1. Refresh Organizational Vision, Mission, and Values to Improve Business Performance
Don’t assume that your vision, mission, and values are still relevant.
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2. Introduction
If done properly, refreshing an organization’s vision, mission, and values can have major positive impacts on strategy, people, and operations.
This Research Is Designed For:
This Research Will Help You:
HR professionals accountable for leading a values refresh.
Business executives and HR leaders who want to ensure that there is clear alignment in the overall direction of the organization.
Evaluate your organization’s existing vision, mission, and values.
Gain executive buy-in for a vision, mission, and values refresh.
Facilitate a successful refresh by using McLean & Company’s step-by-step process.
Implement and sustain the refreshed vision, mission, and values.

3. Executive Summary The Situation The Challenge The Solution
Companies that do not refresh their vision on a regular basis may experience catastrophic strategic failures. Many executives are so busy with day-to-day tasks that they fail to see the big picture. Unless a clear vision exists, employees will flounder and prioritize their efforts poorly.
The Challenge
HR leaders commonly see the need to update the organization’s vision, mission and values, but fail to obtain executive buy-in. If the executive leadership team does not support the vision, mission, and values refresh, it is a pointless exercise.
Vision, mission, and values refresh projects are plagued with poor communication; employees are often left in the dark.
The refresh project will be ineffective unless employees align themselves with the vision, mission, and values.
The Solution
Use this solution set to gain insight and advice on how to drive an effective vision, mission, and values refresh.
Create and present an effective business case to convince the executive leadership team to lead the refresh initiative.
Communicate effectively by identifying the levels of power and interest of relevant stakeholders and using this information to inform the frequency, content, and method of communications.
Once the vision, mission, and values have been refreshed, launch an implementation plan to align the entire organization.
McLean & Company Recommends
Have each member of the executive leadership team complete a SWOT analysis for his or her individual area of responsibility. Use these insights to set an appropriate direction for the vision.
Employees tend to remember vision and values, but they have a hard time remembering the mission statements; if you have a very clear, well-articulated vision, you may not need to have a mission statement.
While the vision refresh is a top-down process, the values refresh should be a bottom-up process.

4. How to use this blueprint
There are multiple ways you can use this McLean & Company Best Practice Blueprint in your organization. Choose the option that best fits your needs:
Best Practice Blueprint
Free Guided
Implementation
Onsite
Workshops
Do-It-Yourself Implementation
Use this Best Practice Blueprint to help you complete your project. The slides in this Blueprint will walk you step-by-step through every phase of your project with supporting tools and templates ready for you to use.
Project Accelerator Workshop
You can also use this Best Practice Blueprint to facilitate your own project accelerator workshop within your organization using the workshop slides and facilitation instructions provided in the Appendix.
We recommend that you supplement the Best Practices Blueprint with a Guided Implementation.
For most McLean & Company members, these Guided Implementations are included in your membership plan.* Our expert analysts will provide telephone assistance to you and your team at key project milestones to review your materials, answer your questions, and explain our methodology.
McLean & Company’s expert analysts will come onsite to help you work through our project methodology in a 2-5 day project accelerator workshop. We take you through every phase of the project and ensure that you have a road map in place to complete your project successfully. In some cases, we can even complete the project while we are onsite.
Book your workshop now by ing:
*Gold and Silver level subscribers only
Or calling:
Ext. 3001

5. Build the case Gain an overview of vision, mission, and values.
Assess your vision, mission, and values.
Obtain commitment for the project from key stakeholders.
Build the case
Prepare for a vision, mission, and values refresh
Refresh the vision
Refresh the mission
Refresh the values
Implement the vision, mission, and values

6. Before getting started, become familiar with the definitions of vision, mission, and values
A vision transforms the organization. It provides a picture of what could be. It is a catalyst that can impel an organization to move towards that dream. As dreams come true or realities change, visions change.
– Rick Maurer, Building Capability for Change Sourcebook
MISSION
WHY?
Why do we exist?
Who do we serve?
FUNDAMENTAL PURPOSE
Clarifies priorities.
Defines purpose and direction.
Helps link vision and values.
VISION
WHAT?
What do we aspire to be?
Where is our future?
FUTURE FOCUSED
Provides direction.
Presents an ideal picture of the future.
Shapes strategies and plans.
VALUES
HOW?
How do we collectively behave to achieve our vision?
SHARED BEHAVIOURS
Provides guidance on behaviors that are most likely to support the achievement of the vision.
The definitions of these terms are often confused. Here’s the difference:
A company’s vision illustrates its desired future state, while a company’s mission describes its current purpose.
A vision statement answers the question, “Where we are going?” while a mission statement answers the questions, “Why are we here?” and, “What do we do?”
Organizational values provide the behavioural guidelines that allow the organization to achieve its vision and mission.

