We are working 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. And for this you need:

provide reliable communications anywhere and anytime;

make all MTS services modern, understandable and simple;

pay attention to customer wishes and provide maximum support;

strive to ensure that every decision we make is made in the best interests of the users of our services;

offer exactly what the client needs and anticipate his desires.

Why we work

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.

There are broad and narrow understandings of mission. In the case of a broad understanding, the mission is considered as a statement of the philosophy and purpose, the meaning of the organization’s existence. An organization's philosophy expresses the values, beliefs and principles by which the organization intends to conduct its activities. Purpose defines the activities that an organization intends to carry out and what type of organization it intends to be. The philosophy of an organization usually rarely changes. As for the second part of the mission, it may vary depending on the depth of changes that may take place in the organization and in the environment of its functioning.
If there is a narrow understanding of the mission, it is considered as a formulated statement regarding what or for what reason the organization exists. That is, the mission is understood as a statement that reveals the meaning of the organization’s existence, in which the difference between this organization and similar ones is manifested. A correctly formulated mission, although it always has a general philosophical meaning, necessarily carries something that makes it unique in its kind, characterizing exactly the organization in which it was developed. Further in this textbook, the mission will be understood as it is understood when viewed in a narrow sense.
The goal principle in the activities of an organization arises as a reflection of the goals and interests of various groups of people, one way or another connected with the activities of the organization and involved in the process of its functioning. The main groups of people whose interests influence the activities of the organization, and therefore must be taken into account when determining its purpose, are:
owners of the organization who create, operate and develop the organization in order to solve their life problems by appropriating the results of the organization’s activities;
employees of the organization, who with their labor directly support the organization’s activities, the creation and sale of the product and the promotion of external resources, receive compensation from the organization for their work and solve their life problems with the help of this compensation;
buyers of an organization's product, giving it their resources (most often money) in exchange for a product offered to them by the organization, and satisfying their needs with the help of this product; business partners of an organization who are in formal and informal relations with it business relations who provide commercial and non-commercial services to organizations and receive either compensation or similar services from the organization;
the local community, which is in a multifaceted interaction with the organization, primarily related to the formation of the social and environmental environment of the organization;
society as a whole, primarily represented by state institutions, interacting with the organization in the political, legal, economic and other spheres of the macroenvironment, receiving from the organization part of the wealth it creates to ensure social well-being and development, the fruits of which, along with other members of society, also The organization also uses it.
The organization's mission, to a greater or lesser extent, should reflect the interests of all six of the above entities. The degree to which the interests of each of these six subjects are manifested in the mission fundamentally depends on the size of the organization, what business it is in, where it is located, etc. The most consistent, powerful, and specific influence on an organization's mission, regardless of what the organization is, comes from the interests of owners, employees, and customers. Therefore, the mission of the organization must be formulated in such a way that it necessarily reflects a combination of the interests of these three groups of people.
According to F. Kotler, the mission should be developed taking into account the following five factors:
the history of the company, during which the philosophy of the company was developed, its profile and style of activity, place in the market, etc. were formed;
the existing style of behavior and mode of action of owners and management personnel;
the state of the organization's environment;
the resources it can bring to bear to achieve its goals;
distinctive features that the organization has.
A well-stated mission statement clarifies what an organization is and what it strives to be, and sets the organization apart from others like it. To do this, the transcript accompanying the mission must reflect the following characteristics of the organization:
target guidelines of the organization, reflecting what tasks the organization’s activities are aimed at solving, and what the organization strives for in its activities in long term;
the sphere of activity of the organization, reflecting what product the organization offers to customers, and in what market the organization sells its product;
the philosophy of the organization, which is manifested in the values and beliefs that are accepted in the organization;
opportunities and ways of carrying out the activities of the organization, reflecting what the strength of the organization is, what its distinctive capabilities for survival in the long term are, in what way and with the help of what technology the organization carries out its work, what know-how and advanced technology are available for this.
Along with the above characteristics of the organization, when forming the mission of the organization, it is important to reflect the image that the organization has in the content and form of the mission statement. The mission, to a greater or lesser extent, always reflects the image of the organization. However, with a skillful approach to formulating a mission, it is possible to ensure that it very clearly reflects the image that the organization has.
So why is the mission formulated, what does it provide for the organization’s activities?
Firstly, the mission gives the subjects of the external environment a general idea of what the organization is, what it strives for, what means it is ready to use in its activities, what its philosophy is, etc. In addition, the mission contributes to the formation or consolidation of a certain image of the organization in the representation of subjects of the external environment.
Secondly, the mission contributes to the formation of unity within the organization and the creation of a corporate spirit. This manifests itself in the following:
The mission makes clear to employees the overall goal, the purpose of the organization's existence. As a result, the employees of the organization, realizing its mission, seem to orient their actions in a single direction;
The mission helps employees to more easily identify themselves with the organization. For those employees who identify themselves with the organization, the mission acts as a point of concentration for their attention when carrying out their activities;
the mission helps to establish a certain climate in the organization, since through it the philosophy of the organization, values and principles that underlie the construction and implementation of the organization’s activities are communicated to people.
Thirdly, the mission creates the opportunity for more effective management of the organization due to the fact that it:
is the basis for setting goals for the organization, ensures consistency in the set of goals, and also helps develop the organization’s strategy, establishing the direction and acceptable boundaries of its functioning;
provides standards for the allocation of the organization's resources and creates a basis for assessing the use of resources in the functioning of the organization;
expands the meaning and content of his activities for the employee and thereby allows the use of a wider range of motivation techniques.
The mission should not contain specific instructions as to what, how and in what time frame the organization should do. It sets the main directions of movement of the organization, the location of the organization in relation to the processes and phenomena occurring inside and outside it.
It is very important to state the mission very clearly so that it is easily understood by all entities interacting with the organization, especially all members of the organization. At the same time, the mission should be formulated in such a way that, on the one hand, it excludes the possibility of misunderstandings, and on the other hand, it leaves room for creative and flexible development of the organization.

