Everyone in our company knows that I like unconventional entrepreneurs. Such as Richard Branson or Elon Musk.

For their unconventional approach to doing business, sometimes “inappropriate” antics and, of course, for their view of the world. The same view that they broadcast to the world and business.

And the company’s mission is where the transmission of the ideas of any entrepreneur begins. What is the mission and values ​​of the company for, how to create and convey them, we will understand in the article.

Think carefully

As a rule, every owner of a company that has been operating for more than 3 years (in Russia these are already long-livers) believes that his company needs a mission that will convey to consumers and employees the value of his company and its difference from competitors.

And therefore, before creating it, you need to ask yourself the following questions:

1. Does my company/business really need a mission statement?
2. What if I'm an expert? For example, is a mission necessary?

And if everything is clear with companies like Apple (the mission of a huge corporation is simply necessary), then is there a need for a mission for a chain of small eateries operating even in a couple of regions?

Most likely you will now answer “no”, or “unlikely”. Perhaps this is true.

However, if you are looking long-term and thinking about the future, for example, about expanding the company or selling a franchise, then a well-formulated mission will help convey the principles and key values ​​of the company to fast food lovers.

So what does such a short phrase as “company mission” mean that we all walk around?

Need to think…

One word, two meanings

Mission is the purpose of the company’s existence and activities. However, if you paraphrase, you may get an unexpected answer.

The purpose of a company's existence is to make a profit. Every entrepreneur knows the answer to this question.

True, this is a little incorrect. Making a profit is the main goal of any company. But the way to make a profit (how exactly the goal is achieved), this is the mission.

I want to upset you, but there is no single definition of the word mission. Some interpret it as a philosophy, for which the company exists.

Someone as the reason for the existence and activities of the company, combined into one sentence. And some as the final goal of creating a business. I like the following definition:

Mission is a statement that conveys to consumers and employees the philosophy of the company’s existence and how it differs from its competitors.

By the way, the very first mission in the world was invented by Konosuke Matsushita (Japanese). You probably don’t know him, but he is the founder of the Panasonic brand.

And what he proposed in the 1930s to be the mission of the industrial sector shocked the world.

The mission of an industrial enterprise should be to overcome poverty, to eliminate the suffering of society as a whole, to make people rich.

A little more specific

I'll upset you again. In fact, a mission is far from one or even two sentences. Or rather so.

The mission, formulated in one or two sentences, is shown to consumers.

In it, the company reflects its philosophy, principles and values, and thanks to its brevity, this philosophy shapes the company's image in society.

There is also a second, longer version of the mission. This option is used for employees, their understanding of the company's philosophy and.

By believing in this mission, employees should perform better. It must clearly answer three questions a person has that are constantly spinning in his head:

1. Why do I come to work every day?
2. What do I do every day at work?
3. How do I know when I'm doing it well?

Just so that you can evaluate the difference between the missions using an example, I went through the missions of well-known companies and found an excellent implementation option from the fairly well-known Russian company “Sportmaster”:

Short(for clients): We make sports accessible!

Long(for staff): To develop a successful and efficient business, offering customers an optimal range of quality goods for sports and outdoor activities with an optimal level of service.

To promote the health of the population in the countries where we operate, promoting the values ​​of a healthy lifestyle, sports and active recreation, improving the quality of life of our clients.

As they say, feel the difference for consumers and your own internal use. I think everything is clear with the short and long versions of the mission.

The only point is that you should not confuse the missions with those that are constantly shown in advertising. For example, the chain of convenience stores “Walmart”:

Tagline: Save money. Live better!

Mission(for clients): We save people money so they can live better lives.

By the way, I also like the founder of the Walmart chain (Sam Walton) for his non-standard behavior.

At 86 years old, being a billionaire, he managed to end up in a pre-trial detention cell (semi-prison). The reason was quite unusual.

He crawled along the floor of a large store with a tape measure, measuring the distance between shelves, thinking that the Brazilians had invented something secret that would increase sales.

Theory is over, Closer to the body

I am more than sure that you did not find this article with the goal of finding out what a mission is; I think Wikipedia is enough for this.

And in order to find an approach and step-by-step instructions on how to formulate the company’s mission for clients and employees. That is why I created a small algorithm that will help you in this difficult matter.

Step 0. Determine the type of mission

But... First you need to decide on the type of mission and in what manner to write it.

Let's call this the preparatory stage and give it the value No. 0. So. According to the correct (scientific) approach, the mission should contain 4 aspects:

1. Market (talk about products, strategy, competition, company goals or market);
2. Social (contain a mention of the company’s philosophy and culture);
3. Private (company’s achievements in material terms);
4. Qualitative (the company’s intention and desire to change the quality of life of society).

As for me, it is simply not possible to combine all 4 aspects on your own without involving a company specializing in creating missions (such ones actually exist).

