A vision or mission statement may be short or can be all encompassing. I prefer short statements that distill the purpose of the organization such as Chrysler’s purpose is to ‘produce cars and trucks that people will want to buy, will enjoy driving, and will want to buy again’ or Microsoft’s to put ‘a computer on every desk and in every home.’ The telling case is that both vision statements have changed the world.
Organizational vision and mission statements are especially important in flattened, downsized, decentralized, and global organizations. When there are fewer middle managers and supervisors to tell us what is right and wrong or which way to go, vision and mission statements become signposts providing direction, meaning, and the foundation for surviving and prospering through major changes. They also ensure we’re speaking the same language, doing the right things right, and going in the same direction.