'Vision' versus 'mission'?

For most large organisations the idea of a ‘mission’ and a ‘vision’ are inextricably linked, with
the ‘mission’ describing the ‘core’ of the centre of a company, while the ‘vision’ shows where it
is going – its strategic targets.

Vision statement
This is described by Johnson et al. (2017) as

‘The business venture’s strategic vision concerning its future path…’

A vision statement is an aspirational description of what an organisation would like to achieve or

accomplish in the mid-term or long-term future. It is intended to serve as a clear guide for
choosing current and future courses of action.

This must provide a credible answer for ‘where are we going?’ It must provide direction that
does not conflict with the mission. The vision statement should focus the energy of the company
towards its stated goals.

Mission statement
The mission statement for a company defines its ‘reason for existing’

 what do we do?
 how do we do it?
 whom do we do it for?
 what value are we bringing?

As an entrepreneur, your idea of ‘vision’ probably exists before you have a real ‘mission’.

The mission statement should also have longevity – the mission of a company must be consistent
with all the changing priorities and targets.

You may also be interested in reading these articles:

https://www.diffen.com/difference/Mission_Statement_vs_Vision_Statement

https://www.clearvoice.com/blog/difference-between-mission-vision-statement-examples/
'Meaningful' versus 'meaningless'
When companies develop ‘vision’ or ‘mission’ statements, they are usually the result of a
collaborative workshop – sometimes with the input of external consultants.

As these elements need to appeal to a much wider audience, it is a good idea to collect input
from a wide range of sources.

However, you will need to be careful that by accepting a wide range of views you do not dilute
your core message.
What is a vision statement?
From a strategic perspective, in Exploring Strategy: Text and Cases, Johnson et al. (2017: 8)
define a vision statement as follows:

‘A vision statement is concerned with the future the organisation seeks to create.’

Some examples of vision statements

‘Our vision is to be earth’s most customer-centric company where customers can find and
discover anything they might want to buy online … at the lowest possible prices.’ Amazon
(online retail)

‘Our vision is put into action through programs and a focus on environmental stewardship,
activities to benefit society, and a commitment to build shareholder value by making PepsiCo a
truly sustainable company.’ PepsiCo (retail)

‘Our vision is of a world in which every person – regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual
orientation, or gender identity – enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and other internationally recognized human rights standards.’
Amnesty International (non-profit)

‘To create a better everyday life for the many people.’ IKEA (retail)

‘Our vision is to have a world where all humans respect and live in harmony with the animal
kingdom.’ Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) (non-profit)

Classifying vision statements

It is possible to classify vision statements in a number of groups:

 Ubiquitous – giving a very wide view and being in all areas/sectors simultaneously
 Inspirational – clearly providing a compelling vision
 Corporate – clearly positioning the name (or brand)
 Advancement of human civilisation – showing that company goals can be seen to align
with some agreed societal advancement