For at least two reasons. Let's look again at examples of mission statements from famous brands, Apple and IKEA, that use this approach when creating mission statements. The second reason.

This approach is very appealing to ordinary people, that is, your consumers, due to the supposed “care” of your company about them in particular and the world in general.

Step 1: Creating a Mission Skeleton

Unfortunately, the most difficult thing will not be step 1, that is, not creating the skeleton of the mission, where you will have to answer a large number of questions. Although no. This is also difficult, but not that difficult.

To help you, I am attaching a fairly detailed list of questions, answering which will give you maximum scope for imagination and formulating the mission of your company:

Ideally, use both questions at once. The more questions there are, the better.

For every answer you receive, your task is to ask yourself a deepening question - Why?/Why?/When?/With what?. It is from the depths that you can get the deep meaning, goals and objectives of the company.

WE ARE ALREADY MORE THAN 29,000 people.
TURN ON

Step 2. Collection and reduction

The most difficult thing is the second point. After all, it is thanks to him that your mission will be able to announce its life.

Works (answers to questions) can be of any number of characters and length. But a mission, even a long one, cannot be longer than 3-5 sentences.

Therefore, in addition to the fact that you need to collect one single thought from all the answers, you also need to reduce it to the utmost.

And it is precisely the reduction of unnecessary information that will become the real pain of creativity for you. Want to practice?

Current mission of the Russian Aluminum Company: To become the most efficient aluminum company in the world, which we and our children can be proud of...

Can it be shortened? At first glance, no. But if you take a closer look, you can.

If we remove the excess, we will get a much shorter and better phrase. My version: “To become an aluminum company that we and our children can be proud of.”

On the Internet you can look at successful examples of company missions, there are a huge number of them.

Find short ones that hit the mark, such as Amazon or Zappos missions. You can also easily find huge ones on the Internet that you read with the thoughts “I’m tired of reading. Kill me”, for example, Avon and the Pipe and Metallurgical Company.

My personal opinion. The mission should be as short and clear as possible. Brevity is the soul of wit. This phrase is very relevant here and says a lot.

Although you will think differently when creating, trying to convey as much information as possible. And this is normal for the first time.

Step 3: Check

People should understand your idea, it should be easy. To understand it, you don’t need to open a notebook and lay out the relationships. Therefore, make several versions at once to find the best one.

And your clients and your employees will be looking for the very best, since it is created not only for you, but one might even say, primarily for them.

You also need to check your mission against 6 criteria that need to be covered in your chosen approach (I warned you that this is not an easy task) to achieve the best result that will make everyone gasp. These six criteria are:

1. Customer satisfaction. Consumers love to feel taken care of. And you must convey to the client exactly how your company influences changing his life for the better.
2. Uniqueness. In the mission you must convey your difference from your competitors. Present yours.
3. Advantages and values ​​of the company. The advantages of your company over competitors and the core values ​​that your company conveys.
4. Truthfulness. True, true and once again true. If you make the cheapest products, but at the same time claim that these are the best products, then it is better not to do this.
5. Transparency. The mission statement must be clear, truthful and easy to understand. Words and sentences should be so simple that even “Homer Simpson” can understand them.
6. Memorability. An easy and short mission that is easy to remember. This is why we so easily remember short slogans that appear in advertising.

If your development passes all these 6 criteria, then consider you have done it.

You have realized what most people come to after decades of existence. Honestly, I’m not sure that everything will work out so perfectly for you right away, but it’s for the best, there will be room to grow 😉

Briefly about the main thing

A mission is your intangible driver towards achieving your goal. This is what unites you, your employees and your clients under one flag. It's not easy to create.

And you need it precisely when you have already achieved stable sales. Since increasing sales, the mission for micro and small businesses does not make sense.

Your mission will change from year to year, it will improve. Not only because the world is changing, but because you are changing.

If earlier your value was “parties and night outs,” now your value is “Family and Home.” But remember:

“You can change the mission, but you cannot betray the idea.” (

P.S. You know what I don't like about most freelance sites? The phrase “individual approach”.

And also a list of advantages that tell why the company is the coolest on the market. And not a single advantage that the client will receive when contacting this company.

This is what I mean. When creating a mission (if you decide to create it), do not be freelancers.

Don’t write how cool you are, how long you’ve been on the market, etc. Ideally, don't mention the company at all.

If you look at most missions, you will see a clear line between them. Foreign and Russian approach.

Foreign – how a company can be useful to a client. Russian - as a client, he should be happy that he is using the services of such a cool company.

I encourage you to use a foreign approach when creating a mission. Start from your company and interpret them in terms of what advantages your customers will receive from working with you.

This mission, in my opinion, will be the most successful and will distinguish you from your competitors.

When creating a company mission, it is logical to familiarize yourself with examples of missions of famous organizations. We have selected missions of Russian and foreign companies that we think are interesting. They were structured by areas of activity.

