Understanding Vision vs. Mission: How Do They Impact Your Organization?

Dear All,

Please find the attachment on "Difference between Vision & Mission." I hope it is useful to all. Enjoy! :icon1:

Many times it happens that we only use the words but we are not clear with the definition, so what we think ahead also goes wrong. However, the document you have posted is giving a perfect clarity of the difference between vision and mission. Thank you.

A mission statement concerns what an organization is all about. A vision statement is what the organization wants to become. A mission statement answers three key questions: What do we do? For whom do we do it? What is the benefit?

A vision statement, on the other hand, describes how the future will look if the organization achieves its mission. A mission statement gives the overall purpose of an organization, while a vision statement describes a picture of the "preferred future." A mission statement explains what the organization does, for whom, and the benefit. A vision statement, on the other hand, describes how the future will look if the organization achieves its mission.

Examples: Centers for Disease Control Mission: To promote health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability. Vision: Healthy People in a Healthy World.

Dear Kezee,

I highly recommend you to use the search tab provided in this community before posting a query. In short:
A mission statement concerns what an organization is all about.
A vision statement is what the organization aims to become.

Please check the provided links for existing discussions on the same query:
- [https://www.citehr.com/105989-difference-between-vision-mission.html](https://www.citehr.com/105989-difference-between-vision-mission.html)
- [https://www.citehr.com/72812-vision-mission-statements.html](https://www.citehr.com/72812-vision-mission-statements.html)
- [https://www.citehr.com/13909-vision-mission-strategies-objectives-goals-definition-differ.html](https://www.citehr.com/13909-vision-mission-strategies-objectives-goals-definition-differ.html)
- [https://www.citehr.com/29360-organization-values-mission-vision-ethics.html](https://www.citehr.com/29360-organization-values-mission-vision-ethics.html)

Thank you.

Mission Statement - Purpose (What purpose the organization has been created for).

Vision Statement - it may be a long-term goal.

Vision:
What an organization wants to become in the future - the LONG TERM GOAL of the organization.

Mission:
What is the purpose of the existence of the organization - SHORT TERM TARGET/ACHIEVEMENT. This can be measured by objectives/targets and planned by strategic activities.

Regards,
R. Palaniswamy

Mission is short-term and represents the current profile, while vision is long-term and symbolizes the future of a company.

The difference between vision and mission is that vision is a long-term dream, and mission represents the present profile of a company. A mission defines whom the company is targeting, what it is producing, and how the company is working. Both vision and mission are top-level planning strategies.

For example, the mission of ITS College in Greater Noida is to provide six sigma quality education to all M.Tech, MBA, and MCA students. The vision is to become the number one college globally, known for producing top managers and software engineers.

Another example is the mission of Tata Motors, which is to create the cheapest and best technological public cars. The vision is to be the number one brand worldwide in the field of manufacturing the best public cars.

Thank you and regards.

Simple With an example....

In cricket, the vision is to win (depending on a great margin of score or wickets). The mission is to improve your batting and bowling performance, which includes achieving a good strike rate, average score, best economy in bowling, etc.

The mission is a statement of who we are and what we do.

The vision is a statement of who we want to be and the strategic path we intend to take to get there.

Let me share my understanding here.

Vision means what you would like to be seen as, where you would like to be.

Mission means how you would like to do that.

Next comes goals and/or objectives, the strategy, followed by planning, execution, monitoring, evaluation, and review.

Hope this suffices.

Hi Kezee,

It's just a coincidence that I came across this blog today and got interested in the topic here.

Well, in simple terms, I would say the difference between vision and mission is that the vision is the bigger picture and future-focused, while the mission is immediately focused on the present. It is the vision that defines where the organization needs to be, and the mission is the roadmap that will take you there. Of course, not to forget the values to follow the roadmap.

Regards,
Kamal Pattni
Kaizen Consultant

Hi Prem,

Here is the difference:


Regards,
Prem

Just answer these questions for yourself and you will find the answers:

1. Vision is something that the company aims to achieve in a specific period of time. (This can change over time).

2. Mission is the action plan to reach the vision. It is essentially what the company needs to do. The company is on a mission to achieve its vision. While on this mission, it is important to determine the necessary steps to accomplish the vision.

