Product mission. Examples of company missions. Examples of mission statements of organizations. The mission of the organization and its life cycle


That is, the mission is understood as a statement that reveals the meaning of the organization’s existence, in which the difference between this organization and similar ones is manifested.

Typically, defining the mission of an organization aims to solve the following problems:

  • identify the area active actions organizations and cut off development paths that lead to nowhere;
  • determine the basic principles of competition;
  • develop a common basis for developing the organization's goals;
  • develop a concept of activity that inspires employees of the organization.

Mission Goals is a vision of what the organization should be or what it should stand for. They must reflect the interests of all groups of influence or various groups people in one way or another connected with the activities of the organization and involved in the process of its functioning (owners, managers, employees and workers, consumers, suppliers, banks, government agencies, local authorities management, public organizations and etc.).

When developing a mission, the following groups of factors are taken into account:
  1. The history of the emergence and development of the organization, its traditions, achievements and failures, the established image.
  2. The existing style of behavior and mode of action of owners and managers.
  3. Resources, i.e. everything that an organization can control: cash cash, recognized product brands, unique technologies, employee talent, etc.
  4. , representing the totality of all factors that affect the organization's ability to achieve its goals using the chosen strategies.
  5. Distinctive advantages that the organization has.

For example, the mission of the Marriott Hotel Company is stated as follows: “We strive to be the best in the world in providing stays and food for our customers by encouraging our staff to provide exceptional customer service and respect the interests of shareholders.”

Following the above rules is a very difficult task. This is one of the main reasons that not all organizations have clearly defined missions, and some simply do not have them.

Organizational goals

The main starting point for the formation of organizational goals - and innovation. It is in these areas that the organization’s values ​​are located for which the consumer is willing to pay. If an organization is not able to satisfy consumer demands at a good level today and tomorrow, then it will not have a profit. In other areas of activity (production, personnel, etc.), goals are valuable only to the extent that they improve the organization's ability to satisfy customer needs and implement innovations.

There are six types of goals:

  1. Achieving certain indicator values market share .
  2. Innovation goals. Without developing and providing new services, an organization can very quickly be knocked out of the competition by competitors. An example of this type of goal would be: 50% of sales should be generated by products and services introduced in the last five years.
  3. Resource goals characterize the organization’s desire to attract the most valuable resources: qualified employees, capital, modern equipment. These goals are of a marketing nature. Thus, organizations compete to attract the most capable university graduates, retailers compete for the best location retail outlets. As a result, achieving such results creates the prerequisites for performing other tasks.
  4. Goals to improve performance. When personnel, capital and production and technical potential are not used effectively enough, then consumer needs will not be satisfied enough, or this will be achieved through excessive expenditure of resources.
  5. Social goals are aimed at reducing the negative impact on the natural environment, helping society solve employment problems, in the field of education, etc.
  6. Goals to achieve a certain profit can only be established after previous goals have been formulated.

is something that can help attract capital and encourage owners to share risk. Profit is therefore best viewed as a restrictive goal. Minimum profitability is necessary for the survival and development of a business.

Organizational and marketing performance indicators

Determining activity goals and their assessment are directly related to the selection of appropriate ones. Very often this indicator is considered. In doing so, it is assumed that profit maximization

- This is the main goal of the organization.
  1. Profit maximization is the formal goal for which an organization exists. Those who have invested capital are not interested in specific projects, but in profit.
  2. Profit is the ultimate reward for working efficiently and creating value for customers.
  3. Profit is a simple and understandable criterion for assessing the effectiveness of business decisions. This is the main criterion for choosing the best solutions.

When profit maximization is considered as the main and only goal of an organization’s activities, then this approach should be considered simplified from both a theoretical and a practical point of view. The organization strives to achieve satisfactory rather than maximum profit. Often this profit value acts as a limiting goal when formulating consumer and innovation-oriented goals.

Profit maximization as an evaluation criterion when considering alternative strategies can be used as a first approximation in finding better solutions. At the subsequent stage of analysis, other criteria must be taken into account.

Selecting a criterion for the effectiveness of a non-profit organization

First of all, it should be noted that Along with organizations that live off their profits, there are also non-profit organizations. Choosing a school or hospital as a criterion for the effectiveness of activities contradicts the very idea of ​​​​creating such organizations. However, profit can be one of the indicators of the effectiveness of the self-supporting component in the activities of non-profit organizations.

