An organization’s mission statement is a crucial document that allows all outside and inside stakeholders to understand long-term plans and goals clearly. While the document is often the first official paper produced by project managers, it is a very labor-consuming matter that requires numerous collaborations and careful evaluation. While writing a mission statement, company managers and associates may come across various typical issues.
First, every mission statement should be concise, inspiring, and achievable (Cavanagh, 2008). People who do not have proper experience in the field may find it difficult to adhere to these standards. Second, it may be difficult to come to a consensus in the matter, as stakeholders may have different views and plans for the company’s development (Cavanagh, 2008). Writing a mission statement together is often inefficient, as “quibbling over words can waste much time” (Cavanagh, 2008, p. 1394). Even though there may be other issues that an organization can face, the two problems mentioned above are the most frequent.
Every mission statement is a collaboration, and all the board members should participate in the elaboration of the document despite any difficulties. Even though every organization will face some problems with the effort, there are efficient ways of dealing with the matters mentioned above. For the first problem, an outside specialist may be invited to compensate for the lack of other member’s experience.
The specialist will listen to the ideas and arguments and transform them into cohesive writing. For the second problem, Cavanagh (2008) advises avoiding writing the document together. Instead, one person can make a draft and let it circulate all the group members allowing everyone to become a part of the elaboration process. In short, a mission statement is a pivotal document and organizations will have to find ways to overcome problems while writing it.
Reference
Cavanagh, G. (2008). Missions and mission statements. In R. W. Kolb (Ed.), Encyclopedia of business ethics and society (Vol. 1, pp. 1394-1396). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. Web.