But Do not copy, do not create a mission by analogy - this will worsen the climate in the company, at best, will not change anything. Mission is always individual.

EXAMPLES OF MISSION OF COMPANIES BY FIELDS OF OPERATION

Examples of missions of distributors, networks, retail and e-commerce enterprises

• ROSPECHAT's mission: to be a link between publishers and readers.
• Lenta Mission: We work to ensure that people in Russia live better and richer, saving their money every day.
• Mission of Sportmaster: We make sports accessible! To develop a successful and efficient business, offering Clients an optimal range of quality goods for sports and active recreation with an optimal level of service. To promote the health of the population in the countries where we operate, promoting the values ​​of a healthy lifestyle, sports and active recreation, improving the quality of life of our clients.
• SNS mission: To be the undisputed leader in the distribution of FMCG goods in the CIS countries, providing customers with high-quality products and ideal service, acting in the interests of society and consumers, employees and shareholders.
• Protek Mission: Our goal is to care for the beauty and health of people. We value the economic, social and ethical values ​​of society, honestly fulfill our obligations to people, partners, investors and the state, thereby setting standards for doing business.
• Dixie's mission: To meet the daily needs of the majority of Russian residents with the best price-quality ratio - Simple, Close, Neighborly
• Lenta Mission - We work to ensure that people in our country live better and richer, saving their money every day.
• TERVOLINA's mission: High-quality, comfortable shoes and excellent service - for every customer!
• Walmart's Mission: We save people money so they can live better lives.
• AUCHAN mission: To offer more and more customers a wider range of quality products at low prices.
• Mission of Leroy Merlin East: To make repairs and improvement of their home accessible to everyone
• Castorama's mission: to help buyers make their homes more perfect and comfortable, to transform the labor-intensive and costly process of repair and improvement into an interesting hobby accessible to everyone.
• IKEA's mission: To change the everyday lives of ordinary people for the better.
• Amazon's mission is to be "the most customer-conscious company on Earth."
• EBay's Mission: To provide a global marketplace where anyone can buy or sell virtually anything.
• Alibaba's mission: remove all barriers between buyer and seller.

Examples of missions from consumer goods manufacturers

• Baltika's mission: We create a high-quality product that gives people the joy of communication, makes their lives brighter and more interesting.
• Daria's mission: To free up consumers' time for a full life by producing high-quality, easy-to-cook products.
• Luxlite mission: leadership in the Russian lighter market for long-term partnership.
• JTI Mission: Our mission is to create a powerful international tobacco company that provides maximum benefit to its shareholders, employees, consumers and society at large and strives to achieve a leading position in its industry.
• Unilever's mission is to energize life. We meet people's daily food and hygiene needs. Our brands help you feel great, look great and get more pleasure from life.
• Levi-Strauss Mission: We will bring the world's most beautiful and best-loved casual clothing to market. We will dress the whole world.
• Nike's mission: Bringing inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.
• Adidas Mission: Our mission is to be the leader among the world's sports brands. We achieve leadership based on our vision - our passion for sport makes the world a better place. All our work is inspired by the passion for sport that drives us, allowing us to improve ourselves and the world around us.
• Canon's mission is to help people realize the full potential of their images.
• Gillette Mission: Every day, more than 800 million people around the world trust their faces and skin to Gillette's innovative razors and shaving products. We are committed to providing people with the best personal care products, including deodorants and body washes. All of them are designed to meet people's unique needs, helping them look great, feel good and perform at their best every day.

Examples of missions of food industry enterprises

• Teremok mission: 1. We are creating a national public catering network; 2. We must be loved by customers, offering national dishes of a new generation: pancakes, porridges, stews and kvass, with the best taste in Russia; 3. Our products must be accessible to the majority of the Russian population; 4. We will always be glad to see people of all ages; 5. We must give people joy and pleasure.
• McDonald's Mission: To be our customers' favorite place to eat or drink. And the formula for achieving this goal is one old McDonald's formula: KKCH and D, which means Quality, Service Culture, Cleanliness and Availability.
• KFC Mission: Bring joy to life.

