Vision

Responsibility for articulating an organization's vision typically rests with the CEO and leadership team. While a mission describes the present purpose of the enterprise, vision is about a desired future. When done well, vision statements serve as a source of ongoing inspiration for all stakeholders, helping them see what is possible if everyone commits and performs optimally. In Vision, located in the Resources section below, Porterfield (2004) explains more about the purpose of an organizational vision and vision statement as well as how they should be developed and communicated.

Resources

Collins and Porras (1991) examine the challenges of creating a single vision for large multidivisional and geographically dispersed organizations. They write about how difficult it can be for a leader to craft a compelling vision and how sometimes the resulting statement ends up being more about mission than vision. In presenting their proposed framework for vision creation, Collins and Porras emphasize the importance of agreement about core values and beliefs, sharing examples that are as relevant now as they were when their article was published.

Furthermore, an analysis of powerful vision statements led Kantabutra and Avery (2010, p. 3) to propose seven important characteristics:

  • conciseness
  • clarity
  • future orientation
  • stability
  • challenge
  • abstractness
  • desirability or ability to inspire

Consult UMGC's online library to find out out more about how a vision should be developed, the appropriate role of leaders in formulating them, their relative importance for organizational success, and other questions related to the development of an organization's vision.

Namely, an organization’s vision statement should be powerful and serve as a compelling source of inspiration for stakeholders.

References

Collins, J. C., & Porras, J. I. (1991). Organizational vision and visionary organizations. California Management Review, 34(1), 30.

Kantabutra, S., & Avery, G. C. (2010). The power of vision: Statements that resonate. Journal of Business Strategy, 31(1), 37-45. doi:10.1108/02756661011012769

Porterfield, R. (2004). Vision. In M. J. Stahl (Ed.), Encyclopedia of health care management (pp. 586-586). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Ltd. doi: 10.4135/9781412950602.n837

Resources

Check Your Knowledge

Question 1

Briefly, what is the difference between an organization's mission and its vision?

Question 2

Why is a vision statement important to an organization?

Question 3

Which one of the following is NOT a goal of an effective vision statement?

conveys a broad sense of direction that unifies organizational direction
expresses the principles that guide behavior within the organization
aids in changing organizational direction and the rationale for redirection when internal resistance exists
provides executives with an opportunity for a clear, consistent compass for resource justification and allocation
rallies and energizes employees and stakeholders
Question 4

True or false: An organization's vision must be achievable, and the strategies needed to accomplish that vision must be known.

True
False
Question 5

How should a vision statement be communicated?

Question 6

The following two vision statements belong to pharmaceutical companies.

  • Which of these vision statements qualifies as most effective and why? 
  • In which of these companies would you want to invest, work, or serve as a board member? 

If your answer to the second question is different from the first you will probably want to reflect on the reasons.

Company 1: Our vision is to be a trusted leader in changing the practice of medicine.

Company 2: To make a difference in the lives of people globally through our innovative medicines, vaccines, and animal health products. We are committed to being the premier, research-intensive biopharmaceutical company and are dedicated to providing leading innovations and solutions for today and the future.