Where there is no vision, the people perish

The King James Version of the Bible may not be the automatic first place to look for advise on mission statements for organisations, but the writer of Proverbs 29:18 hit the nail on the head with his observation that "Where there is no vision, the people perish." Many organisations have recognised this and created vision and/or mission statements which are intended to set the organisation's purpose, guiding values and principles, and the way it intends to achieve its objectives, often also recognising the interests of customers and other stakeholders. Producing a successful mission statement is by no means an easy task: too short and it might appear bland, too long and it will turn people off; too strategic and it might alienate the workforce, too tactical and it will be uninspiring; too aspirational and it may well sound corny. Above all, a mission statement will only ever be of value to an organisation if the people within it understand what it means and the business subsequently practises what it preaches.


Sadly, no prizes (other than eternal fame!) but can you identify the following organisations from their mission statements? And how successful do you believe these mission statements to be?

1. (We are) an international group of independent non-governmental organizations dedicated to fighting poverty and related injustice around the world, working together internationally to achieve greater impact by our collective efforts.
2. To be the consumer's first choice for food, delivering products of outstanding quality and great service at a competitive cost through working "faster, simpler and together"
3. To provide its customers with safe, good value, point-to-point air services. To effect and to offer a consistent and reliable product and fares appealing to leisure and business markets on a range of European routes. To achieve this they will develop their people and establish lasting relationships with their suppliers
4. To be the UK's best fast service restaurant experience
5. To be the place for health and beauty customers. We want to secure market leadership in the UK and build on our brands' growing success internationally
6. A high profile organisation which campaigns successfully for trade union aims and values, assists trade unions to increase membership and effectiveness, cuts out wasteful rivalry and promotes trade union solidarity
7. To lead in the development and promotion of good practice in the field of the management and development of people, for application both by professional members and by their organisational colleagues.