Introduction

An organization is a consciously coordinated social entity with defined boundaries that functions on an ongoing basis to achieve common goals. Management of an organization is based on the basic elements of management theory, which are the goals of creating an organization, strategic plans, etc. Among these elements, managers especially highlight the mission of the organization, because, being an integral part of the goals, the mission influences all areas of management and determines its methods and techniques and priorities. Mission is an expression of its philosophy and meaning of existence. The mission usually declares the status of the enterprise, the principles of its work, and the intentions of management. It is aimed at the future and should not depend on the current state of the organization. A clear mission statement is the first step towards planning and defines the entire further work for the systematic development of organizational plans.

Thus, the relevance of the chosen topic is beyond doubt.

One of the first (in 1933) to formulate and use the mission of the corporation was the founder of Matsushita Electric, Konosuke Matsushita. The mission of the organization, its essence and content are described by such researchers in the field of management as Meskon M.Kh., Albert M., Khedouri F.P. Drucker et al.

The purpose of this work is to study and characterize the mission of the organization.

Job objectives:

1. Give the concept of mission.

2. Determine the features of mission formation.

3. Give examples of the mission of the most famous foreign and Russian campaigns.

The work used: educational and methodological literature on management courses, articles by Russian and foreign authors, Internet resources.

Mission of the organization

Mission (from the Latin missio - parcel, order) is a capacious, brief and clear definition of the reasons for the existence and main directions of the organization’s activities, which characterizes the company’s position in society and motivates its employees.

In the most general and at the same time in the most in-depth understanding, the role of the organization’s mission is that it establishes a connection, orients in a single direction the interests and expectations of those people who perceive the organization from the inside, and those who perceive the organization from the outside. Moreover, the mission allows you to orient or even subordinate the interests of people “internal” in relation to the organization to the interests of “external” people. By defining what the organization was created and exists for, the mission gives people's actions meaning and purposefulness, allowing them to better see and understand not only what they should do, but also why they carry out their actions. There is a broad and narrow understanding of mission.

In a broad sense, mission is the philosophy and purpose, the meaning of existence of an organization.

An organization's philosophy defines the values, beliefs and principles by which the organization intends to conduct its activities. Purpose defines the activities that an organization intends to carry out and what type of organization it intends to be. The philosophy of an organization rarely changes. As for the second part of the mission, it may vary depending on the depth of possible changes in the organization and in the environment of its functioning.

Let us present a number of definitions given by foreign and Russian scientists in the field of strategic management of an organization.