Examples of missions of companies in the automotive industry

• AvtoVAZ Mission: We create high-quality cars for our customers at affordable prices, bringing stable profits to our shareholders, improving the well-being of our employees and increasing the value of our business for the benefit of the Fatherland.
• GAZ mission: To produce commercial vehicles that guarantee the customer benefits from the purchase thanks to uncompromising quality and reliable, impeccable service, ensured by the highest competence of personnel, partner suppliers, innovations in production and products.
• Mission of URAL: Satisfying the needs of society for vehicles with a gross weight of 12 to 44 tons and creating conditions for maintaining the performance of vehicles during operation.
• KAMAZ mission: KAMAZ, built by the entire country, is the basis of transport security and the heritage of Russia. Anticipating needs, we deliver automotive technology and signature service to help customers achieve inspiring goals. KAMAZ is a socially responsible partner, acting for the long-term interests of shareholders and the well-being of employees.
• Ford's Mission: We are a global family and proud of our heritage of bringing personal freedom to people around the world.
• Toyota Mission: To give our customers the pleasure of high-quality Toyota vehicles. We are responsible for every car we sell. We create an atmosphere in which Toyota professionals use their many years of experience, as well as knowledge of advanced Toyota technologies, to meet the interests of our discerning customers. The Company's mission is to maximize customer satisfaction by providing reliable and safe TOYOTA products and providing a network of high-quality service and qualified maintenance.
• BMW Mission: The BMW Group is the world's leading provider of premium products and premium services for individual mobility.
• Harley-Davidson Mission: We make people's dreams come true using our experience in creating the best motorcycles!

Examples of missions of companies in the field of high technology and electronics

• Rostelecom's mission: More opportunities for everyone. Rostelecom creates more opportunities for people, both through its services and through the implementation of projects and initiatives that address topics important to society. Telecommunications have the ability to change and improve people's lives, and this is what Rostelecom strives for in its relations with everyone who comes into contact with the activities of our company.
• Mission of Uralvagonzavod (manufacturer of the ARMATA tank): Strengthening the defense capability and development of the transport infrastructure of the Russian Federation by creating high-tech innovative products for military, special and civilian purposes.
• Apple's Mission: Apple makes Macs the world's best personal computers, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple continues the digital music revolution with its iPod and iTunes. Apple rediscovered the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad. (Apple Computer, Inc.'s early mission statement was: We provide the highest quality computers to people around the world).
• Microsoft Mission: Our mission at Microsoft is to help people and business organizations around the world realize their full potential. Achieving this goal requires talented, energetic, bright and creative people with the following virtues: integrity and honesty, enthusiasm, openness and respect, willingness to solve complex problems, self-criticism and responsibility.
• Samsung Mission: We use the company's human and technological resources to create superior products and services, thereby contributing to the improvement of global society.
• Lenovo Mission: For those who do! At Lenovo, our vision is that Lenovo will create personal devices that inspire more people, inspired by our own culture, and through which we build a business respected around the world. This Vision guides us in achieving our mission to become one of the world's greatest technology companies. We will do this through: Personal Computing, Convergence and Culture.
• 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.
• XEROX Mission: Sharing knowledge through documents.
• Sony Mission: We are a group of young people who are endowed with sufficient energy for endless creative exploration.

Examples of missions of telecommunications and IT companies

• Yandex Mission: Help people solve problems and achieve their goals in life.
• Google's mission: Organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.
• Beeline mission: we help people get joy from communication, feel free in time and space.
• Megafon Mission: MegaFon will unite Russia by breaking down barriers and developing communications to become everyone's obvious choice. MegaFon proceeds from a special attitude towards the company's social mission, which is to create conditions for people to communicate, without regard to borders and distances.
• MTS Mission: We work to make MTS the best operator for its customers. We want every person who comes to an MTS salon, calls our call center, or uses the company’s services to enjoy being an MTS client. Thanks to reliable communications, MTS provides customers with the opportunity to build and improve their lives and constantly develop. All MTS resources are aimed at ensuring that, thanks to the company’s services, the lives of MTS clients become more eventful, interesting and filled with new opportunities.
• Yota's mission: to be a leading developer and supplier of innovative mobile services that will change, at least one iota, people's perceptions and experiences in the field of communication, entertainment and information consumption.
• Tele2 Mission: Our goal is to challenge, act quickly and offer a wide range of Internet-based services at an affordable price.
• Youtube's mission is to provide quick and easy video access and the ability to share videos frequently.
• Facebook's mission: Empower people to connect and make the world a more open and connected place.
• Twitter's Mission: To empower everyone to share ideas and information instantly, without barriers.

Examples of missions of oil and gas companies

• Gazprom's mission: the most efficient and balanced gas supply to Russian consumers, fulfillment of long-term gas export contracts with a high degree of reliability.
• Rosneft's mission is to innovatively, environmentally friendly and cost-effectively meet society's needs for energy resources. Thanks to a unique resource base, high technological level and a team of professionals committed to their business, the Company ensures sustainable business growth and increased shareholder returns. Our activities contribute to social stability, prosperity and progress of the regions.
• Lukoil Mission: We were created to use the energy of natural resources for the benefit of people.

