The Organization’s mission statement. tells the fundamental purpose of the organization. It concentrates on the present. It defines the beneficiaries and the cultural approach. It informs of the desired level of performance.
The mission statement must be reflected on the organizational culture and vice-versa.
A mission statement can resemble a vision statement in a few companies, but that can be a grave mistake. It can confuse people. The vision statement can galvanize the people to achieve defined objectives, even if they are stretch objectives, provided it can be elucidated in SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound) terms. A mission statement provides a path to realize the vision in line with its values. These statements have a direct bearing on the bottom line and success of the organization.
Attention:
Many people mistake vision statement
for mission statement. The Vision describes a future
identity while the Mission serves as an ongoing and
time-independent guide. The Mission describes why it is
important to achieve the Vision. A Mission statement defines the
purpose or broader goal for being in existence or in the
business and can remain the same for decades if crafted well.
A Vision statement is more specific in terms of both the future state and the time frame. Vision describes what will be achieved if the organization is successful. Which comes first? The mission statement or the vision statement? That depends. If you have a new start up business, new program or plan to re engineer your current services, then the vision will guide the mission statement and the rest of the strategic plan. If you have an established business where the mission is established, then many times, the mission guides the vision statement and the rest of the strategic plan. Either way, you need to know your fundamental purpose - the mission, your current situation in terms of internal resources and capabilities (strengths and/or weaknesses) and external conditions (opportunities and/or threats), and where you want to go - the vision for the future. It's important that you keep the end or desired result in sight from the start.