The Vision Thing Louis Rowitz, PhD

LEADERSHIP TEAM BUILDING VALUES CLARIFICATION MISSION VISION GOALS & OBJECTIVES ACTION IMPLEMENTATION EVALUATION POLICY DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT POLICY DEVELOPMENT ASSURANCE POLICY DEVELOPMENT ASSURANCE POLICY DEVELOPMENT A SYSTEM APPROACH TO PUBLIC HEALTH LEADERSHIP AND APPLICATIONS OF THE CORE FUNCTIONS Rowitz, p. 88, Figure 5-3

Steps in the Strategic Management Process 1. Identify the organization’s current mission, vision, objectives, and strategies 2. Analyze the external environment 3. Identify opportunities & threats 4. Analyze the organization’s resources 5. Identify strengths & weaknesses 6. Formulate strategies 7. Implement strategies 8. Evaluate results

Mission The purpose of the organization

The mission statement answers four questions: 1. Who are we? (The purpose of public health) 2. What do we do? (Coordinate actions & efforts) (Coordinate actions & efforts) 3. For whom do we do it? (Our audiences) 4. Why do we do it? ( Create a future for the field and the agency)

The Guiding Principles The mission statement sets goals; the guiding principles shape the culture necessary to change the goals. -Wall, Solum, and Sobol, 1992

Mission Functions 1.Results terminology 2.Succinctness 3.Authoritative Generation 4.Horizontal Integration 5.Ubiquity 6.Vertical Integration

Mission Statement Components (Robbins & Coulter, 1996) 1.Customer market 2.Product and service 3.Geographic domain 4.Technology 5.Concern for survival 6.Philosophy 7.Self-Concept 8.Concern for public image

It is precisely during these times of chaos that leaders must possess one property: the ability to develop and share a clearly defined sense of direction – a vision of the desired future. Wall, Solum, and Sobol, 1992

In traditional organizations, authority to examine and make improvements in the work methods is in the wrong hands – management’s. Any company (or agency) driven by a vision of 100% customer (or community) satisfaction with zero defects (no mistakes) must be willing to relocate that authority from management to the front lines. Wall, Solum and Sobol, 1992

The first person the new leader must be able to convert to his or her vision is him/herself. If he/she isn’t sold on (the agency’s) mission, values, and guiding principles it will be next to impossible to him/her to effectively convert the (agency’s) employees. Wall, Solum and Sobol, 1992

The Critical Variables in Visioning 1.Shared purpose 2.Shared values 3.Presence of leadership Wall, Solum and Sobol, 1992

Vision Function for Boards Creating Ends policies strategically with a long-range planning perspective.

A vision is a picture of the future you seek to create, described in the present tense, as if it were happening. A statement of our vision shows where we want to go and what we will be like when we get there…A vision gives shape and direction to the organization’s future. And it helps people set goals to take the organization closer (to the vision). Senge et. al., 1994

Steps in Creating the Vision 1.Determine the guiding principles 2.Connect the mission and glossary to the vision 3.Request full participation 4.Discuss importance of having a vision statement 5.Do some brainstorming 6.Refine the terms 7.Make choices 8.Edit in small groups 9.Move toward consensus Adapted from Wall, Solum and Sobol, 1992

Exercise on Mission

Vision Function for Boards Creating Ends policies strategically with a long-range planning perspective

Board Vision 1.Vision about ends and not about means 2.Mega-Vision-the ultimate end of what is to be addressed 3.Mission is to be repeated everywhere 4.Mission must be vertically and horizontally integrated with all ends statements at all levels of the system

Exercise on Vision

Goals = Objectives

GoalsObjectives Means Ends