Examples of bank missions

• Sberbank Mission: We give people confidence and reliability, we make their lives better by helping them realize their aspirations and dreams.
• Mission Opening: We help our clients, employees, counterparties and even competitors realize their financial opportunities.
• The Bank of New York's Mission: We strive to be a recognized global leader and partner of choice in helping our clients succeed in a world of rapidly evolving financial markets.
• Citibank's mission is to be a trusted partner to our clients by responsibly providing them with financial services that contribute to sustainable development and economic progress. In the interests of clients, our company invests in reliable assets, provides them with borrowed funds, makes payments and provides access to capital markets. With 200 years of experience, we help our clients solve their toughest challenges and make the most of their opportunities. We are Citi, a global bank, connecting millions of people in hundreds of countries and cities.

Examples of missions of government agencies and non-profit structures

• Mission of the Russian Cooperation University: Providing high-quality education that meets international standards; formation of a highly moral personality with modern professional and other in-demand competencies; real scientific achievements on the basis of the Russian University of Cooperation, meeting the needs of society, the state and the individual; mobile and dynamic learning that flexibly responds to global changes and ensures rapid development of the economy of Russia and the countries of the world, contributing to the development of youth career management skills.
• Mission of the State Hermitage Volunteer Service: Fostering a sense of responsibility for the preservation of cultural heritage.
• 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.

Perform protective actions against the President of the United States to prevent threats or to achieve US political objectives.

Examples of missions of service companies

• Aeroflot mission - We work to ensure that our customers can quickly and comfortably travel vast distances, which means they can be mobile, meet more often, work successfully and see the world in all its diversity. We give our customers the opportunity to choose thanks to an extensive route network and to various air carriers of the Group: from low-cost airlines to premium airlines.
• Mission of Russian Railways: The mission of Russian Railways (Russian Railways) is to satisfy market demand for transportation, increase operational efficiency, quality of services and deep integration into the Euro-Asian transport system. Russian Railways brand mission: We are the most important part of the global system of movement of people, goods and technologies. We work for clients, contribute to the unification of peoples, and integrate Russia into a single economic space. Our solutions are based on a unique infrastructure, the skill of a team of high-level professionals and innovative technologies.
• Mission of the First Freight Company: To provide the best quality transport and logistics services on the market. Be a leader. To make rail transportation of goods accessible and attractive to the client.
• Disneyland Mission: We work to ensure that adults and children spend more time together.
• The mission of the Ritz-Carlton hotel chain: Relentless care and providing maximum comfort to every guest.
• The New York Public Library's mission is to inspire lifelong learning, advance knowledge, and strengthen our communities.

Examples of missions of consulting companies

• Mission Strategic decision: We strengthen the Fatherland by helping to develop business!
• McKinsey & Company Mission: Our mission is to help our clients make individual, lasting and significant improvements in their operations and build great firms by attracting, inspiring and retaining exceptional people.
• The Boston Consulting Group Mission: Our company's mission is based on the following simple principles. We analyze, we learn and then we act. We bring together people who can challenge conventional wisdom and bring about the kind of change that is needed. We help clients develop the competencies they need and achieve long-term benefits. And we shape the future. Together.

Examples of missions of companies in the metallurgical industry

• RUSAL mission: To become the most efficient aluminum company in the world, which we and our children can be proud of. Through the success of RUSAL - to the prosperity of each of us and society.
• Metalloinvest's mission: Providing customers with high quality metal and providing the highest level of service.
• Mission of the Cherepovets Metallurgical Plant: To be leaders in creation.
• Mission of the United Metallurgical Company: Production of metallurgical products and products for the fuel and energy complex that best meet customer needs due to the optimal ratio of price and consumer properties.

MISSION is the most important goal of the company. The meaning of existence of any organization. The foundation for successful development. Use examples of missions from successful companies, but create your own mission. Each organization is unique.

But do you know where your company is going? What do you want to achieve? To make every action and decision you make more successful and meaningful, you must constantly keep a clear picture of your main guidelines in your head. “What do I want my business to be?” is the first question an entrepreneur should ask himself when creating the mission of his company. Without a clear vision of your goal, you will never achieve this goal.

Why is a mission needed?

Perhaps every person who decides to start their own business thinks about why some manage to achieve great success and always stay afloat, while others do not. Why are some capable of leading thousands of people, while others, having amazing management skills, are left with nothing? The fact is that successful entrepreneurs clearly know what they want and how to achieve it using all their capabilities. To bring your success closer, you need to formulate the real mission of the company and never deviate from it.

What is the company's mission?

If we consider the company's mission in the broadest sense, then it can be defined as the raison d'être of the business. The mission contains the fundamental purpose of the organization and plays the most significant role in strategic management. When formulating a mission, you first of all describe the company’s values, with the help of which you can achieve your main goal. You can often find the concept “company policy” in business articles. In essence, this is the mission.

Mission is now a very fashionable concept, and many companies associate the level of their prestige with the presence of a beautifully formulated mission. However, if you need a mission only to “boast” about it in business circles, then carefully studying how to formulate it correctly is not necessary. For a truly serious business, the mission should serve as a kind of auxiliary and guiding means of achieving goals and completing tasks.