P. Drucker said that there is only one reasonable definition of the goal of entrepreneurship - creating a client, and in this he saw the mission of any organization, since if an organization takes on the mission of creating a client, it will also receive the profit necessary for its survival, if we exclude the bad management in carrying out this mission.

In Meskon's textbook "Fundamentals of Management" the authors give following definition mission of the organization: “The mission is the main overall purpose of the organization - the clearly expressed reason for its existence,” without defining the mission, all decisions in the organization would be made only on the basis of the individual values of the leaders. The mission defines the status of the firm and provides direction and guidance for defining goals and strategies at various organizational levels.

In D. Husby’s textbook “Strategic Management,” mission is defined as “the general goal of an organization, characterizing what the organization is, why it exists and what its unique place is. Choosing such a goal means answering the basic question: “What are we doing?”

L. Gitelman “Transformative Management”: “mission is a strategic (general) goal that expresses the meaning of existence, the generally recognized purpose of the organization. This is the role that the enterprise wants to play in society.”

I. Mazur, A. Shapiro “Restructuring of enterprises and companies”: “the mission (purpose) of the organization is the answer to the question of what the company’s activities are and what it intends to do.”

Analyzing various interpretations missions, you can see that the meaning of all of them is similar. Based on these definitions, the following generalization can be made. An organization's mission statement is a short paragraph, usually one sentence, that states the organization's raison d'être and main long-term goal. At the same time, on the one hand, the mission statement is quite specific, on the other hand, it does not imply the completion of the task within a certain time interval. The organization's mission statement should imply continuous development in the short and long term.

A correctly defined mission, although it always has a general philosophical meaning, nevertheless necessarily contains something that makes it unique in its kind, characterizing precisely the organization in which it was developed. Next we will talk about the mission in a narrow sense.

The mission reflects the business strategy. Business strategy is a coordinated set of decisions that have a decisive impact on the activities of a company (enterprise) and have long-term and difficult-to-reversible consequences. These include, for example, decisions to change the profile of the enterprise, measures of its specialization and diversification of production (in particular, in order to prevent possible risks), to change the ownership structure (primarily the structure of share capital), the choice of permanent suppliers of resources and sales areas products, as well as other strategic aspects of the functioning of a business (firm, enterprise) - in contrast to tactical current decisions such as hiring workers, one-time purchases of raw materials, responding to changes in prices on the market, etc.

Accordingly, the following main derivative concepts are distinguished:

Strategic management zone - a set of segments of the market for goods or services, chosen by an enterprise (business);

Strategic resource zone - a set of segments of the resource market or services provided to an enterprise, chosen by an enterprise (business) as a zone of business interest for the implementation of the strategy;

Strategic planning is the process of forming, adjusting and implementing an enterprise strategy;

Strategic management is an enterprise management system based on strategic planning, supplemented by a mechanism for coordinating current decisions (tactical and operational) with strategic ones, as well as a mechanism for adjusting and monitoring the implementation of the strategy.

When strategically planning the activities of an enterprise (firm), economic and mathematical models are used, as well as methods of statistical analysis and forecasting. Among the latter, the largest place belongs to regression analysis, time series analysis, and the mechanism for the formation and statistical analysis of expert assessments.

Establishing the organization's mission and its strategic goals is the prerogative of the organization's top management (Fig. 1).

Figure 1 - Levels of company management

Such a presentation of the structure of the organization's goals also shows to what extent the goals that stand at higher high level influence lower level goals.

The differences between the mission of an enterprise and its goals can be defined in the following aspects:

1. Time aspect. A mission has no time criteria, but goals have deadlines by which they must be achieved.

2. Focus. The mission is aimed at the environment external to the enterprise, such as achieving recognition or becoming a leader in the industry, etc. Goals, on the contrary, most often relate to internal aspects of the enterprise and are expressed in terms of the use of available resources to achieve specific internal indicators.

3. Specificity. The mission is expressed in terms that are of a general, relative nature, related to the image of the enterprise, its corporate style etc. Goals are typically expressed in terms of specific outcomes.

4. Measurability. The measurability of the mission is expressed in qualitative scales, while goals, as a rule, are quantitative in nature. The goals of an enterprise are usually very specific.

