[Linked by your host to LO26771]
Replying to LO26745, LO26771
Hi co-learners,
perhaps i am making a major faux pax by asking or perhaps stating my
thoughts on this notion of mission vs. vision... but as At aptly suggests,
I am simply engaging in the kind of "free, civilised questioning" here
that most managers strongly dislike.
> It terms of the above it means that a mission will
> always encompass a vision.
Without having done much research, my impression is the opposite: vision
encompasses mission. I don't know the logic behind it, but this is just my
gut impression. As an example, war springs to my mind. Soldiers can be
given several missions to accomplish and a set of commands by which to do
so--without necessarily knowing what the bigger vision or grand scheme is.
In fact, this seems to be a common phenomena among large human
organizations. The soldiers therefore act on these commands, which are
merely parts of a greater whole--ie, the vision or overall goal--without
knowing what that vision may be.
A vision, to me, sets out a larger purpose, in which the actual mission or
commands may or may not be clear or specified right away. The mission may
be to *somehow* achieve the vision that people or the organization are
aspiring to: eg, we want happier staff and more success, what will be our
mission for achieving these things? For example, an organization may wish
to become top in its field, or become more ecologically-responsible, etc,
and so, there you have a vision. The actual "how to get there" like
mission statements may then be specified along the way: eg, we will use
our resources more effectively, we will reduce waste by half, we will
improve team cooperation, etc....
I think that no matter how big the mission is, it does not necessarily
encompass or make clear the overall vision. A mission, to me, achieves
something tangible. It does not necessarily fully encompass a vision,
which I feel can be almost intangible, more of an aspiration, more
amorhpous and therefore larger.
I am simply throwing in my two cents worth here--and perhaps BOTH
possibilities along with infinite others may be correct. Something like
the notion of "co-existence." I do not have much to back up my statements
and suppositions. Please feel free to correct me.
Also, I found this statement extremely useful. Thanks At!!
> Since the middle eighties I decided to make use of the following
> distinction. A vision is linguistically a set of declarative sentences
> (statements). A mission is a set of imperative sentences (commands).
best wishes,
lana choi
[Host's Note: Thanks, Lana. I don't see any chance of a faux pas
in this. ..Rick]
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