7. – A Chief Executive, as quoted in Balanced Scorecard Report
Vision, mission, and values affect the business in a variety of important ways
The benefits of a clear, compelling, and inspiring vision involve strategy, people, and operations.
Mission
Cascade
Delivery
Operations
Vision
Strategy
Values
People
It is important that the executive team constantly remind itself of the foundations for what we are doing.
– A Chief Executive, as quoted in Balanced Scorecard Report
Strategy
People
Operations
Vision is designed to set the tone for the organization and to direct business strategies. The strategy of an organization should be directly connected to the vision of the organization.
Vision provides a compelling picture to employees about the direction of the organization. When a vision creates emotional connections with employees, it is a key driver of employee engagement.
Vision stretches the organization, which facilitates greater productivity and efficiency. It also provides a high-level framework for decision making.

8. Vision, mission, and values are key elements of two important employee engagement drivers
In McLean & Company’s engagement survey program, the effectiveness of vision, mission, and values is captured by the Culture and Company Potential drivers.
Based on McLean & Company’s data, Culture and Company Potential have two of the highest impacts on engagement.
Correlation
Interpretation
0.0 to 0.2
Very weak to negligible correlation
0.2 to 0.4
Weak, low correlation
0.4 to 0.7
Moderate correlation
0.7 to 0.9
Strong, high correlation
0.9 to 1.0
Very strong correlation
For more information on McLean & Company’s engagement program methodology and the benefits of an engaged workforce, see Make the Case for Employee Engagement or get started on your engagement program with McLean & Company’s Employee Engagement Survey.

9. Employees flounder without having meaningful vision, mission, and values statements
CEOs must wake up and realize the importance of vision, mission, and values
Major HR issues can arise due to ineffective vision, mission, and values
Refreshing and updating the company vision is no longer optional – it is essential for the organization to survive.
The global economic and political environment is changing rapidly. The average lifespan of an organization has decreased from 67 years in the 1920s to 15 years today.
With new organizations and competitors entering the industry on a daily basis, it is vital that organizations keep up with changes in their market.
A CEO’s role is to lead the organization, create trust, and build credibility with employees – this starts off with an inspiring vision of the future that engages the employees on an emotional level.
The vision is the banner that provides employees with a clear focus and direction, enabling them to prioritize their goals and deliverables. Without a clear vision, HR may see the following trends:
Increased turnover, particularly of top talent as they become increasingly frustrated with the lack of vision and direction.
Complaints about a lack of empowerment and ownership due to an inability to see the bigger picture.
If employees do not understand what their priorities are, they may feel increasingly frustrated from trying to be all things to all people.

10. Be aware of the typical signs that your organization needs a refresh
Here are some reasons to refresh the vision, mission, and values:
Be aware of the following pitfalls before choosing to refresh:
A new CEO has been appointed.
Employees are unclear about the vision of the organization.
The leadership team assumes employees understand the organization’s vision and values.
A number of new leaders have joined the organization.
The organization has gone through a major restructuring.
The organization has recently gone through a major acquisition.
Vision, mission, and values should not be refreshed unless there will be true commitment from the CEO and executive leadership team to own the vision and exemplify the values in their everyday roles.
Vision, mission, and values should not be refreshed for the sake of updating old posters.
Ask “Why?” to really understand what you hope to accomplish in undertaking this initiative. Asking “Why?” will keep you focused on your objectives and lead to the creation of relevant metrics.
There is no more powerful engine driving an organization toward excellence and long-range success than an attractive, worthwhile, achievable vision for the future, widely shared.
– Burt Nanus, author of Visionary Leadership

11. Test your vision, mission, and values with McLean & Company’s Vision, Mission, and Values Scorecard
HR and the CEO should complete this assessment to determine whether or not your organization needs to refresh its vision, mission, or values.
McLean & Company’s Vision, Mission, and Values Scorecard provides:
An evaluation of the effectiveness of your current vision, mission, and values.
Separate appraisals of each component of your organization’s vision, mission, and values.
An identification of low, moderate, and high priority areas.

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