Basic requirements that must be taken into account when developing enterprise goals. The goals should be:

Clear, concise and without the possibility of double interpretation;

Formulated in terms of future states of the enterprise;

Comply with enterprise strategy, policy, plan and procedures;

To correspond to the competence of personnel or to also assume an increase in the competence of the enterprise’s employees;

The goal principle in the activities of an organization arises as a reflection of the goals and interests of various groups of people, one way or another connected with the activities of the organization and involved in the process of its functioning.

The main groups of subjects whose interests influence the activities of the organization and, therefore, must be taken into account when determining its mission are the following:

1) shareholders (owners) of the organization who create, operate and develop the organization;

2) personnel - employees of the organization who, with their labor, directly support the activities of the organization, the creation and sale of products and services, attracting resources from outside, who receive compensation from the organization for their work and solve their problems with the help of compensation;

3) buyers (clients) of the organization, giving it their resources (usually money) in exchange for products or services offered to them by the organization, and satisfying their needs with the help of these products (services);

4) business partners of the organization who provide commercial and non-commercial services to the organization and receive similar services from the organization;

5) the local community, which is in interaction with the organization, which has a multifaceted content, associated primarily with the formation of the social and environmental environment of the organization, as well as society as a whole, represented by state (municipal) institutions, interacting with the organization in political, legal, economic and other spheres, receiving from the organization part of the wealth it creates to ensure social well-being and development, the fruits of which, along with other members of society, are also enjoyed by the organization.

The mission of the organization, to one degree or another, should reflect the interests of all the above-mentioned entities. The most powerful, even decisive, influence on the mission of any organization is exerted by the interests of owners, employees and customers (buyers). Therefore, the mission of the organization must be formulated in such a way that it necessarily contains a combination of the interests of these three groups of people. The mission can serve as a criterion by which members of the organization and outside observers can evaluate how successfully the organization is performing, i.e. determine its effectiveness.

According to F. Kotler, the mission should be developed taking into account the following factors:

The history of the organization, in the process of which a philosophy was developed, a profile and style of activity, a place in the market, etc. were formed;

The existing style of behavior and method of action of owners and management personnel;

The state of the organization's environment;

The resources it can bring to bear to achieve its goals;

Distinctive features that the organization has;

A well-stated mission statement clarifies what the organization is and what it strives to be, and sets the organization apart from others like it. To do this, the transcript accompanying the mission must reflect:

Target guidelines of the organization, reflecting what tasks the organization’s activities are aimed at solving, and what the organization strives for in its activities in the long term;

The sphere of activity of the organization, reflecting what product the organization offers to customers, and in what market the organization sells its product;

The philosophy of the organization, which is manifested in the values and beliefs that are accepted in the organization;

Capabilities and ways of carrying out the activities of the organization, reflecting what the strength of the organization is, what is its ability to survive in the long term, in what way and with the help of what technology the organization carries out its work, what know-how and advanced technology are available for this.

Along with the above characteristics of the organization, when forming a mission, it is important to reflect the image that the organization has in the content and form of the mission statement. Many companies develop formal company mission statements that provide ready-made answers to these questions.

The mission may include the following:

1. Proclamation of beliefs and values.

2. The types of products or services that the enterprise will sell (or the customer needs that the enterprise will satisfy).

3. Markets in which the enterprise will operate:

Ways to enter the market;

Technologies that the enterprise will use;

Growth Policy and Financing.

A clearly formulated mission inspires and encourages action, allows employees of the enterprise to take initiative, and forms the main prerequisites for the success of the enterprise under various influences on it from the external and internal environment.

The mission gives a general idea of what the organization is, what it strives for, what means it is ready to use in its activities - for the information of those who deal with it in the external environment.

The mission contributes to the formation of the internal environment of the organization, its “single spirit”, which is manifested in the following:

The mission makes clear to employees the overall goal, the purpose of the organization's existence. As a result, employees have the opportunity to focus their actions in a single direction;

The mission helps employees to recognize themselves as members of the organization not only formally, but also in spirit;

The mission helps to establish a certain psychological climate in the organization, since through it the philosophy of the organization, as well as the values and principles underlying the existence of the organization, are communicated to people.

So, why is the mission formulated, what does it provide for the organization’s activities?

Firstly, the mission gives a general idea of what the organization is, what it strives for, what means it is ready to use in its activities - for the information of those who deal with it in the external environment.

