Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Leadership Vision and Strategic Direction
Leadership Vision and Strategic Direction
ORUM
The Quality Management
Winter 2004
Volume 30, Number 1
www.asq-qmd.org
A Pe e r - R e v i e w e d Pu b l i c a t i o n o f t h e Q u a l i t y M a n a g e m e n t D i v i s i o n o f t h e Am e r i c a n S o c i e t y f o r Q u a l i t y
everyone in an organization down the same Vision establishes a standard of Strategy Formulation
path and at the same pace. When a vision is excellence ... Vision provides measures by Strong, powerful organizations require
clearly articulated and followed “... everyday which contributions to the organization are more than just vision and mission statements
decisions and actions throughout the gauged. “A good vision brings out the best to be effective. They need to formulate strate-
organization respond to current problems by speaking to the hearts of employees, letting gies to translate vision, values and purpose
and challenges in ways that move the them be a part of something bigger than into action. This is called strategic manage-
organization toward the future rather than themselves.”2 A good vision clarifies an image ment. “Strategic management is the set of
maintain the status quo.”2 An organization’s of an organization’s future, lets employees decisions and actions used to formulate and
vision must link the present to the future, see how they can contribute, and enables implement specific strategies that will achieve
energize people and garner commitment, employees to reach higher-levels of excellence. competitively superior fit between the organi-
give meaning to work and establish a stan- zation and its environment so as to achieve
Is there a standard “how to” book for
dard of excellence. organizational goals.”2 The strategic leader
creating leadership vision? Not according to
Vision links the present to the future ... Max DePree, author and chairman and CEO must find this fit and translate it into action.
Vision is about getting from here to there; of Herman Miller, Inc., who writes, “Leadership The leader must develop strategies. Strategies
from what’s going on today to what must is an art, something to be learned over time, are the general plans of action that consider
happen tomorrow. The trouble with today’s not simply by reading books. Leadership is the allocation of resources and other activities
organizations is that managers spend most more tribal than scientific, more a weaving that help the organization meet its goals.
of their time dealing with current problems of relationships than an amassing of infor- “To remain competitive, leaders develop
and relatively little time contemplating, mation,”3 Powerful and effective visions, company strategies that focus on three qualities:
visualizing and preparing for the future. however, have five common themes: “they core competencies, developing synergy and
Successful leaders are those who handle the have broad, widely shared appeal; they help creating value for the customer.”2 Core com-
daily challenge of obtaining short-term organizations deal with change; they encourage petence is what the organization does well.
goals and focus on the future as well. faith and hope for the future; they reflect high Synergy occurs when two or more elements
Vision energizes people and garners ideals; and they define both the organization’s of the organization combine to produce
commitment ... A powerful vision will destination and the basic rules to get there.”2 something greater than the sum of the indi-
challenge people to give their best effort. vidual parts. Value creation is the basic value
Mission Statements a customer receives from the purchase and use
“Vision needs to transcend the bottom line
because people are willing, and even eager, Organizations with powerful and effective of a product or service. Failing to formulate
to commit to something truly worthwhile, visions will likely have a mission statement. strategies that translate vision, values and
something that makes life better for others “The mission is the organization’s core broad purpose into action will be wasteful of an
or improves their communities.”2 purpose and reason for existence. It defines organization’s resources and not provide value.
the company’s core values and reason for Strategic leaders find ways to create value
Vision gives meaning to work ... being, and it provides a basis for creating
Employees need to know their work has for customers by formulating strategies that
the vision.”2 An organization’s mission should focus on core competence and attainment
meaning. Work is more than just a pay- communicate what the company is about.
check for many. People love having a larger of synergy. Richard Hays, author of “Internal
As such, it should be persistent and not change Service Excellence,” hints at this synergy
purpose for what they do and they want to too often. Typically, a mission has two parts:
feel pride in their work. A good vision can when he writes, “The value provided to
the core values and core purpose. The core values [the] final customer is created through the
give larger meaning to work by clarifying are what guide the organization. The purpose
its purpose, its interrelationship with other contribution of a sequence of separate
“...captures people’s idealistic motivations incremental actions, each a link in a ‘chain
work and its impact on the organization as for why the organization exists.”2
a whole. of value’ that produces final customer need
Some companies choose to combine satisfaction.”4 These separate incremental
their vision and mission statements. What actions described by Hays are the result of
is important to remember about the two is strategy formulation.
that the vision continually evolves, while
the mission remains relatively constant. The
mission should endure to lend stability to the
organization in times of change and guide
strategic choice and decisions about the future.
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