What is mission and vision?

We explain what is the mission and vision of a company, with clear examples. In addition, what are the differences between both concepts.

1. What is mission and vision?

The concepts of Mission and Vision refer in a general way to the establishment of objectives that a person or group can try to achieve . Both concepts are means to achieve a state that is considered desirable.

The mission is the reason or reason for being by an organization , a company or an institution. This motive focuses on the present , that is, it is the activity that justifies what the group or individual is doing at a given time.

For example :

• “Your mission as an official is to properly manage state resources.”
• “The company’s mission is to improve the quality of cars.”

The mission of a company. It depends on the activity that the organization carries out, as well as the environment in which it is located and the resources available to it. If it is a company, the mission will depend on the type of business in question, the needs of the population at that given time and the market situation.

The vision of a company.  on the other hand, it refers to an image that the organization poses in the long term about how it expects its future to be, an ideal expectation of what it expects to happen. The vision must be realistic but it can be ambitious, its function is to guide and motivate the group to continue the work.

For example :

• “His vision as an official is to find a novel and efficient way to manage state resources.”
• ” The company’s vision is to become the best quality car producer in the local market .”

The vision depends on the present situation , on the present and future material possibilities as perceived by the organization, on the unexpected events that may occur and on the mission itself that has already been plated.

Both concepts  play an important role as psychological and organizational aspects in any long-term strategy , be it business, political, personal, etc.

Once you have a certain objective, both concepts allow you to place yourself in the present ( mission ) and project yourself into the future ( vision ) from the rational level, since it allows you to link means and ends, and also from the emotional one, since it allows you to inspire and encourage them to act even in unfavorable situations.

They must be formulated together , since it is important that they be consistent with each other, and that they anticipate situations that may occur within the proposed time frame. It should not be forgotten that both are part of a strategy, and serve the purpose of achieving the same objective.

For example :If a large state-of-the-art company plans to grow and expand, it can be considered as Mission to  provide the state-of-the-art customers while maintaining leadership in the area.

This allows the organization of company resources to ensure that the quality of its products is maintained (through quality control , training and training of its employees, studying the market situation and other companies, etc.) .

But the Vision for the future must take into account that in the area of technology , scientific and technical development may render obsolete the technologies that the company produces in a few years, so a realistic and coherent vision with its mission would be to achieve the leadership in technological innovation , which allows it to not only remain a leading company, but to adapt quickly to any changes that may occur in the technological field.  

2. Differences between mission and business vision

The mission is the main reason or reason for the existence of an organization , precisely defined and feasible. It is the path through which the leaders of the company or organization will realize the great vision.

The mission must contain the following information , not in the future but in the present:

• What does the organization do?
• Who is the recipient of your products / services?
• You want to do? How will you help your customers?

(*) Some authors affirm that they must also identify where the company is going, and how it will be in the following years.

Unlike the mission, the vision is more a projection into the future , the aspirations of the organization, of a utopian nature, and more generic than the mission, which makes it less precise and less concrete.

The vision marks a final goal of where the organization wants to go in the future. While mission and vision are defined differently, both must necessarily be related and consistent.

For example , the vision of a technology company may be to revolutionize communications technologies to improve people’s quality of life, something that will surely never end.

3. Example: Apple’s mission and corporate vision

• Apple mission.  Contribute to improve the lives of our customers, changing their ways of working, learning and communicating, through delicate personal computing products and innovative services.
• Apple vision.  To improve the quality of life of our clients, through three pillars: professionalism, technology and trajectory, to be recognized as the leading company in information, communication and entertainment technologies.