MISSION, VISION, VALUES

Mission, Vision and Values drive the organization’s key performance areas and strategic objectives.

The mission, vision, values, key performance areas, and strategic objectives represent an ever-narrowing concept of goals for a health care organization. Essentially, the mission is the broadest goal of all because it establishes the boundaries of the organization. Missions state in meaningful terms the distinctiveness of the organization. The vision provides a motivational hope for what the organization will be like when it accomplishes its mission. The values are more specific guiding principles or ways "we accomplish our mission". Values may change over time, but changes in values are relatively rare. Key performance areas are the critical success factors or relatively few things organizations absolutely must accomplish if they are to be successful. Strategic objectives are specific, measurable, and quantitative statements of end states or outcomes the organization proposes to achieve during the relevant planning period.

I. Mission

Describes the organization’s distinctiveness and stakeholders’ expectations. It attempts to capture the purpose and direction of the organization and develop an overall goal toward which the organization strives to meet.

While the heads of most health care organizations purport a commitment to the mission, their personal perception is that most employees don't share that high commitment level to the mission.

Since the mission is the "superordinate goal" of the organization, it should drive all of the other activities being undertaken by the organization.

Definition: an attempt to capture the essence of the organizational purpose and commit it to writing.

  • The "Superordinate" or ultimate goal for the organization: it gives management direction through difficult times and times of change.

·         Progresses from organizational mission to strategic objectives in a logical sequence

·         A mission captures the distinctive purpose of the organization and its unique reason for being

·         A vision is a hope for how the organization will look when it is accomplishing its mission. It is futuristic in nature.

Chester Barnard on the function of the organization requires:

Communication
A willingness to serve
A common purpose - it is this drive towards a common purpose that pushes the organization towards addressing the description of the mission.

The Barnard principles relate to the idea that no individual is vital to the organization. Rather the organization is not a group of people, but a series of forces designed to achieve a goal or goals. The activities relate not only to employees, but also to investors, customers, clients, and suppliers.

The ability to direct and an acceptance of the direction affect the communication aspect. Requires strong leadership. In bureaucratic organizations, Barnard advises against hasty decisions. Rather they should be well thought out. Hence, the importance of strategic planning.

By substituting the term mission for purpose of the organization, we can lay the groundwork for Barnard’s contribution to the topic.

·  The mission statement should be a living document rather than simply a public relations statement. Research has shown that mission statements are frequently not taken seriously because the rank and file employee does not contribute to them.

·  Effective mission statements force managers to ask three important questions:

  • Are we not doing anything that we should be doing?
  • Are we doing some things now that we should not be doing?
  • Are we doing some things we should continue to do, but in a fundamentally different way.

Characteristics of mission statements - broadly defined purpose, enduring, underscores he uniqueness of the organization, and identifies the scope of operations.

As you examine mission statements from the different sectors of health care - private, for-profit, private, non-profit, and public sector - you will notice subtle changes in the wording of the mission will relate to the organization's purpose and financial incentives.

Components of mission statements

·  Target customers and markets. Read the customer market targeted in the mission statements in the above hospitals. Who are they targeting?

·  Indicate principle services - if an organization is known for the special services it provides, these services will typically be addressed in the mission statement.

·  Specify geographic domain - the area served by the organization. If it is a nationally developed health care organization, it will typically refer generally to these hospitals. In turn, these hospitals will have their own developed mission statements.

·  Identify organizational philosophy - a mission may include unique beliefs and values of an organization. Is there a purpose to provide quality care to all patients? Is there a commitment to the needs of the shareholders described in the mission? Frequently you will see terms such as "cost-effective" or "efficiency" used in for profit health care organizations.

·  Illustrate an organization’s desired self-image - How the organization views itself. "A commitment to the quality of life in our community".

·  Specify the desired public image - how it wants the community to perceive the organization.

Mission statements require the top management support.

There must be internal commitment to making the mission fit what it is the organization wants to do. The development of the mission statement is a major function of the Chief Executive Officer. The development of the mission will require input from many within the organization, but it is the CEO and other top officials who will be judged as to their commitment to the mission.

See other examples of mission statements

www.uthouston.edu/mission.html

www.uhsinc.com/corporateinfo/mission.html

 II. Vision

  • Visions are complex understanding of the history of an organization (its past accomplishments and failures), perception of the opportunities and threats present in the environment, and assessment of its strategic capacity or ability to capitalize on the opportunities facing it.
  • Role of the visionary leader as pathfinder is important because a picture of what might be is often more important than what is. It is important for somebody in the organization – usually the CEO or Board Chair to be the keeper of the vision.
  • Effective visions are inspiring, about excellence, make sense, are flexible, empower employees first and patients second, honor the past while looking to the future, and come alive in details. As such, vision statements should exhibit idealism, show uniqueness, have a direction to the future, and display imagery.
  • Organizations and their members should have some principles or commitments that they stand for (quality, integrity, compassion, commitment, collaboration).

While vision statements have a direction to the future, where the organization wants to go, they are deeply rooted to the past. The history of the organization should be expressed when it has been one that has shown achievement and honor.

See the following:

Mayo Clinic

The Mayo brothers, exhibited a vision intending to create a system that allowed doctors to take to thoroughly investigate patient problems and to quickly and easily get help from other specialists. That vision led to what is one of the most highly recognized institutions of health care in the United States.

Within that vision was a stress of the overall value that the needs of the patient comes first.

Creates a Path for the Organization

The goal of the pathfinder is to provide a vision, the path along which the organization will run. It is directed towards a higher performance.

Vision statements should be:

  • Inspiring - not measured in quantitative aspects. They are intended to be directional.
  • Clear, challenging, and about excellence. If the emphasis is on prestige, it should hold to that.
  • Make Sense in the Relevant Community, be flexible, and stand the test of time.
  • Stable, but challenged and even changed when necessary.
  • Beacons - a stable force when everything else is up for grabs.
  • Empowering
  • Honor the past and prepare for the future
  • Come alive in details, not in generalities

Building a Vision Statement

  • Proposes a clear hope (profile) for the future
  • Challenging and About Excellence
  • Inspirational and emotional
  • Empowers employees first and clients and customers second
  • Memorable and Provides Guidance

III. Values

Values are the guiding principles of the organizations. Large organizations typically adopt a set of values by which its members are encouraged to live by. Organizations and their members should have some principles or commitments that they stand for (quality, integrity, compassion, commitment, collaboration).

In your project, build a set of guiding principles as a companion to the mission and vision statements.