Impact of mission and vision statements in organizations: A compelling vision for #VUHRD
Do you know the mission or vision of your organization? If so, is it compelling? If you answered no to either of these questions, you are not alone. According to Gallup, “only about one-third of the U.S. workforce strongly agrees that the mission of their company makes them feel their job is important.” If the mission of your business is not compelling, it would be difficult to find meaning or importance in the work that you do. If you don’t even know the mission, I suspect it wouldn’t be motivating you, either. But research does show that a compelling mission and vision statement, a core ideology, as Jim Collins refers to it, “gives a company both a strong sense of identity and a thread of continuity that holds the organization together in the face of change.” With the pace of change in most organizations today, this becomes even more important to motivate employees and inspire customers.
Over the last two years, the Villanova Graduate Programs in Human Resource development have been undergoing a strategic review process to evaluate the effectiveness of the program, the rigor of the curriculum, and the overall direction of the HR profession. Through this process, the VUHRD leadership team developed a new vision and mission statement to guide program changes, motivate our faculty and students, and inspire prospective students who are compelled by our vision.
We know that the average mission and vision statements of higher education institutions typically do little to inspire students. “A recent Gallup study found that regardless of institution size, public or private status, religious affiliation, for-profit or not-for-profit status, the mission, purpose and vision statements of more than 50 higher education institutions were strikingly similar. This offers little guidance to current or future students who are trying to select on institution over another.” It is our goal that this new vision for VUHRD not fall into this pattern for higher education.
Without further ado, the new VUHRD Vision and mission statements:
We develop global thought leaders in human resources, who drive high performing, inclusive organizations and create meaningful work experiences.
It is our mission to develop HR leaders through evidence-based education and applied experiences in functional and strategic human resource management, within dynamic organizational environments.
We believe our vision and mission are compelling to our students, faculty and prospective students because, as Gallup suggests, “it provides a unique identity that is focused on outcomes” – outcomes not only for our students but for the organizations where they will be employed. It also provides a focus for the curriculum and research offered by our faculty.
If this vision speaks to you, perhaps you should consider a class in VUHRD or hiring a VUHRD alum to create meaningful work experiences for your employees!
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Bethany J. Adams, MA is an Assistant Director in the Graduate HRD program at Villanova University. Learn more about her here!