Mission objectives

First of all, with a clearly defined mission, it will be much easier for company employees to unite to achieve common goals. And the process of attracting the most suitable specialists to the company will be significantly easier. Once, one businessman, answering the question “How were you able to assemble a team of such talented specialists?”, said that after a clear statement of the mission, the issue of personnel selection ceased to be a problem. Specialists began to come to the company on their own, whose values ​​corresponded to the company’s mission.

With the help of a mission, the PR process, both internal and external, is also much easier. Finally, the lack of a mission can lead to a violation of the integrity of the corporate culture in the company.

How to write a company mission

The first thing you need to start with is to put everything aside and find a quiet place where no one will distract you from your thoughts. At this moment, one might say, the fate of your business is being decided, so throw everything unnecessary out of your head and focus solely on the formulation of the company's mission. You don't have to write the mission all at once. Most likely, in the next few days you will return to it, make some adjustments in order to ensure that the final picture looks more complete and corresponds to your real goals.

First, you need to create a framework for writing a mission statement. Take a piece of paper and a pen. Describe several main activities of your company (there is no need to describe in detail), as well as the features of your company and its advantages and advantages among competing companies. And most importantly, write down the main values ​​of your company. Don’t rush, it’s better to think everything through carefully so as not to lose sight of any important detail.

Next, looking at what you wrote, answer the following questions: “What do I want to achieve? Where do I want to go? Why do I want this? What is the basis of my aspirations? Can there be people willing to support me in this?” Most often, company missions are formulated from the perspective of the social significance of its activities for society. However, this method of creating a mission statement is not suitable for all types of businesses. For example, for a company producing alcohol or tobacco products, social significance will be extremely difficult to formulate.

Mistakes in mission statement

The most common mistake when writing a mission statement is to mention the profit aspect. Everyone understands that any business has among its goals, including obtaining maximum profits. Therefore, in order not to distort the understanding of the mission, it is better not to use the desire for material gain in writing the mission.

The mission turns out to be “empty” if it does not contain any specifics and contains only boilerplate expressions. Also, a mission that is far from the real state of affairs in the organization will be wrong, and the goals described in the mission are not the real goals of the company and are written only for the “pretty picture.”

Requirements for writing a mission statement

There is an informal regulation for writing a company mission. The first and most important thing is the easy perception and understanding of the mission by both company employees and other people. If the employees themselves do not correctly understand what the company’s goals are and where it is going, then it is obvious that they will not be able to take full part in achieving the goals.

The mission should always be relevant to the company. It reflects what the company is doing at a given period, and what it will do in the future. If it happens that the company slightly changes the vector of its activities, then the mission must be rewritten to suit the new conditions. Otherwise, it simply loses its meaning and relevance.

The next requirement for writing a mission concerns its scope. There are no generally accepted norms here. The scope of the mission can be either one sentence or several pages. However, you shouldn’t go to such extremes. It is unlikely that it will be possible to fully reflect the mission by writing just one sentence. And a mission that is a couple of pages long will not be perceived well enough by those who read it. Therefore, the ideal volume of the company’s mission is a few sentences, maximum one small paragraph. Once again we would like to draw your attention to the fact that this requirement is unspoken, and only you can decide how to write and what the scope of your mission will be.

There are also some recommendations for designing a mission. Whoever and wherever you show it, it should have the most presentable appearance. A mission for a company is like a business card for a person. If you place it on a website, make sure it has a beautiful and readable font, and don’t place it somewhere in the corner so that it doesn’t look like some small, not particularly important detail. Carry out your mission with pride. If you present your mission in print, it should be high quality print, not a piece of paper with dull text on it. Some companies hang a high-quality mission statement on the walls of their office, placing it in a beautiful frame.

Examples of writing a company mission

To better understand what a mission should look like, we give you several examples of real missions of existing successful companies.

1. “We are going to become the biggest airline, to establish our presence both in our country and in other countries. We want to achieve maximum efficiency and low cost on local and international routes. We want to see among our ranks the best employees who can provide the best flight conditions for each passenger.” (Southwest Airlines) .
2. "To provide inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world" (Nike) .
3. “We see our mission as quickly and efficiently serving a large number of visitors to our restaurants, using a standard range of food products” (McDonald's) .
4. “Our calling is in continuous creative search to create our own products. And we have enough energy and enthusiasm to do this for you" (Sony Corporation) .
5. “We are dedicated to making women's lives better and more enjoyable with high-quality cosmetic products. We provide the opportunity for every woman to build her career in our company by becoming an independent beauty consultant. We promise that every woman who lets Mary Kay into her life will be able to realize herself to the fullest.” (Mary Kay) .
6. “To become a leading manufacturer of mobile devices using only innovative developments and modern standards. Our goal is to promote the development of high technologies, expanding the scope of their capabilities. HTC is all about new design solutions in which we invest our resources as much as possible." (HTC) .
7. “We improve the quality of life for many people. Our goal is, first of all, to help and care for people who find themselves in a difficult situation and are unable to cope with it on their own.” (American Red Cross) .
8. “To enable people to enjoy communication, and to feel freedom from the limitations of time and space. Anticipate people's needs and wishes and translate them into our mobile services." (Beeline) .
9. “Rallying efforts and uniting the labor of many people based on the construction of quality cars” (Toyota) .
10. “We bring people together and help them satisfy their need for social connections. We build bridges between people who need to communicate or receive any information" (Nokia) .

