Mission Statements Vs. Vision Statements for 5 Bridges

#missionstatements #visionstatements #purpose #goals

What They Are:

Mission statements are among the first things that organizations create upon origination. They help focus an organization and continually steer them in the same direction. They can help prevent dissension from the original goal of the organization, especially as leadership changes or as organizations grow. Mission statements are used to denote the “fundamental, unique purpose that sets a business apart from other firms of its type” (Pearce & David, 1987).

Vision statements can be quite similar to mission statements, yet they function for a different purpose. They are the idealized world the organization is aiming to achieve. An organizational vision statement is a “brief strategic description of what the organization aspires to become” (Smith, 2021). Think of it as a vision board for the organization—you know the ones that you make with the friends of your perfect life ten or fifteen years down the road. It is where you want to be in a perfect world. They can be incredibly important for employee motivation and helping to deal with challenges—the same way that vision boards are motivating and helpful for individual goals (Wike, 2021).

MISSION STATEMENT=PURPOSE

VISION STATEMENT=GOALS

For a more in-depth look at how to write a vision statement:

How to Use A Mission & Vision Statement Effectively:

Both an organization’s mission statement and vision statement are extremely useful for the strategic planning of any public relations campaign. Public relations practitioners should always check back with those defining statements in their research before designing a campaign to ensure that the content does not stray from the mission or the vision that the organization wants to maintain. Many PR professionals encourage the formal establishment of these statements because of their innate help in “mak[ing] consistent decisions, build[ing] unity, and enhanc[ing] communication” (The Communiqué PR Team, 2012).

It is important for an organization to take the time and energy to fully think out the semantics of a mission and a vision statement because of the lasting effects it has on the organizational output. 5 Bridges Holistic Wellness can use this information to centralize its expansion and future public relations campaigns. It will be helpful to ensure that the future of their messaging maintains the integrity of their original mission and the future they are wanting to achieve, or decide that they need to adapt and evolve their initial statements.

References:

Pearce, J. A., & David, F. (1987). Corporate mission statements: The bottom line. Academy of Management Perspectives, 1(2), 109-115.

Smith, R.D. (2021). Strategic planning for public relations (6th Ed.). Routledge.

The Communiqué PR Team. (2012, November 2). The Power of Mission & Vision statements. Communiqué PR. Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://www.communiquepr.com/the-power-of-mission-vision-statements/4666/

Wike, E. (2021, September 1). Vision statements: Tips, example and importance. Indeed Career Guide. Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/vision-statements#:~:text=A%20vision%20statement%20is%20important,to%20work%20toward%20shared%20goals.

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