Below we will talk only about organizations that live from their production and economic activities, which will be called companies.

Despite the predominant use of profit indicators to assess business success, they have certain disadvantages. Firstly, in practice, managers can quite easily and simply manipulate profit indicators in order to obtain falsified results. A variety of and, moreover, completely legal methods of depreciation accounting for inventory valuation, accounting for research and development costs, translation foreign currency and in particular, the many options for recording new acquisitions can turn losses on individual accounting items into large reported profits and vice versa.

Of course, companies that care about creating and maintaining a favorable image first of all proclaim missions that have a social connotation and have a high attractive force for all groups of the company and, above all, for its managers and employees. Without this, it is difficult to use such an important management tool as ( corporate culture). True, there is an opinion that the goals of the mission belong to the category of so-called declared goals, “working for the public,” and among the hidden, undeclared goals there is necessarily the goal of making a profit.

This contradiction can be overcome to a certain extent if the company’s goals are linked to the goals of the company. Since the marketing plan directly sets the objectives of selling certain products in selected markets, the goal of such activities is to achieve the planned indicators of sales volume, profit, and market share. At the same time, the priorities and values ​​of these indicators depend on the development goals of the company as a whole. Thus, the profit indicator fits naturally into the goals of the marketing plan, and the achievement of its certain results contributes to the achievement of the company’s more general goals.

Today, a company is required to be able to take a multi-objective perspective and satisfy the needs of a wide variety of interest groups. The main task The company's management is to reconcile these disparate and largely contradictory interests. In a well-balanced company, reconciling these interests is usually not difficult. One reason is that pressure groups generally do not seek to maximize their interests; instead, they simply hope to obtain an outcome that satisfies them. In fact, leaders operate in a zone of tolerance. Tolerance zone is an area of ​​effective functioning within which the company satisfies the interests of all its key influence groups.

The second most important indicator after profit for many companies this is growth, turnover or value of assets. Some executives believe that there is a relationship between company size and marginal profitability. Until the company becomes one of the leading players, they say, it will be vulnerable to stronger competitors. Others point to the connection between company size and executive pay.

Therefore, the multidimensional, rather than focused on 1-2 indicators, nature of determining the goals of the company’s activities is becoming increasingly widespread. As a result of this methodological reorientation, a multi-criteria approach to assessing the performance of companies is becoming increasingly common. Thus, Forbes magazine uses a 500 ranking system best companies USA, including the following evaluation criteria: the average level of profitability over the last 5 years (their total market value and return on invested capital), sales growth rates, stock returns, as well as absolute values ​​of sales volumes, net income and the share of profit in the price for the last year.

In the most general and at the same time in the most in-depth understanding, the role of the organization’s mission is that it establishes a connection, orients in a single direction the interests and expectations of those people who perceive the organization from the inside, and those who perceive the organization from the outside.

Moreover, the mission allows you to orient or even subordinate the interests of people “internal” in relation to the organization to the interests of “external” people. By defining what the organization was created and exists for, the mission gives people's actions meaning and purposefulness, allowing them to better see and understand not only what they should do, but also why they carry out their actions.

So what is it mission?

Mission is writingpersonal message about the appointment of your businessness. With its help, you can explain to all interested parties why your company exists and how it differs from many others.

Mission– a policy statement reflecting the meaning of the organization’s existence, its distinctive features, guidelines, and stakeholders.

Mission of the organization- This short description an economic entity, its main goals, purpose, scope of activity, norms of behavior and role in solving social problems of the region and society as a whole. The literal translation of this term means “responsible task, role.”

The purpose of the mission is:

Determining the overall course of development of the organization

Ensuring uniformity regarding development directions and key tasks

Demonstration of reliability for business partners, clients and society.

At its core A mission statement is a concise, clear expression of a strategic vision. For its consideration between employees and stakeholders.

Mission– a brief, clear, precise definition of the main directions of development, motivating employees to highly productive work.

The literature does not have clear rules for formulating a mission or requirements for its content; it is a creative, individual product.

There is a broad and narrow understanding of mission.

In a broad sense, mission is the philosophy and purpose, the meaning of existence of an organization.

An organization's philosophy defines the values, beliefs and principles by which the organization intends to conduct its activities. Purpose defines the activities that an organization intends to carry out and what type of organization it intends to be. The philosophy of an organization rarely changes.

