An elderly woman finds a lamp by chance and rubs it for luck. out pops a genie who offers her onewish. "world peace," she says without hesitation. "Hmmm , that might be a bit hard," says the genie, "try another one." "here comes my husband," she says, "can you turn him into a handsome man?" The genie takes one look at the approaching geriatric spouse and says: "Ok, world peace, was it?"
Communicating your company's vision of the future, and then getting your team to act on it, is potentially one of the most difficult things an organisation's leader will have to do. But if you make your case compelling enough, anything is possible.
There are many schools of thought on how the strategy pyramid should be constructed, but if we think of the strategy hierarchy as being Vision at the top, followed by Mission, Goals/Outcomes, Business Plans with Inputs and Key Performance Indictors, then why do vision communication programmes sometimes fail?
There are three basic issues when it comes to communicating an organisation's vision: is it really a vision that people can get behind? Is it being communicated effectively? Is the senior management team really committed to the vision?
Strategic vision expert Burt Nanus says: "There is no more powerful engine driving an organisation toward excellence and long-range success than an attractive, worthwhile, achievable vision for the future, widely shared." But sometimes this clarity of purpose is missing right from the outset.
Clear vision
In most organisations, the vision of the future is encapsulated in their Vision Statement - the ultimate destination on a medium- term journey or the "future state" of the organisation - whereas the Mission Statement is a description of how the organisation is going to get there.
Walmart's is a classic example of a vision of the future that is simple, direct and unambiguous: "To become the worldwide leader in retailing". So how will they achieve that?
Their mission is unequivocal: "Help people save money so they can live better." Captured in those two short sentences is clarity about their industry, how they will measure their success and the focus of their business, hinting at the values and ethics that will underpin their operations.
The Samsung vision is another one that very clearly represents their strategic journey: Vision - "To lead the digital convergence movement"; Mission - "To be the best digital company."
Both are Vision Statements that people within an organisation can understand, support and commit to.
An example of a vague vision is that of Fortune 100 company CVS Caremarkt: "We strive to improve the quality of human life."
Which begs the question, improving quality of life in what? And is "striving" sufficient of a stretch for a vision? What is the end or future state of the company?
While their Mission Statement tries to provide some context - "we provide expert care and innovative solutions and healthcare that are effective and easy for our customers" - would a shareholder have sufficient understanding from that elevator pitch how the company differs from its competitors? And does the Mission Statement merely answer the question "what do we do" instead of "how will we achieve the vision"? Communicating the vision
Research tells us that people retain 10% of what they read; 20% of what they hear; 30% of what they see; 50% of what they see and hear; 70% of what they discuss; 80% of what they experience; and 95% of what they share and communicate to others. So how can that be applied to understanding how to communicate an organisation's vision?
Author of Leading Change John P. Kott er has a basic checklist for Vision communications:
Simplicity Create clear and straightforward messages, removing jargon and ensuring communication resonates with individuals in the organisation. As WB Yeats put it: "Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people." Metaphor, analogy, and example Use imaginative and direct ways of conveying messages for memorable impact. For example, a vision that is linked to a clear image will be inspiring. Storytelling is an important tool in this regard. Multiple forums Given what is known about how people receive and retain their information, use multiple communication forums for communicating the vision. Repetition Repeat the messages in different ways to win hearts and minds. Leadership by examp Senior management must walk the talk to inspire buy-in.
Explain seeming inconsistencies - if inconsistencies in behaviour occur, particularly at top management level, explain why.
As noted by British naval historian C. Northcote Parkinson, who also authored Parkinson's Law: "The void created by the failure to communicate is soon filled with poison, drivel and misrepresentation." Give and take Soliciting feedback during a situation of change can be instrumental to correct errors during the transformation process.
Do as I do
Vision communications is very much about management leading and acting as ambassadors for the vision. It's a case of "do as I do" not just "do as I say". There is no room for water-cooler conversations that plant seeds of doubt amongst staff, or inconsistency in the way management delivers the messages.
Clarity, consistency and conformity are required by the senior management team to effectively role-model the Vision within their organisation and externally.
As MIT Sloan School of Management Director Peter Senge says: "When there is genuine vision (as opposed to the all-toofamiliar 'vision statement'), people excel, and learn, not because they are told to but because they want to."
The notion of a genuine vision is key here. The organisation must have a realistic chance of achieving the vision and then the ability and drive to mobilise and motivate people to work towards it because only genies from a lamp can work miracles. By Samson Samasoni, Managing Director, Grow
Founded in 2005, Grow is a creative multiple-award winning brand communications and PR agency based in Doha. Grow PR specialises in strategic communications, public relations and change communications.
© Qatar Today 2012
