Nokia Mission Statement

Table of Contents

Page 3 Mission Statement

Page 3 Vision v Mission

Page 4 Management Implications

Page 4&5 Nokia’s mission/vision statement analysis

Page 6 Appendix

Page 7 Nokia Mission/Vision Statement

Page 8 References

Mission Statement

As a formal written document intended to capture an organization’s unique and enduring purpose, practices, and core values, the mission statement is considered to be the cornerstone of every organization and the starting point of every strategic management initiative [1]. A well crafted mission statement has been attributed the power

(a) To guide and focus decision making,

(b) To create a balance between the competing interest of various stakeholders, and

(c) To motivate and inspire organizational members [2]

However, mission statements do not often appear to deliver the promised benefits [3]. In reality, mission statements are often unreadable and uninspiring, and articulate high sounding values that are unrealistic or are not aligned with day-to-day organizational behaviour [1] .

In fact, a consistent theme running through the mission statement literature is an acknowledged wide spread failure in their implementation [4].Previous mission statement research focused primarily on the content of mission statements and/or on the managers perception of the mission statement. Meanwhile the mission statement perception of individual organizational members received little attention.

Vision vs. Mission

We can't really begin the discussion of the Vision Statement and the Mission Statement without first addressing the semantic difference between the two. Get 10 consultants in a room, and you may get 10 different answers to just what that difference is!

To distinguish between Vision and Mission in our own work, we have defaulted back to the plain English usage of those words. And the simplest way we have found to show that difference in usage is to add the letters "ary" to the end of each word.

VisionARY

MissionARY

We certainly know what those two words mean. A visionary is someone who sees what is possible, who sees the potential. A missionary is someone who carries out that work.

The example of this everyday usage is Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was a visionary. He saw the potential, the possibilities for making life better. His missionaries carry his work and his words to the world, putting his vision into practice.

Your organization's vision is all about what is possible, all about that potential. The mission is what it takes to make that vision come true.[5]

Management Implications

Although a well crafted mission statement has been attributed the power to motivate

And inspire organizational members [2] , the Competing Values

17 Framework for Managerial Communication indicates that it is very difficult to

(a) Communicate the mission statement effectively and

(b) To generate a satisfying level of “mission statement buy-in” among non-management staff members.

An explanation probably lies in the concept of mission statements itself. First of all, the low level of mission statement awareness among non-management staff members. Most managers do not communicate the mission statement sufficiently. Blinded by their own positive perception and understanding of the mission statement, many executives believe that the “salute and execute” mode