As for the second part of the mission, it may vary depending on the depth of possible changes in the organization and in the environment of its functioning.

In a narrow sense, a mission is a formulated statement regarding what or for what reason an organization exists, i.e. mission is understood as a statement that reveals the meaning of the organization’s existence, in which the difference between this organization and similar ones is manifested.

A correctly defined mission, although it always has a general philosophical meaning, nevertheless necessarily contains something that makes it unique in its kind, characterizing precisely the organization in which it was developed. Next we will talk about the mission in a narrow sense.

The meaning of the corresponding mission, which is formally expressed and effectively presented to the employees of the organization, cannot be exaggerated. The goals developed on its basis serve as criteria for the entire subsequent process. strategic planning and management. If leaders don't know what the core purpose of their organization is, then they won't have a logical point of reference for choosing the best alternative. Without a mission statement as a guide, leaders would have only their individual values ​​as a basis for decision making. The result could be a huge dispersion of effort rather than the unity of purpose that is essential to the success of the organization.

Thus, the mission details the status of the organization and provides direction and guidance for defining goals and strategies at various levels of management. Therefore, at present there are two approaches to understanding the mission of the organization. Firstly, the mission is of great importance for communication within the organization: it allows employees to better understand the specifics of its activities. Secondly, the mission helps to communicate basic information about the organization’s activities to shareholders, consumers, and suppliers. This is the dual purpose (dualism) of the mission.

The organization's mission statement should contain the following:

1. The firm's mission in terms of its core services or products, core markets, and core technologies (company's products (needs served), target market).

2. The operating principles of the company, which are determined by the external environment (key technologies, method of market coverage, strategic principles for the development of financing).

3. Determination of organizational culture, type of working climate within the company (proclaimed values ​​and beliefs).

Principles for formulating a mission:

1. Clear, specific formulation of the business area.

2. Expressing the mission in a clear, inspiring and stimulating manner.

3. Compliance of the mission with the current situation (when the environment changes, the mission must be adequately measured).

The mission statement should be, on the one hand, as general as possible so that competitors cannot decipher the business plans of the enterprise in detail, and on the other hand, clear enough so that clients and all recipients can navigate them. It should be expressed in relatively simple definitions and in a form that is easy to understand, often this is a slogan.

Making a profit cannot be considered by the organization as common mission. Profit is an entirely internal problem within the organization. Since an organization is an open system, it can ultimately survive only if it satisfies some need outside itself. To earn the profits it needs to survive, an organization must monitor the environment in which it operates. Therefore, it is in the environment that management looks for a common goal (mission). The choice by the management of the organization of such a narrow mission as profit limits the ability to explore acceptable alternatives when making a decision.

Before starting to formulate a mission, the organization's management must find answers to the following questions:

Who are our main clients?

What needs of our customers do we satisfy now and will we be able to satisfy in the future?

Many nonprofits have so many different “customers” that it is difficult for them to come up with an appropriate mission statement. Despite these difficulties, they must formulate a suitable mission primarily for themselves.

Small organizations also need an appropriately formulated mission statement. Danger to small organization is to choose a mission that is too difficult.

While the mission is undoubtedly of utmost importance to an organization, the imprint placed on the firm by the values ​​and goals of senior management cannot be underestimated. Values ​​are shaped by personal experience, education and socio-economic background. Values, or the relative importance that people attach to things, guide and orient leaders when they are faced with making critical decisions. At the same time, senior management preserves and adheres to certain values, which are manifested in the choice of management type, as well as in the goals of the organization.

Goals of Mission Statement

1. mission gives subjects external environment general idea about what the organization is, what it strives for, what means it is ready to use in its activities, what its philosophy is, etc. In addition, it contributes to the formation or consolidation of a certain image of the organization in the representation of subjects of the external environment.

2. the mission promotes unity within the organization and the creation of a corporate spirit. This manifests itself in the following:

The mission makes clear to employees the overall purpose and purpose of the organization. As a result, employees focus their actions in a single direction;

The mission helps employees identify more easily with the organization. For those employees who identify themselves with the organization, the mission serves as the starting point in their activities;

The mission helps to establish a certain climate in the organization, since, in particular, through it, the organization’s philosophy, values ​​and principles that underlie the construction and implementation of the organization’s activities are communicated to people.