Secondly, the mission contributes to the formation of the internal environment of the organization, its “single spirit”. This manifests itself in the following:

1) The mission makes clear to employees the overall goal, the purpose of the organization’s existence. As a result, employees have the opportunity to focus their actions in a single direction;

2) The mission helps employees to recognize themselves as members of the organization not only formally, but also in spirit.

3) The mission helps to establish a certain psychological climate in the organization, since through it the philosophy of the organization, as well as the values and principles underlying the existence of the organization, are communicated to people.

Third, the mission creates the opportunity for more effective management organization due to the fact that it is the basis for establishing the goals of the organization and helps to develop a strategy for its activities, establishing the direction and acceptable boundaries of its existence. In addition, the mission provides performance standards and expands the meaning and content of his work for the employee, allowing him to apply a wider range of motivational techniques.

At the same time, certain problems may arise with the formulation of the mission. Goal shifts most often occur at the mission level. An organization replaces its legalized or officially recognized purpose with another for which it was not created and should not work for that purpose. The easiest and most common form of bias occurs when an organization changes the priority of ends and means so that the means become the end and vice versa. Often the target becomes the organization itself. However, an organization is a tool; it is created to serve goals. But in the process of functioning of an organization, groups of people are formed who are more interested in preserving the organization as such than in realizing its goals.

Thus, the mission creates the opportunity for more effective management of the organization due to the fact that it is the basis for establishing the goals of the organization and helps to develop a strategy for its activities, establishing the direction and acceptable boundaries of its existence. In addition, the mission provides performance standards and expands the meaning and content of his work for the employee, allowing him to apply a wider range of motivational techniques.

Those who studied management at university, and even those who read books on this subject, know such concepts as “mission” and “vision”.

To formulate a “mission” and “vision”, some companies hire consultants who walk around the organization with a smart look, survey employees and “crystallize” from their collective opinion something that then turns into what these two ultra-intelligent people probably mean words.

Why ultra-intelligent? Yes, because not a single businessman out of the several thousand who took part in my seminars (and among them were very educated and very influential, believe me), gave me a correct and precise definition of these concepts. Some aspiring businessmen, who had just graduated from a university or something like that, rattled off the definition from the textbook, but when tested, they demonstrated a complete lack of understanding of how to apply these concepts in practice.

With all this, what stands behind these two words, their anatomy and idea, is the highest level of activity planning. People accepted this with the help of books, agreed, but, unfortunately, in the overwhelming majority of cases, this is where the process stopped.

I'm not saying that no one has a "mission" or "vision". Eat. But, firstly, only a few. And secondly, for half of them they are formulated for show and do not fulfill their purpose. They are not fulfilling their “mission”.

So don’t think that everyone around D’Artagnan is the only one who is wrong. You are not alone. And the reasons for this are extremely compelling.

Real understanding of your real purpose is not just PR for you. (Some cynical consultants argue that “mission” and “vision” are just statements used solely for PR purposes in order to lure the public. Like this kind of manipulation: we will tell you a couple of magic words that will make you drool, and you will like zombies, come with us. Fortunately, it doesn’t work that way).

Misunderstanding of this topic is also expressed in dictionaries, so you don’t have to rummage around in a search engine. I've already dug around. The definitions are twenty percent accurate each; I give them as an example, and not as the correct answer.

Modern economic dictionary: mission of the organization(lat. missio- parcel, order) - economic purpose, vocation, purpose of existence of the organization.

Dictionary of economics and finance: mission of the organization- the philosophy and purpose of the organization, the meaning of its existence in the market, the difference between the organization and other organizations. An organization's philosophy determines its culture and social values. The purpose of the organization is characterized by the goals and objectives for the implementation of which the organization carries out its activities. Usually the mission proclaims:

social obligations and civic responsibility to society
principles of attitude towards various groups of the public, towards the environment, etc.

Wikipedia is closest to the truth, there is a correct definition (well, finally), but an incorrect explanation (technically inaccurate, making the implementation of the definition possible only for someone who understands how to do it in practice. A person who is trying to understand the issue for the first time, trying to letter by letter use this definition, will experience insurmountable difficulties - which means it is inaccurate).

Mission- one of the fundamental concepts of strategic management. Different scientists have given different formulations of the mission, but in general two approaches to understanding the mission can be distinguished.

