Developing A Team Mission Statement

The process of developing a team mission statement can be difficult and time-consuming.

When you created your vision statement you were defining the direction in which you wanted to head. When developing a team mission statement you are defining how you will do it and what makes you unique from all others.

The choice of a single word may arouse intense controversy. For example, there is a major difference between being 'the' leading producer or simply 'a' leading producer. In fact as you spend time developing a team mission statement you will learn much about the values, belief systems and sense of self-efficacy of each of your team mates.

Developing a team mission statement is not an exact science. You are simply fleshing out the distinctive competencies and primary reason for existence of your team.

As you develop your team mission statement you should consider each of these elements:

Distinctive Competence

This is what sets you apart from your competitors. What quality or attribute of the organization gives you your unique advantage. For example, a company I worked at knew that our team's competitive advantage was our flexible, energized, innovative people. The team's distinctiveness may be a function of:

• the products and/or services offered or
• a function of being a low-cost producer or
• providing superior service
• it's people

Identifying your distinctive competence is important as it enables the team to focus its energies and resources to move in a particular direction and continuously build upon its strengths. Here's is an example of each of the elements in developing a team mission statement:

The Mission Statement Should:

• be broad enough to allow flexibility in its implementation but not so broad that there is a lack of focus

• provide a template for decision-making by employees at all levels

• reflect the values, beliefs, and philosophy of operations of the organization and reflect the organizational culture

• be clear and understandable to all

• be brief enough for most people to remember

• reflect the distinctive competence of the organization

• clearly indicate the scope and direction of the organization's activities

• address the organization's fundamental reason for existing

Never see your team mission statement as set in concrete.

Business, organizational and world changes dictate that your primary reason for existence and your distinctive competency will change at some point. Your intent may not change, but the way in which you deliver your product and/or service may well.

An organization that manufactured horse-buggies in the 1800's will possibly have quite a different mission statement today, yet they are still in the business of creating transport solutions.

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