3. the mission creates the opportunity for more effective management of the organization due to the fact that it;

It is the basis for establishing the organization’s goals, ensures the consistency of the set of goals, and also helps develop the organization’s strategy, establishing the direction and acceptable boundaries of the organization’s functioning;

Provides a general approach to the allocation of organizational resources and creates a basis for assessing their use;

Expands the meaning and content of his activities for the employee and thereby allows the use of a wider range of motivation techniques.

The mission is developed by the senior leader (collegially). When approved, it is informally discussed and tested.

The mission should not contain specific instructions as to what, how and in what time frame the organization should do. It sets the main directions of movement of the organization and the organization’s attitude to the processes and phenomena occurring inside and outside it.

Therefore, the formation of a mission is not only the development of provisions, but the communication of these provisions to employees and the acceptance of these provisions by the latter. An organization acquires a mission when the members of the organization agree with it and follow its provisions in their activities.

Strategic planning is characterized in the same way as planning, with the only difference being that the decision-making process is based on a clearly formulated strategy and strategic goals for the functioning and development of the organization. As a process, strategic planning can be built into a certain technological chain, schematically presented in Fig. 4.1.

Rice. 4.1 - Technology of the strategic planning process

Strategic planning begins with development mission of the organization.

Mission - This is the purpose and raison d'être of an organization for its owners and employees, customers and business partners, the environment and society as a whole. The mission reveals the difference between an organization and similar ones, and this difference is then formed and implemented in the strategy of its functioning and development.

The mission statement should reflect the following characteristics of the organization:

Targets, i.e. what the organization’s activities are aimed at and what it strives for in its long-term perspective;

The scope of activity and the market in which the organization sells its product;

The philosophy of an organization, expressed in its adopted values ​​and beliefs.

These characteristics shape the organization's image, its organizational culture and its ability to survive in a competitive environment.

The mission gives subjects of the internal and external environment a general idea of ​​the organization, what it strives for, what means it is ready to use; promotes the internal unity of the organization and the formation of its corporate spirit; creates an opportunity for more effective management organization, since it is the basis for establishing its goals and strategy, distributing its resources; reveals to employees of the organization the meaning and content of their activities.

Below is one example of the mission statement of the American company Sun Banks.

“The Company's mission is to promote the economic development and welfare of the communities served by the Company by providing citizens and businesses with quality banking services in a manner and to an extent that meets the highest professional and ethical standards of providing fair and appropriate returns to the Company's shareholders and fair treatment of the Company's employees "

But how can the mission of the department of higher education be formulated? educational institution, graduating managers: “Our mission is to fill the gap in the training of managerial personnel for enterprises producing products or working in the service sector, formed by a change in management functions in the developing system of market-competitive relations, through the introduction educational technologies, ensuring continuous creative and practical development, guaranteeing that graduates receive decent work and adequate financial remuneration, as well as creating an infrastructure for continuous business education and management consulting, in which not only the department’s employees, students and its graduates, as well as the community of business people will find satisfaction "


Many managers do not burden themselves with developing and formulating the organization's mission, considering it obvious to themselves. Often the mission is understood as the need to make a profit, which is rather an internal problem of organizations. Henry Ford, who well understood the importance of profit, defined the mission of the Ford company as providing low-cost transportation to society, believing that with such a statement, profit would hardly pass by.

At one time the American railways were unable to maintain high competitiveness and profitability because the management of these companies defined their mission within the framework of the railway, and not transport transportation.

A completely opposite example of mission formation in the transportation business is associated with the name of one of the Yale University students. The mission of the organization, formulated by him in the 60s. V diploma work, sounded like ensuring the delivery of small parcels and parcels throughout the country within 24 hours. Since such a mission could only be achieved through the creation of airlines, the cost of transportation increased 40 times.

Was it possible to hope in the future for successful business with such a mission statement and directly compete with such powerful companies at that time as UPS and the American Postal Service? However, the author of that “strange” work, Frederick W. Smith, in the mission he formulated, intuitively foresaw the needs of society for the rapid delivery of small parcels. In the short period after he created the Federal Express Corporation, it brought in $600 million a year, and the president in the first year of managing this company had a salary of $58 million. in year

The mission of an organization must be commensurate with its size. For small businesses, it should be realistic and it will not be a mistake if the small organization's mission as a supplier fits into the mission of the larger parent company.

