Understanding Vision vs. Mission: How Does One Lead to the Other?

Can anyone tell me a clear difference between vision and mission? How can a mission lead to vision?

The closest I can get is:

A vision is what the company aspires to be on a long-term basis. A mission consists of numerous short-term goals which, when integrated, would help the company achieve its vision.

But how does a vision of a person differ from its mission? According to the situation and job, the mission is changing. Then, how does it lead to achieving its vision?

No brother, the vision remains the same... only the mission changes but not significantly. You can't keep changing your visions. It would be like one train going to two different destinations.

Yes, but if your vision is short-term, then obviously it keeps changing. But it's considered "hilarious" to have short-term visions.

Vision is for those who require specs, and mission is for those who don't. (Kidding)

The vision and mission of an individual vary. Vision is foresight; for example, Gandhi had a vision for Independence and his mission was the "Quit India Movement." Similarly, you can have a vision for a happy married life, and the mission could involve dating different people.

"Eureka"

Pan

Hi Shanath,

The vision of a company could be to become a very customer-friendly company. Its mission could be to provide complete customer satisfaction in its services. Vision is a larger picture of what you want your organization to be, while the mission is a way or ways to take you there.

Hope this makes it a little better.

Shanath

In simple terms, the vision of a company would mean how a company wants to be recognized (known/symbolized) in the marketplace, society, and by its workforce. Vision is formulated once and it is THE ONE that a company always strives to achieve and maintain.

Mission is all the bundle that goes into achieving its vision; it includes short and long-term goals, objectives, strategies, etc. These parameters change according to the situation but never deviate from the vision.

Regards,
Uma

Dear,

You may differentiate in Vision and mission statement like this:

Vision, as the word itself indicates, is the visualization of what a company wants to do. It has some material parameters like time period, clear definition of what to achieve, etc. For example, go through 4-5 vision statements of different companies for different industries.

Mission - You know the word missionary. The persons are devoted to some task, goal, vision. Mission is the basic constituent of the company. It does not change with time. Rather, all the operations of the company are for the fulfillment of this mission. It is the contribution of the company to society.

I will give you an example. For a hospital (a company), may have a mission of the health of all human beings, and its vision is treating 1000 patients for 6 different types of diseases per day or any similar statement. Mission is the life cause and vision is the path to achieve the same.

Regards, Dr. Manisha

In my own perspective, MISSION establishes WHAT your intended accomplishment is, while VISION is the HOW to realize the Big Picture.

Now look at it this way. I think you have your answer by now, but just to make it easy, with an example:

Vision - To be among the top 5 producers in the world by 2020.

Mission - To break into the top 50 producers list in the world by 2007.

Hi,

Vision refers to the category of intentions that are broad, all-encompassing, and forward-thinking. Based on this vision, a company designs a mission. A mission statement is an organization's vision translated into written form. The mission statement defines a limited number of strategic goals for a defined time dimension.

Regards,
Swati

Hi,

I am having a slightly different view on Swati's view. Basically, we cannot say that Vision and Mission have to be dependent on each other. They may be related or unrelated as well. These statements represent altogether different attitudes of the same company. It is not the case that the mission is to give shape to the vision or vice versa. They are independent of each other and are related to the company as a whole.

I am using Infosys's mission and vision as an example:

Infosys' Vision:

"To be a globally respected corporation that provides best-of-breed business solutions, leveraging technology, delivered by best-in-class people."

Infosys' Mission Statement:

"To achieve our objectives in an environment of fairness, honesty, and courtesy towards our clients, employees, vendors, and society at large."

Most of the Pharma Companies have either of these statements on their websites.

These statements, along with the values, are basically elements of a company's bio-data. They serve as headings here and there. The words have the same meaning as objective, mission, vision, task, responsibilities, delegation, and authority on the face page of our bio-data.

The meaning and perception of these words differ from company to company and person to person.

Hi,

I am having a slightly different view on Swati's perspective. Basically, we cannot say that Vision and Mission have to be dependent on each other. They may be related or unrelated as well. These statements reflect different attitudes of the same company. It is not the case that the mission is to give shape to the vision or vice versa. They are independent of each other and are related to the company as a whole.

I am using Infosys's mission and vision as an example:

Infosys' Vision:
"To be a globally respected corporation that provides best-of-breed business solutions, leveraging technology, delivered by best-in-class people."

Infosys' Mission Statement:
"To achieve our objectives in an environment of fairness, honesty, and courtesy towards our clients, employees, vendors, and society at large."

Most of the Pharma Companies have either of these statements on their websites.

These statements, along with the values, are essentially elements of a company's bio-data. They serve as headings, with words carrying similar meanings like objective, mission, vision, task, responsibilities, delegation, and authority on the first page of our bio-data.

The interpretation and perception of these words vary from company to company and person to person.

Regards,

Dr. Manisha

Ya, right! According to me, vision is the long-term goal that a company aspires for. However, a mission consists of short-term goals that you aim to achieve on a current basis.