No abstract

Managers are divided in their allegiance to their firms’ mission statements. Some managers swear by their mission statement while others swear at theirs. Evidence from two firms, as well as existing research, indicates that part of this disagreement originates in the manager’s view of mission statements. Managers who see mission statements as tools that can influence the inner workings of their organizations are likely to understand the mission’s usefulness. Managers who put their mission statements on display and expect them to magically transform organizational behavior are likely to be frustrated and see them as an exercise in futility. In this paper, insights from two managers who take the first view provide specific steps managers can utilize to harness the benefits of their mission statements.

No abstract

No abstract

2002),"The mission statement is a strategic tool: when used properly", Management Decision, Vol. 40 Iss 5 pp. 448-455 http://dx.If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to propose that top management commitment to its organization's mission statement moderates the mission's effect of firm performance. The proposed model combines numerous aspects of top management commitment to give depth to the moderating effect. Design/methodology/approach -The paper provides a conceptual overview of the mission statement literature toward a theoretical model. Findings -The impact of mission statements on firm performance long has been studied and debated, without consistent results. This paper proposes that this is due to the presence of moderating influences, specifically the commitment of top management, that, if not properly studied, will affect empirical results. Practical implications -Practicing managers can unlock the power of the mission statement by involving the entire organization in the mission statement process, clearly and consistently communicating the mission's tenets, setting measurable operational targets from the mission statement, and periodically revising the mission to ensure it is current. Originality/value -The concept of a moderator is original in the mission-performance debate. Concepts from several key articles have been combined in a unique manner to develop the model.