The formulation of the mission, and, consequently, strategic behavior, is greatly influenced by the value orientations of top management (theoretical, economic, political, social, aesthetic and religious). A well-known specialist in the field of strategic planning, I. Ansof, states: “...behavior is not free from the influence of value orientations; both individuals and organizations exhibit preferences for certain types of strategic behavior, even if this means a loss in terms of results."

"Work for the sake of better life, better world for everyone" - this is the slogan of the Japanese corporation Omron. “We don’t sell our products, we satisfy the needs of society.” However, it must be remembered that behind the shiny facade of the company, from the eyes of the uninitiated, lie such priorities as survival, growth and development in the name of the main motivating factor - profit.

Mission is also identified with such a concept as “corporate credo”. Credo means belief, views, foundations of worldview. The corporate credo consists of the main strategic goal and the value system of the corporation, which includes the interests of the main communication groups of external and internal environment, which include consumers whose needs the organization seeks to satisfy through the production and marketing of its products and services, suppliers of all types of resources, shareholders and investors; employees of the organization, contact audiences, including the entire society as the general public.

In addition, the mission can be interpreted in a broad and narrow sense.

Mission in a broad sense- this is the formulated philosophy, purpose and raison d'être of the organization. The philosophy determines the values ​​and principles of behavior of the team in production, economic, financial, economic, sales, communication and other activities in selected markets.

Purpose allows you to form the type of organization (commercial, non-profit, state or municipal unitary) and develop specific activities that the management system plans to implement to translate philosophical ideas and plans into the reality of market relations in a long-term period of existence of at least five years.

Mission in a narrow sense- this is the formulated reason for the creation and activities of the organization. In other words, the mission is considered as a statement that reveals the meaning of the organization’s existence and contains characteristics that distinguish this organization from similar ones positioned in the same market of consumers of products and services.

The difference between these interpretations is that in the first case, although the general philosophical meaning is reflected, they are more specifically characterized distinctive features organization, the degree of its uniqueness in industry and territorial markets in comparison with competitors.

G. Ford defined the mission of the Ford company as providing people with cheap transportation. He understood well that the company’s mission should be aimed at the consumer and solve primarily the consumer’s problems, and not the internal problems of the organization, such as ensuring profit, expanding the market, increasing sales, etc.

The mission of the famous Eastman Kodak company is: “To become the world leader in chemical and electronic imaging.” Here we see that the statement outlines the company's main long-term goal - "to become a global leader", but also specifies in which industry. At the same time, despite the fact that we know this company more as a manufacturer of photographic products, the company's management does not limit itself only to these products.

Matsushita Electric's mission is to "contribute to improving the quality of life by providing society with household appliances that are as cheap as water."

Considering this mission, we see that, on the one hand, it is quite specific, because:

the company's field of activity is named - production of electrical household appliances;

a global goal has been outlined - improving the quality of life of society;

It is clear how the company is going to achieve its goal - supplying society with cheap electrical appliances.

But at the same time

the aspiration of Matsushita Electric is formulated very broadly and implies the presence of a variety of projects leading to one global result;

The direction of development is also formulated broadly and gives greater freedom in choosing specific ways to achieve the goal.

The mission statement of Sun Banks, one of the world's largest financial institutions, is a prime example of a mission being the product of careful and serious thought. Sun Banks' mission is to promote the economic development and welfare of the communities served by the company by providing citizens and businesses with quality banking services in a manner and to an extent consistent with high professional and ethical standards, providing fair and appropriate returns to the company's shareholders, and equitable relations with company employees.

Another example of a successful (in the author’s opinion) mission is the mission of the Reyter company. It goes like this: “Providing services to those who seek to improve the management of their company is our only business; customer satisfaction is our main goal.” In stating its mission, the company does not limit itself to a certain set of clients, but is ready to provide its services to all those who need it, with maximum benefit to the consumer.

Although Russian companies Just beginning to realize the importance of the mission for the functioning of organizations, many companies still have a mission statement. As an example, here are a few excerpts from the missions of Russian companies.

Dovgan Corporation - “protected quality, protected health.”

The mission of the management and marketing consulting center is to “promote the economic rise of Russia and win its worthy place in the world market through the development of Russian entrepreneurship.”

The Radian company is “providing the region with modern engineering and technical security equipment from leading companies in the world, comprehensive solutions that combine: security and fire alarms, video surveillance systems and restrictions on access to premises, as well as air conditioning and lighting.”