There are many interpretations of the concept corporate mission– the meaning of existence, the main goal of activity; some higher purpose; expression of the social significance of the activity; the role the company intends to play in the market; high-quality content of the business, an attempt by a businessman to find the meaning of his professional activity; justification of the organization's non-financial goals.

We dare to add our own definition of mission to this collection.

• Mission (organization, project, institution etc.) - an expression of one’s ability and intentions to satisfy or create socially significant and ethically acceptable needs (demands) of humanity, groups of people (territories, states, peoples, communities, enterprises) and individuals.

And if we get rid of unnecessary complexity, let's say it even simpler:

• COMPANY MISSION is the social benefit that the company intends to bring (or is already bringing) to others.

That is, the mission should be directed outward, toward society, outside the company, and not toward the company and its stakeholders. This is precisely the main criterion when understanding whether the mission is before your eyes or an attempt to justify the purely material interests of the business. A striking negative example of this is the mission of today's Russian banks and insurance companies, most of which have simply forgotten about the interests of the client.

The objectives of the mission of modern Russian business acceptable to society may be:

• the formation of a new quality of life that summarizes the consumer properties of the company’s products;
• the desire to improve the already formed quality of life and expand its distribution;
• creating values ​​of a higher level of significance for society than the resources expended;
• qualitative changes in the company itself, as a result of the emergence and mobilization of additional resources and a new attitude towards the world;
• increased adaptation of the company to market requirements and its integration into the global community.

There are many opinions about what the content of an organization's mission should be.
The so-called four-pronged approach involves taking into account the following aspects in the mission statement:

• market (products, strategies, competition, enterprise goals, markets),
• social (taking into account the interests of business participants, social groups, mentions of corporate philosophy, culture),
• private (business success from the point of view of the personal interests of the owners),
• qualitative (the desire of business to change the conditions, quality of life of society, properties of the social environment).

• public (contribution to the local community, solving specific public problems),
• consumer (satisfying customer requests, taking into account the needs of suppliers and partners),
• administrative-territorial (satisfying the requests of a specific system within the structure of which the company operates),
• entrepreneurial (satisfying the needs of participants and co-owners).

And, for example, on the website of one domestic state university it is stated that “The content of the organization’s mission is:
1) philosophy (basic views, principles and values, system of motives);
2) description of the scope of activity, product of the organization;
3) goals of the organization (current and strategic);
4) characteristics of potential and technologies;
5) description of the internal concept, strengths of the organization, its competitive advantages, development prospects;
6) characteristics of the market where the organization operates;
7) description of the external image (image) of the organization."
So it’s not clear whether to believe this or smile.

It is up to you to decide which method your company will use to formulate its business mission. Let us add: contrary to some authors, we do not believe that the “Company Mission” is a document “the provisions of which must be followed.” You need to know the mission of the company, it is advisable to share it, be guided by it, follow it, but fulfill its provisions..? It is difficult to agree that a mission is “a corporate ideology, the values ​​of which the company’s employees correspond to, and the philosophy of which is reflected in their work” (the quote is real). A mission is just a mission.

A well-formulated mission of the organization does not require additional explanations or additions, and does not contain any nested, expanding interpretations or provisions. It is a full-fledged, independent document, logically included in a set of documents under the general name “Company Ideology”.

MISSION DEVELOPMENT

In the context of small and medium-sized businesses, the mission of the organization almost always contains the energy and philosophy of the owners and founders. Without their participation, a full-blooded mission rarely appears.

There are many approaches to developing a mission.

Organizational goals

Setting goals is the most important starting point in the management process. An organization is a complex multi-purpose system, closely connected with the surrounding world and having a comprehensive impact on it. Managing such a system requires defining the entire set of goals and objectives that it must solve in its daily activities; the products it will produce and the markets it will serve; necessary resources to implement planned goals and ways to achieve them.

Mission

The objective function begins with establishing mission of the organization, expressing 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. The main provisions of the mission, justifying the need for the existence of the organization for society, must correspond to the concept of social development.

