A mission statement is a short statement produced by an organization that sums up its reason for being and its goals and principles. A mission statement tells the public and customers what they should expect when dealing with this organization, and helps guide decisions made by those within the organization.
The mission statement can serve as a guidebook for the organization, representing lofty goals and aspirations, while serving as a barometer against which leaders can measure actions. One of Starbucks’ guiding principles as part of its mission statement is, “provide a great work environment and treat each other with respect and dignity,” reflected in the coffee shop being one of the few retail organizations of its kind to offer health benefits and retirement plans. All employees are generally encouraged to consider if the decisions they make in their jobs are in alignment with the principles from the mission statement.
A cynical view of a mission statement is that it is a useful piece of public relations, an attempt to paint a rosy picture of an organization and full of platitudes and empty business-speak. For internationally respected organizations like the Red Cross – “provide relief to victims of disaster and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies” -- a mission statement is good PR while being clearly supported by actions. When the mission statement seems be very far from the actual behavior of an organization, it can backfire. Google famously includes “Don’t be evil” in its code of conduct as part of its mission, but revelations about Google collecting vast amounts of data on unwitting people and being increasingly invasive have made this sentence a target for those critical of the company.
The words of the mission statement are good for putting in front of the public, but they mean nothing without being backed up. One of the useful purposes of the mission statement is that it forces those writing it to carefully think through exactly what their organization is supposed to be doing. This process of brainstorming and writing reinforces the purpose of the organization. When a mission statement is written by being open to contributions from all employees, it more likely will get buy-in from most people in the organization.
Organizations go through many changes as they grow, change and compete in new and different marketplaces. A mission statement helps an organization stay grounded to its core values and remember the basic principles on which it was founded. Quaker Oats was established because it was “inspired by the power and wholesome goodness of the amazing oat.” It may be difficult for employees at Quaker Oats to remember this simple passion now that it’s part of the massive Pepsi conglomerate, but the written mission statement serves to ground them in their day-to-day duties.