An example of a differentiating mission is Nokia's mission: "By connecting people, we help meet the fundamental human need for connection and social contact. Nokia builds bridges between people - whether they are apart or face to face - and helps people get the information they need." It would seem, which of the things listed in Nokia’s mission are not being done by other mobile communications companies? Motorola, Sony-Ericsson, LG, Panasonic and other players in this market offer absolutely the same things.

For example, the Russian industrial company OAO Severstal, listed by Forbes magazine, uses its mission statement to communicate to employees the company's key priorities and how it relates to them and other stakeholder groups. As a result, if a company employee has a question about what to do in a given situation, whether it is worth looking for non-standard solutions or being content with long-accepted approaches to work, the mission provides answers to these questions.

Moreover, being large company With an extensive structure, OAO Severstal invests in the development of the infrastructure of the regions in which the company's production is located, which is reflected in its mission and values. Such investments not only contribute to business development, but also have a positive impact on the loyalty of employees to the company - thus they have the opportunity to feel part of something important and greater than just the production of steel products, which they do not even deal with in life.

The mission of Severstal OJSC: “To be the best partner for all stakeholders: to create competitive advantages for its consumers, to generate growing and reliable demand for suppliers, to guarantee an attractive return for shareholders and a decent level of remuneration for the company’s employees, to help unleash the creative potential of employees. Most significant and priority standards of behavior in the company are reflected in the strategic values ​​of Severstal OJSC: continuous improvement by unlocking the creative potential of employees, focus on results, team spirit, trust and honesty, willingness to accept challenges, leadership, customer focus, social responsibility."

Citibank Mission: We help people manage their money effectively.

EBay's Mission: To provide a global marketplace where anyone can buy or sell virtually anything.

Ford Motor Mission: We are a global family and proud of our heritage of bringing personal freedom to people around the world.

Mary Kay Mission: To enrich the lives of women around the world by offering customers quality products, opening new horizons for independent beauty consultants and providing them with unlimited opportunities career growth, doing everything so that women who come into contact with the Mary Kay company can realize themselves.

focusing the attention of stakeholders on specific aspects of its strategy and specific types of products, customer groups, markets, geographic regions, or ways to achieve business goals. The narrow approach is especially actively used by companies that at one time were the first to introduce a certain innovation to the market, since it is precisely this that is their main competitive advantage and strategic guideline. Or, the mission is formulated narrowly if the success of the company requires an absolutely clear understanding of every aspect of its activities.

Examples of a narrow approach to mission statements include companies and organizations such as IBM, Polaroid, Starbucks, and the CIA, among others.

IBM Mission: We strive to be leaders in the invention, development and production of the industry's most advanced information technologies, including computer systems, software, storage systems and microelectronics. We turn these technologies into value for customers through professional solutions, service and consulting services around the world.

Polaroid's Mission: To advance the instant photography and digital market to meet people's growing need to capture the faces of friends and family, places dear to their hearts, and life's funny moments.

Starbucks Mission: To be the world's leading provider of the world's finest coffees while growing the company through our unwavering principles (a respectful place to work; cultural diversity; coffee excellence; customer satisfaction; community contributions; profitability).

CIA Mission: We are the eyes and ears of a nation, and sometimes its invisible hand. We achieve the mission as follows:

By collecting only the necessary intelligence.

By providing relevant, objective and comprehensive analysis – on time.

Performing protective actions against the President of the United States to prevent threats or to achieve U.S. political objectives.

Defining the mission of the enterprise is the first stage of developing a marketing plan. There are many concepts of an organization's mission.

The mission of an organization expresses the philosophy and meaning of its existence. It usually details the status, declares the principles of work and provides the most important characteristics of the organization. In management theory, a mission is considered as a very important statement by management, reflecting the socially significant intentions of the organization, as well as giving an idea of ​​the scope of activity, key goals and operating principles, and the markets that are the focus of the organization’s interests.

An organization's mission sets the direction for its employees, clients, investors, and suppliers. The mission makes the enterprise a firm and equips it with the principles of strategic behavior, includes a vision of the future state of the organization, its business and the main orientation for achieving success, as well as entrepreneurial culture, policies, ethical principles management. The mission is a comprehensive goal, it includes both internal (for example, increasing productivity) and external (for example, related to competition) guidelines for the organization's activities, thus expressing the essence of the success that the organization must achieve.