In a broad sense, mission is the philosophy and purpose, the raison d'être of an organization.

An organization's philosophy defines the values and principles by which the organization intends to conduct its activities. Purpose defines the activities that an organization intends to carry out and what goals it intends to achieve. The philosophy of the organization is determined at the stage of formation of the organization and rarely changes, while the purpose can change in the process of changes in both the internal and external environment of the organization.

In a narrow sense, a mission is a definition of what or for what reason an organization exists, i.e. the mission should reveal the meaning of the organization’s existence, which reveals the difference between this organization and similar ones.

Usually the mission is formulated in two versions. Short version The mission statement consists of 1-2 short sentences - a brand slogan of the organization, aimed primarily at shaping the image of the organization in society. The second - extended version of the mission is most often formulated for internal use and should detail all the necessary aspects of the mission, including:

purpose of the organization's functioning
area of activity of the organization
organizational philosophy
methods for achieving goals
methods of interaction between an organization and society ( social policy organizations)

A correctly defined mission, although it always has a general philosophical meaning, nevertheless, necessarily carries something that makes it unique in its kind, characterizing exactly the organization in which it was developed.

What's wrong with this is the overcomplication of the concept. The definition itself is surprisingly accurate. But if you try to figure out in dictionaries what the philosophy of an organization means, you won’t find the exact concept and you will get confused. And the methods can be so extensive that they will include all the regulations and codes, which will clearly go beyond the scope of the mission and affect the next, separate (and very extensive) level of planning - organizational policy.

In general, the definition given on Wikipedia is working, you just need to remove philosophy and any mention of it, and methods from it. If you go no further than the Wikipedia definition of purpose, then you will formulate what can really be called a mission.

Do you see how much confusion there is? And “mission” is still a simple word. There are more problems with “vision”. And here's why.

Vision- this is an incorrect translation of the word vision. Translation means not "vision", A "dream". So it is most often used in English. This is a synonym for the word dream.

A vision is simply the goal of an organization as envisioned by its founder (the goal setter).

In the “mission” there is a goal, in the “vision” there is a goal - how to figure it out? These goals are global.

Personally, I was helped to understand this issue by the texts of L. Ron Hubbard, written on the topic of goals about thirty to forty years before the topic of “mission and vision” generally became fashionable in management. Hubbard does not use the words "mission" and "vision", he uses the terms "goal" And "purpose", which in Russian translations of his works are designated as "target" And "plan". Since these are tools used at the same level of planning, and the definitions are very similar, then most likely we are talking about the same phenomenon.

According to Hubbard target- this is a large-scale object of aspiration, something that needs to be achieved in the strategic sense of the word. For example, “conquer Everest.” This concept is most likely equivalent to the word "vision". A goal has a specific moment of its implementation and a criterion such as feasibility. In essence, this is a global goal that can be achieved, after which a new global goal will need to be set.

Concept- This “a smaller goal that specifies actions”, and also "intention" And "purpose". Very similar to a “mission” as formulated on Wikipedia.

PR can use both. But such values are not formulated for PR purposes - this would be a cynical deception, an attempt at manipulation, which, due to their falsity, will still not lead to anything good. “Our goal is communism!” was written on the roof of my parents’ house in Samara in huge luminous letters. Today, most people know for certain the true goals of the rulers of those years.

The communists used "mission" and "vision" for PR purposes, and nothing more. Unfortunately, their society died out. The same fate will befall any organization that lies to its employees and the public. How smaller size organization, the faster extinction will occur.

I don’t care about acceptability, about the formulations accepted in society. What do you really want? If you are frank, completely honest with yourself and with people, you will get three effects:

You will not have to change your “mission” and “vision” unless your worldview changes (other factors will not play a role)

You will be surprised to find that real like-minded people are joining you, and not “passengers”

The real goal will be realized. It's magic.

There is such a serious catch in all this that many will be shocked before they even begin. Two points become clear: firstly, people really do not know their own goals and cannot formulate them. And these are not toys, but a very painful condition from which strong man strives to get rid of it, but cannot. Secondly, the true goals that drive a person are often buried under a pile of rubbish, such as “buy new jeep", so without outside help you won't understand.