Regards...

Hi Kezee,

Mission: Short-term goal, which is the way to reach the destination - Vision.

Vision: Long-term goal, Is the Destination.
Eg: Want to become a good doctor in society is Vision (long-term goal - The Destination).

To reach the destination, one must travel. To become a good doctor, one must get good marks in exams, find a place and practice in a hospital to showcase skills in society (short-term goal, which leads to the long-term goal).

Regards,
Anupa

The basic difference between the two is:

Vision: It is the superset of mission. Mostly, the language is philosophical, and it basically gives an idea as to where the company wants to be (sees itself) in the long run. For example, like in interviews, they ask us where do you see yourself in the next 15 years. It is something like that. But for a company, long term doesn't mean 15 years; it is much more than that.

MISSION: It is more realistic as it describes the path (objectives, purpose, etc.) you will take to achieve your vision. It basically answers: what are you here for? (purpose); how will you accomplish your vision?

Mission: States the reason why your company exists.

On the other hand, Vision: Is your strategy the way you want to achieve your goal.

I agree with you. So, we can say vision is a long-term goal of the organization, and the mission is the short-term targets/achievements to achieve that vision.
Hope I am right.
Regards,
Neesu

Just, I will add a point to the other's perspective on vision and mission. Usually, vision statements are short declarations of what an organization wants to be in the future, and mission statements are the purpose of the existence of the organization.

Vision is where you or your company would be after a certain period of time. And mission is what you or your company will do to approach your vision.

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I have corrected the spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors in the user's input. Additionally, I have ensured proper paragraph formatting with a single line break between the two paragraphs for better readability. The original meaning and tone of the message have been preserved.

If we cannot even get clarity and differentiate between Vision and Mission, then we will find difficulty engaging people in the strategic direction of the business. In worse cases, I have seen many people/companies get the Vision and Mission all twisted in reverse.

A Mission tells the reason why the company/entity exists - purpose or reason for being.

A Vision explains what the organization wants to become in the future.

The best way to explain this is always to give examples. Let's take dariyahussine's example - Centers for Disease Control. I wholly agree with the Mission, but not with the Vision.

We acknowledge a vision as a long-term goal, aspiration, or destiny that we want to achieve in the future. But how come we just treat it as some "infinite" wishful thought devoid of substance in driving towards its achievement? The biggest flaw in vision statements is when you do not give it a timeframe - deadline!

"Healthy people in a healthy world" sounds superfluous, impractical, and overgeneralized. How would one reword/rephrase it to better reflect the future state it wants to see?

I would say, "to become the first disease control agency in the world to achieve 100% control of Malaria by 2015" (Let's assume, currently Malaria happens to be the biggest killer disease).

Now, tell me what goes through your mind as an Employee! We often forget to put our ideas and decisions through this test process. The Vision is for everyone to lock and align their focus, commitment, tasks to that overarching "ultimate" goal written under Vision. This is what gives direction, meaning, motivation, morale, and substance to the job, tasks, activities that people come to work for. The entire workforce can then be geared to rally behind this single big agenda, in a selfless state of engagement.

If we can't get the Vision "right," how can we expect our people to be on the same page in the execution phase? Year in and year out, we may seem to be making significant progress in accordance with our stated Mission, but how do you measure the "effectiveness" of your progress in that journey if you have not set some checkpoints?

A Vision is a goal - hence should follow the tenets of SMART principles and it must have a timeline. Once you have achieved it, then set another compelling Vision to stretch the capability and potential of people. Vision is all about people - giving people hope, direction, and purpose to stay challenged. We should avoid making it a "meaningless" statement to satisfy having something on the wall.

Now, how complicated can that be.

Hope the above helps.

Rgds

Yuva

There are two different statements regarding vision in the above Word document. Point No. 4 states that vision is a short-term goal, while point No. 11 describes vision as a long-term goal. According to me, it is a long-term goal, and the mission is a short-term goal.