Andrew Campbell, a director of Ashridge Strategic Management Centre and a long-time contributor to Long Range Planning, proposes a means for evaluating a mission statement. Arguing that mission statements can be more than just an expression of a company’s purpose and ambition, he suggests that they can also be a company flag to rally around, a signpost for all stakeholders, a guide to behavior, and a celebration of a company’s culture. For a company trying to achieve all of the above, evaluate its mission statement using the following 10-question test. Score each question 0 for no, 1 for somewhat, or 2 for yes. According to Campbell, a score of over 15 is exceptional, and a score of less than 10 suggests that more work needs to be done.

1. Do the values resonate with and reinforce the organization’s strategy?

2. Does the statement describe important behavior standards that serve as beacons of the strategy and the values?

3. Are the behavior standards described in a way that enables individual employees to judge whether they are behaving correctly?

4. Does the statement give a portrait of the company, capturing the culture of the organization?

5. Is the statement easy to read?

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

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