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Effectiveness of mission statements in organizations – A review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2015

Susanne Braun
Affiliation:
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
Jenny S Wesche
Affiliation:
Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Dieter Frey
Affiliation:
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
Silke Weisweiler
Affiliation:
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
Claudia Peus
Affiliation:
Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany

Abstract

Even though mission statements are standard tools in organizations, their effectiveness is subject to substantial skepticism. This review integrates hitherto published research based on a broad range of objective and subjective effectiveness criteria above and beyond financial performance in for-profit as well as not-for-profit organizations. We conclude that the distal outcome effectiveness of mission statements depends on the following antecedents and intermediate outcomes: (1) the rationale underlying their development; (2) the process of their development and implementation; (3) their content and form; and (4) individual attitudes toward the mission statement. We thereby clarify preconditions of mission statement effectiveness in organizations, and reveal shortcomings in current research.

Type
Literature Review
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2012

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