Any self-respecting organization is concerned not only with making money, the raison d'etre is always the mission of the enterprise. This is the very thing that each of its employees is obliged to serve. This is how business shapes principles and values. The function of the mission of an enterprise is to reflect its purpose, to position its own difference from competitors, to determine the role that the company plays in public life.
What the company will or won't do
First of all, the mission of the enterprise is what the company is not going to do. It is silent about the directions of development, about the future activities of the company, about business plans and goals. The mission of the enterprise is the strategic meaning of activity in the pursuit of excellence, it is a platform on which the motivation of all employees is formed.
And this is not an increase in we althowners, in any case, not the mission affects this factor. Most likely, because this mission of the enterprise will not inspire employees, they will not try to fill other people's wallets. True, there are cases when a company issues shares and distributes them among its own employees, but even then the motives for creating additional benefits that consumers and society as a whole receive are emphasized.
How the mission is defined
Owners of the company can, as noted above, get rich only when the needs of customers are best satisfied. Therefore, the definition of the mission of the enterprise is to provide the consumer with the highest quality and competitive services or goods. It is in their production that service to society consists.
Determining the mission of an enterprise involves the use of a practical method. This is how the most famous firms known around the world operate. It is necessary to first formulate the internal mission of the enterprise, goals and objectives that will not be intended for publication. To do this, you need to simply and honestly answer some questions.
Developing the enterprise mission
First question: what does the company do, what kind of business? By answering it, you can begin to form the mission of the enterprise. The second question is: for whom is the entire activity of the company intended? The third question concerns the purely geographical location of the enterprise. Mission, purpose and strategy are always tightly connected to thisfactor.
Next, the question is more specific: how is the activity, what is the uniqueness of the business, what are the competitive advantages? Defining the mission and goals of the enterprise is impossible without a clear knowledge of the answers to these questions. And finally: what the company does not do and will never do? And this is one of the most important questions.
Business boundaries
Why is the last question so important? Because there is always a circle of possibilities, and any company can go beyond it. On the one hand, this is good, but on the other hand, it is not, since almost always the enterprise becomes clumsy and heavy if it scoops up everything that is nearby indiscriminately.
Business boundaries must be defended, otherwise the very mission, purpose and strategy of the enterprise will be difficult to determine. And when the answers to all five questions are given, you can deduce from them the most attractive mission for the public, and do it very concisely, but succinctly.
Example
For example, a steel industry company has made something like this mission: “Our company combines the interests of consumers and manufacturers, creates steel service centers, and strengthens partnerships. We develop, earn and fulfill ourselves with the help of metal comfort!”
This is not well thought out, because no one understands what kind of company it is: it is an intermediary or a manufacturer, what level the company has - global or it is located and works far in the outback, what is the difference between this company and competitors. Types of the mission of the enterprise can be very different, but the wording should not be impersonal.
Formulation is the most important
If the company's distinctive features are not indicated in the public mission, the scale of activity is not indicated, the company will be lost among thousands of other similar firms. For example, employees of a jewelry company formulated the mission as follows: “We produce and sell products made of precious stones and metals that are accessible to the widest range of consumers.” There is no clarity regarding the geography and scope of activities, and there is not a single distinguishing feature of this company from the rest.
Even real "monsters" sometimes make mistakes in the formulation of the mission of the enterprise. This is, for example, Microsoft Corporation, which until 1999 presented itself to the public like this: “A computer is in every home, on every desktop, plus first-class software!”, Where there is not a word about the global scale and methods of implementation. Without the press indicating that this is a Microsoft brand, no one will understand what company they are talking about.
The mission of the company is not a slogan
Sometimes a company even of a global scale formulates its mission in a too general way, when it is not entirely clear even what it does in general. For example, Coca-Cola. “We live to help you and give you strength!” - what is this? Life-giving drink or pharmaceuticals? Or maybe somewhere in a distant small town a plant for the manufacture of simulators has opened?
The wonderful company Eastman Kodak has formulated its mission yetmore eloquently: “We take pictures!” And that's all. In theory, such a slogan is not the mission of the enterprise in any way, since the company does not announce anything at all about itself.
Almost positive example
The mission should clearly state what the company produces, where it works, and for whom. A lot of people put it wonderfully. For example, Ford. The company's mission states: “Our goal is to be a leader in the production of automotive services and goods. The mission of an international company enriched by experience is to provide services and products of the highest quality. The good of the country, the good of society, of all those around us, but above all of our clients, are our values.”
Everything seems to be fine. Now, however, almost every car company considers quality to be an integral part of the modern automotive industry, which means that Ford cannot win the competition if it relies solely on this. No other benefits listed.