O.S. Vikhansky defined the mission of an organization as “a formulated statement regarding why or for what reason an organization exists, i.e. the mission is understood as a statement that reveals the meaning of the organization’s existence, in which the difference between this organization and similar ones is manifested.” A correctly defined mission, although it always has a general philosophical meaning, nevertheless, necessarily carries something that makes it unique in its kind, characterizing exactly the organization in which it was developed.

Mission is the reason for the existence of an enterprise. The mission is determined in the process of strategic planning; it is the main strategy of the enterprise, in accordance with which all other activities are built. Its adoption allows you to clearly define the purpose of the activity of this enterprise and does not give managers the opportunity to focus on personal interests. An organization's mission is the social benefit that the organization intends to bring (or is already bringing) to others.

A clearly formulated mission shared by all employees of the enterprise:

  • - defines the goals of the enterprise: it becomes clear why it was created. This allows you to concentrate on achieving the main goal without wasting your energy and resources;
  • - encourages employees to working together towards achieving this goal. The loyalty of employees to the organization increases, a strong team is formed that shares the views and principles of the organization. An employee begins to work not only for a salary, but also “for an idea”;
  • - helps in planning: the mission serves as a starting point for the development of strategic and tactical plans; thus, conflicting goals are eliminated, conflicts and resource losses are eliminated;
  • - allows you to differentiate yourself favorably from competitors: the formation of a mission is a good reason to think again and decide how your company differs (of course, in better side) from competing companies.

Mission management functions include:

  • 1. Combining the goals, experience and knowledge of people so that, on the one hand, they work effectively, and on the other, they do it with desire and pleasure. This feature is called group projection.
  • 2. Combining individual forms of perception and evaluation of various acts, technologies and other features of knowledge production (products, services...). This function is called forward synchronous adaptation.
  • 3. Management of the development of concepts, strategies, common systems and regulatory principles labor activity, projects of new decision-making technologies for business communication between representatives of different knowledge cultures. This function is to ensure functional equivalence.
  • 4. Activation of creative, rationalization, initiative activities of employees. This function is called cognitive activation.
  • 5. Activation of emotional, social, behavioral, and leadership potentials of employees. This function is personal mobilization.
  • 6. Internationalization, corporatization and globalization organizational relations and personnel development. This function is called interpersonal stabilization.

If the enterprise does not have a clearly defined mission, then this entails:

  • - inconsistency: if the enterprise does not have a unified direction of development, a situation often arises when various projects and programs turn out to be uncoordinated and come into conflict with each other;
  • - difficulties in planning: if you do not know in which direction your enterprise should develop, it is difficult for you to make any plans, since there is no benchmark to which to strive;
  • - formation of a negative image (inside and outside the enterprise). If no one can explain to customers, partners and employees why the company operates in the market, this undermines its authority. As a result, this can lead to a gradual cooling of relationships with partners and clients. Employees, not understanding why they work, begin to experience dissatisfaction and a desire to change jobs.

The mission helps determine what the enterprise actually does: what is its essence, scale, prospects and directions of growth, differences from competitors. At the same time, it focuses attention on the consumer, and not on the product (service), since the mission of the organization is most often determined taking into account consumer interests, requests, and needs that are satisfied by the organization. The role of the organization's mission is that it establishes a connection, orients in a single direction the interests and expectations of those people who perceive the organization from the inside, and those who perceive it from the outside. The mission allows you to orient or even subordinate the interests of people “internal” in relation to the organization to the interests of “external” people. By defining what the organization was created for, the mission gives people's actions meaning and purposefulness, allowing them to better see and understand not only what they should do, but also why they carry out their activities.

There are several main tasks that the organization’s mission is intended to solve:

  • 1) make explicit why the firm exists and establish a basis for defining and ensuring consistency of its goals;
  • 2) determine what this organization differs from others operating in the same market;
  • 3) create a criterion for assessing the need to perform all actions carried out at the enterprise;
  • 4) coordinate the interests of all persons associated with the company (owners, management, staff, clients, suppliers, etc.);
  • 5) contribute to the creation of a corporate spirit, including expanding the meaning and content of their activities for employees.

The mission is necessary for employees to justify their daily “going” to work, so that the employee compares his personal interests with the interests of the organization in which he works; managers at all levels to facilitate employee management; to clients to realize that the company does not just make money, but tries to satisfy their needs and takes care of them.