Concepts of systems at a higher level than the organization typically contain mission statements in the form of long-term development goals. For example, building communism or socialism in a particular country; constant fulfillment of religious canons and rituals as a condition for personal perfection in a deeply religious society; protecting the interests of the nation, etc. Formulations at the national level should be understandable and not contradict the deep interests and needs of the majority of people. The promotion of false conceptual positions and ideas of development that do not have philosophical and common sense (such as “perestroika”, “transition to the market”, “liberalization of the economy”) can captivate society only for a short time, after which they are rejected.

The lack of a unified and understandable development mission for society is one of the factors hindering overcoming the systemic crisis in the Russian Federation. The same applies to enterprises that, under centralized management, did not define their mission, but their goals and objectives were set and strictly dictated from above. Now the laws of a market economy coming into force require certain rules of conduct for business entities. Among them is the publication of the organization's mission, which gives an idea of ​​its purpose, necessity and usefulness for the environment, people and society as a whole. This was quickly realized by domestic organizations, which formulated their missions based on their own vision of future development.

The definition of a mission has not only an ideological meaning, but is also of a purely pragmatic nature. The mission helps companies achieve success if its provisions interest other organizations, suppliers, consumers, ordinary people, inspire trust and motivate their actions in relation to this organization. In addition, it should be vital for employees and mobilize people to take action to achieve their goals, unite them.

Management science has not developed any universal rules used in formulating a mission. There are only some general guidelines that management should consider. Among them we note the following:

· the mission is formulated outside of a time frame, which allows it to be considered “timeless”;

· the mission should not depend on the current state of the organization, forms and methods of its work, since it is aimed at the future and shows where efforts will be directed and what values ​​will be the most important for the organization;

· it is not customary for a mission to indicate making a profit as a goal, despite the fact that profitable work is the most important factor in the life of any commercial organization. But focusing on profit can significantly limit the range of development paths and directions considered by the organization, which will ultimately lead to negative consequences;

· the mission is formulated by senior management, which bears full responsibility for its implementation by setting and implementing the organization’s goals;

· There should be no conflict between the mission of the organization and the broader system of which it is a part.

There are many approaches to defining the mission and its content, reflecting the assessment of the role and significance of the organization primarily by decision-makers. As already noted, the central point is the answer to the question: What is the main goal (purpose) of the organization? At the same time, it is preferable to put the interests, expectations and values ​​of consumers (today and future) first.

An example is Ford's mission statement as “providing people with affordable transportation.” It clearly outlines the company's area of ​​activity - transport, product consumers - people, as well as its focus on a wide range of consumers. Such a mission can have a decisive influence on the company's strategy and tactics, as well as public support for its activities. However, it lacks what companies began to pay attention to later - this is a focus on the fundamental differences of a given company from others, as well as on its desire to reveal the talents of the people working in it.

Management experts and leaders of many large companies believe that organizations should identify themselves in a mission not by the product or service they produce, but by their core purpose, that is, by definition: “who we are and how we differ from others.” In other words, what matters is not what a company produces, but what it stands for and what it will do in the future.

For example, Motorola defined its core mission as “using technology to benefit people,” rather than emphasizing that it makes network televisions or premium TVs. This formulation may seem quite broad and meaningless, but it provides specific choices about what to produce and to whom to sell. And this allowed the company to develop in directions that its competitors could not imagine, and thereby develop market immunity.

Using the same approach ensured that foreign publishing houses producing monthly magazines (for women and men, as well as educational and educational magazines for children) quickly distributed their products on the Russian market (they almost completely ousted our famous “Murzilka” and “Pictures-Coloring” from the market "). One of the reasons for their success is the promulgation of a simple and clearly expressed mission: for the women's magazine "Lisa" it is about creating the illusion that everything in this world is accessible, Cosmopolitan magazine promotes the idea of ​​a woman's right to self-determination, "Mickey Mouse" demonstrates the best after-school recreation. In accordance with this, magazines set goals and objectives, build content, and carry out innovative and marketing activities. Russian magazines, as a rule, do not yet have such strong and simply formulated missions as the basis of their publications, and this is one of the reasons that they are losing their position in the market (Expert, May 18, 1998, N 18, pp. 60-63 ).

Many companies include provisions in their mission that emphasize value orientations, stimulate the work of staff and fill daily activities with meaning and awareness of its noble purpose for the benefit of people.

Thus, in the value system of the American company 3M there is an “eleventh commandment”, which reads: “Thou shalt not kill the idea of ​​a new type of product,” and the mission statement of one of the Japanese companies emphasizes such universal principles as: “Achieving high excellence in all areas - in our goals, products, services, people and our lifestyle"; “Quality is an integral part of our products, our work environment and people”; “Honesty and openness, working as a team, free exchange of information”; “We want people to be able to say that our company is a great place to work and that it supports and recognizes individual achievement.”

In table Table 5.1 provides examples of various mission statements borrowed from the practice of domestic enterprises. They are united by brevity and clarity of expression of the main idea, along with a focus on a specific circle of consumers.

Table 5.1

Examples of mission statements for domestic enterprises