Well, there always remain those 2.5% of people whose real goals are destructive. But such people are a minority, and the world moves forward not because of them, but in spite of them.

A difficult subject, isn't it? But this is only an appearance. And those who understand it experience such enormous relief that their business often automatically increases significantly. First, order in the head, then in business - and off we go.

And the first step to this order, to a sigh of real relief and to the sparkle of the spirit of the game in the eyes, is our “Leader Power Amplifier” program. To achieve these effects and help restore order in the mind and heart, this is the intention of the “Amplifier”. This is what it was created for.

Someone will figure it out on their own. I take my hat off to him. Someone needs help.

Welcome.

There is a broad and narrow understanding of mission. In the case of a broad understanding, the mission is considered as a statement of philosophy and purpose, the social meaning of the organization’s existence. An organization's philosophy defines the values, beliefs and principles by which the organization intends to carry out its activities. (An example of such a goal-mission at the level of an entire country would be the goal of building communism in the USSR.) Purpose, social meaning determines the actions that the organization intends to carry out and what type of organization it intends to be. The philosophy of an organization usually rarely changes. As for the second part of the mission, it may vary depending on the depth of changes that may take place in the organization and in the environment of its functioning.
In the case of a narrow understanding of the mission, it is considered as a formulated statement regarding why or for what reason the organization exists, that is, the mission is understood as a statement that reveals the meaning of the organization’s existence, in which the difference between this organization and similar ones is manifested. A correctly formulated mission, although it always has a general philosophical meaning, nevertheless, necessarily carries something that makes it unique in its kind, characterizing exactly the organization in which it was developed. Further, the mission will be considered in a narrow sense.
Typically, defining the mission of an organization pursues the following tasks: Identify the area of active action of the organization and cut off development paths that lead to nowhere. Determine the basic principles of competition. Develop a common basis for developing organizational goals. Develop a concept of activity that inspires employees of the organization.
Essentially, mission goals are a vision of what an organization should be or what it should strive for. They should reflect the interests of all groups of influence or various groups of people, one way or another connected with the activities of the organization and involved in the process of its functioning (owners, managers, employees and workers, consumers, suppliers, banks, government agencies, local governments, public organizations etc.). The most consistent, powerful and specific influence on the mission of an organization, regardless of what the organization is, is the interests of owners, employees and consumers. Mission goals should emphasize the social significance of the organization and serve as a means of consolidating and motivating its personnel.
When developing a mission, the following groups of factors are taken into account: The history of the emergence and development of the organization, its traditions, achievements and failures, the existing image. Existing style behavior and mode of action of owners and managers. Resources, i.e. everything that an organization can control: cash, recognized product brands, unique technologies, talent of employees, etc. Environment, representing the totality of all factors that affect the organization's ability to achieve its goals using the chosen strategies. Distinctive advantages that the organization has.
The mission, taking into account these factors, reflects the directions of the organization’s activities. It states the organization’s responsibility to all pressure groups. It clearly defines the overall goal of the organization, which can later be specified into individual goals and objectives. For example, the mission of the Marriott hotel company is stated as follows: “We strive to be the best in the world in providing stays and food for our customers by encouraging our staff to provide exceptional customer service and respect the interests of shareholders.”
There are no uniform approaches to formulating a mission. Both a single mission statement and a mission formulated in several positions are used.
For example, the Scottish Economic and Industrial Development Council has formulated its mission as follows: “The Scottish Economic and Industrial Development Council is an independent organization whose members come from various sectors of the Scottish economy; The Council is looking for ways to support Scotland's economy by formulating and promoting innovative non-policy ideas and delivering market-driven services to its members."
At the same time, quite often the mission is formulated in several positions, each of which is aimed at satisfying the interests of various influence groups. For example, the mission of the organization can be formulated in the following directions: To be an exemplary “citizen” in the regions of production and sales. Satisfy consumer needs in the most complete way. Contribute to the fulfillment of consumer expectations. To achieve the prosperity of the organization and satisfy the interests of its managers. Ensure the employment of the organization’s personnel, their satisfaction with their work and remuneration. Respect the interests of external pressure groups, in particular for creditors - obtaining the required interest and return of capital.
For large organizations with highly diversified activities, the mission can sound quite specific only if it is developed at the level individual species business.