When a company knows what won't or will do
The mission of an enterprise necessarily changes depending on decisions to change or supplement its activities. For example, the world-class elevator company Otis Elevator first spoke in the mission statement about providing customers with the means to move goods and people up and down, and when it began manufacturing moving sidewalks and walkways, the words “up, down and sideways” appeared in the mission statement. "".
It's also good that the mission states that such reliabilitythe movement cannot be provided by any other company. "Reliability" is the key word, this is the very distinguishing feature of the company from its competitors. Everything suggests that Otis Elevator keeps track of everything it does and everything it does not intend to do.
What is the mission, such is the destiny
There was such an odious company in Russia - RAO UES of Russia. Despite the fact that it no longer exists, it will be useful to consider its mission. Probably because the company does not exist. And her mission was as follows: "To strive for a high market value of the company's shares, the growth of which will be formed in the process of restructuring while implementing reforms in the industry, increasing transparency and efficiency of current activities."
The company was obviously not going to deal with heat and power supply to people living in Russia. She was only interested in her own benefits (growth in the value of shares, that is, the value of the company itself, in order to sell it at a higher price). Now we understand the constant and endless accidents, breakdowns, power outages for ordinary residents and even enterprises that are of paramount importance for the country's economy. What you bet on, as the players say, is what you get.
Inspiration and precision
Which is more important - imagination or knowledge? No need to rush to answer, despite the fact that it seems obvious. Einstein, for example, believed that it is the imagination that stimulates progress, since it embraces everything in the world. This is the source of inspiration, without which it is impossibleclearly define the mission of the company. Scientists for many years of teaching the Master of Business Administration (MBA) note that each employee should know the mission of his own enterprise by heart, and this cannot be done without a poetic component.
For example, over eight years they have checked a huge number of their listeners, and only one representative of LUKOIL from a distant regional branch was able to immediately and absolutely accurately pronounce these cherished words - quickly, easily, without hesitation and stress. No one else was able to do this, although everyone understood what it was about, trying to convey the meaning of the mission in their own words. It is necessary that the words of the mission were not only accurate, but also beautifully designed, easy to pronounce, and even easier to remember.
How to see the dream
You can't run a company well without the gift of foresight. The mission of the company and you need to fit this idea of what the company sees in the future. This is an ideal or a dream that employees have to realize. It is from the vision of the future that the preliminary goal of the company is formed, clarity is brought to the direction of movement with all perspectives, it is the vision of the future that gives meaning to everyday activities, which, with an understanding of the mission of the company, acquires significance.
That is why it is so important to describe the future of the company as fully as possible, the construction of which will be done by the whole team. But, according to the Japanese proverb about rowers - "There is no point in rowing harder if the boat is sailing in the wrong direction" - the first thing you needwhen forming a mission, this is a vision of perspectives. Usually, charisma is considered the main quality of a leader, but this is not so. It is possible to energize employees, but it is useless if they do not know which way they need to row. The most important thing is the strategic vision.
The mission of the company and its philosophical component
What is the strategic vision of any business, if not a philosophy that defines the organization's core beliefs and values? Here are the characteristics of the company that reveal its strengths and can work for success in the market. This is the platform on which strategic goals are set, from where the general vector of the company's development appears in order to set all priorities correctly.
The approach to the formation of the mission is constantly changing depending on the requirements of the present, and therefore it is impossible to take as a basis the formulations developed half a century ago. One can only learn the basics about the elements of mission building and then consider the functions of the company on a global scale, applying the methods prompted by the philosophy.
Dependencies
The concept of the mission and goals of the enterprise only at first glance seem to be an insufficiently realistic maxim, sounding ephemeral and even feigned. There should be a clear role, absolutely specific functions. A correctly formulated mission of the company sets a rigid framework for the entire work of the company, and also develops a corporate culture, strengthens the spirit of the team.
Types of missions can be distinguished by levels. Every company, of course,functions strictly on its own, and there is a dependence in everything: the level of development of market relations and the ambitions of the company in this environment, values in society, and much more. However, it is almost impossible to structure the existing missions, since the main goal is always one - development, whether it is the level of a high brand or a small enterprise. The mission is a time-tested and highly effective tool to focus the efforts and resources of any company.
In practice
Is it so important to have a mission for a company that successfully operates in today's market? Very important. This is a kind of compass for any business, which determines the vector of the company's development.
This defines the nature of doing business and the key principles of this business. It is the mission that dictates the behavioral norms for employees, shaping the level of the company's corporate culture. In addition, the mission is a great tool for PR.
