Str 581 - Validating the Organizational Vision, Mission, and Values Statements

STR 581 Research Proposal

Week 2 - Research Proposal

STR/581

February 12, 2013

Validating the Organizational Vision, Mission, and Values Statements

Validation of the organization's vision, mission statement, and values statements is an ongoing process. Each has its own distinct function in the strategic planning process. A mission statement explains the company's (or department's) reason for existence. A vision statement describes the organization as it would appear in a future successful state. A values statement describes what the organization believes in and how it will behave. At a minimum, annual reviews should be accomplished to ensure the accurately reflect the direction laid out in our company's current strategic plan. Our mission statement should provide a general description of our fundamental reason for being and the functional role that our organization plays in our competitive environment (Mintzberg, Lampel, Quinn, & Goshal, 2003). All will be reviewed to certify that they accurately reflect our current status, competencies, and future direction as well. A focus group representing a cross section of employees will be convened to review these statements, with final approval for changes coming from the executive board.

External Environmental Analysis

By conducting an external analysis, my goal is to identify the critical threats and opportunities in my company's particular competitive environment. To a firm seeking a competitive advantage, an environmental threat is any individual, group, or organization outside the firm that seeks to reduce the level of that firm's performance. Threats can increase a firm's costs, decrease the willingness of a firm's customers to pay, or in other ways reduce a firm's performance (Pearce & Robinson, 2011).

A considerable amount of collected works on techniques for and approaches to conducting an external analysis has evolved over the last several years. Therefore, I will examine how competition in this environment is likely to evolve and what implications that evolution may have for present and future threats and opportunities I am likely to face. To accomplish this, I will gather all of the competitive intelligence about the most important external factors, to include economic, social, cultural, demographic, environmental, political, governmental, legal, regulatory, and technological.

My external environmental analysis will include a review of industry and competitors' data, websites, and printed literature, to include: Financial statements and documentation, Visions, mission, and values statements, Claimed successes and best