Following the above rules is a very difficult task. This is one of the main reasons that not all organizations have clearly defined missions, and some simply do not have them.
The mission of the organization must be motivating. Maximizing profits, increasing the value of shares, increasing production output do not play a strong motivating role for employees of the organization - it is, rather, the result of the implementation of certain strategies (this will be discussed in more detail later in this chapter). This motivating role is played to a greater extent by employees’ clear understanding of the social importance of their work. So, if an enterprise producing mineral fertilizers formulates its mission in terms of providing leadership in the production of certain types of fertilizer, it is unlikely that this prosaic mission will inspire employees to creative work. A different effect can be expected if the mission is formulated as making a feasible contribution to solving the problem of combating hunger on the globe.
Effective, highly diversified organizations also develop mission statements for their CHEs. In this case, the emphasis is on the uniqueness of the business and the professionalism of employees, on factors ensuring competitive advantages.
To summarize, it can be noted that the mission gives the subjects of the external environment a general idea of what the organization is, what it strives for, what its philosophy and image are. Further, the mission contributes to the formation of unity within the organization and the creation of a corporate spirit, developing certain common lines of behavior for employees, a certain climate within the organization, and promoting the effective use of organizational culture factors. Finally, the mission is the basis for setting the organization's goals and choosing strategies to achieve them.
The mission does not contain specific instructions as to what, how and in what time frame the organization should do. Such information is obtained when formulating the goals of the organization.
Strategic planning also involves setting strategic goals for a certain period of time, which must be quite specific and measurable using certain criteria. If the mission statement makes fairly broad statements such as “be the best in the world,” then the strategic objectives must clearly define what that means.
First, it is advisable to formulate a general goal of the organization’s activities, which may sound like this: to satisfy the needs of “its” consumers for certain high-quality products at prices not higher than the industry average while ensuring the conditions for the technical, production and socio-economic development of the organization and satisfying the interests of members of pressure groups.
The generalized goal is developed into goals that express the specific final states of the organization, which it strives to achieve by a certain point in time. This section deals with the development of strategic goals; tactical, current marketing goals will be discussed in the corresponding section of the textbook.
The main starting point for forming the organization's goals is marketing and innovation. It is in these areas that the organization’s values are located for which the consumer is willing to pay. If an organization is not able to satisfy consumer demands at a good level today and tomorrow, then it will not have a profit. In other areas of activity - production, personnel, etc. - goals are valuable only to the extent that they improve the organization's ability to satisfy customer needs and implement innovations.
There are six types of goals: Achieving certain values of the market share indicator. Innovation goals. Without developing new products and providing new services, an organization can very quickly be knocked out by its competitors. An example of this type of goal would be: 50% of sales should be generated by products and services introduced in the last five years. Resource goals characterize the organization’s desire to attract the most valuable resources: qualified employees, capital, modern equipment. These goals are of a marketing nature. Thus, organizations compete to attract the most capable university graduates, and retailers compete for the best location of retail outlets. Obviously, achieving these goals creates prerequisites for achieving other goals. Goals to improve performance. It is obvious that if personnel, capital and production and technical potential are not used effectively enough, then either consumer needs will be met unsatisfactorily, or this will be achieved through excessive expenditure of resources. Social goals are aimed at reducing negative impact on the natural environment, to assist society in solving problems of employment, in the field of education, etc. Goals for obtaining a certain profit can be set only after the previous goals have been formulated. Profit is the necessary carrot that can help attract capital and encourage owners to share risk. Profit is therefore best viewed as a restrictive goal. Minimum profitability is necessary for the survival and development of a business. These problems will be discussed in more detail in the next section.
The requirement for specific formulation of strategic goals makes it difficult to set them at the level of the organization as a whole, if it is not entirely involved in one type of business. Most likely, they are established for certain types of businesses.
In any organization that has several levels of management and several SHEs, it is advisable to build a tree of goals, which is a decomposition of higher-level goals into lower-level goals. This can be done both for the organization as a whole (at a fairly high level of generality) and for individual CXEs (in sufficient detail). The main thing is that it is necessary to bring the goals to sufficient specificity, to make them quantitatively measurable, so that, based on their formulations, it is possible to calculate resources and monitor the level of their implementation. Methodological issues of constructing and calculating goal trees are given in the works [Z]. The section on marketing planning will discuss these issues in more detail.