Business Needs a Vision

One more time, let’s talk about change. Only this time we are going to talk about the development of a clear and compelling vision of the change and the strategy needed to successfully implement the change. When we talk of vision, many managers and leaders simply roll their eyes and mumble, “here comes that vision thing again!

If you are one of those that shudder at the mere mention of the word ‘vision’ as a confusing, fuzzy and perhaps useless concept, then read on!

A vision is simply a statement of the preferred future, set in terms that will inspire and compel all the stakeholders to put forth their best efforts.

Most organizations respond to the need for a vision by creating a mission statement, maybe a credo, a philosophy or even a vision that has little in the way of motivational value. These statements don’t grab people, there is no ‘magic’ to focus energy and attention and provide context and meaning for the tasks that the people all up and down the organization perform every day. Many times, these kinds of statements have no meaning and no relevance to anyone. Take for example, the statement, “We provide superior products and services to our customers.” A typical response would be, “so what?”

Compare this statement with Canadian Tire’s vision statement; “We are a growing, innovative network of interrelated businesses, achieving extraordinary results through extraordinary people. We touch the lives of more people in more ways every day.”

The Canadian Tire vision is an inspirational statement and one to which many people within that organization can relate. Who wouldn’t be energized and filled with pride to be working for a company that strives to “..achieve extraordinary results through extraordinary people.” As a result of this approach to their business, Canadian Tire is always among the top companies in Canada.

So the next time you think about and review your vision, think about developing a vision that is a description of a desired end state. Think of it as a foundation for new strategies and initiatives. A compelling vision will support your change initiative and help you create and defend new strategies and tactics. It will help the people in your organization to adjust to and cope with change because it will provide them with meaning and context for the change and coherence in turbulent times.

Make sure that your visioning process has input from a good cross-section of the organization and that the final version has the following characteristics: tangible, desirable, feasible, flexible and simple.

If your vision of the changed organization tells people about the preferred future, your strategy describes the process of getting there. It is a roadmap to the future in that it provides a framework to guide day-to-day operational decisions. A strategy is more detailed than the vision and deals with issues such as market definition, products/services offered, commitment to certain structures, processes and systems and describes your competitive advantage. As a participant in a recent strategic planning process said of the vision/strategy concept, “its like a person standing on a hill looking at the far horizon.” It is a very appropriate image that simplifies the concept and makes it understandable.

Developing a good strategic process is a precursor to developing good strategies. To ensure that your strategic process is effective, it should have the following attributes:

In the final analysis, the strategy must be a living, breathing document. Too many times we have seen strategic plans developed and then forgotten. It’s the SPOTS phenomenon that many people have experienced. SPOTS is an acronym for Strategic Plan On Top Shelf, gathering dust. A good change plan has both a compelling vision of the future and a vibrant, meaningful strategy.