Describe the difference between a vision and a mission. How do these two statements help an organization design a strategy and focus its resources?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The vision is fuzzy; it is not specific in that we don’t say how we’re going to do a particular thing. Instead, we identify a future state for the organization. So, the question that we answer with the vision is “What do we want to become as an organization?” In contrast, the mission is more specific. It is a statement of what the various organizational units will do and what they hope to accomplish, in alignment with the organizational vision. So, the mission statement answers the question “What do we need to do in order to become what we have envisioned?” When you put the vision and mission together, the people in the organization get a more complete picture of what direction they are expected to go in. This allows the people in the organization to focus on going in that particular direction. Once everyone is focused on going in the same direction, it becomes much easier for the organization to design and achieve goals in keeping with the mission and vision. This focus on moving in the same direction is the thing that makes a vision and mission so powerful. If everyone in the organization is focused on the same end result, it is much more likely that the organization will achieve that end result.