Mission statement

The subsequent step in the strategic process is formulating our mission statement.

A mission statement encapsulates the essence of your objectives and the rationale for your existence. It offers a sense of strategic direction and opportunities, benchmarked against a specific performance standard. As a result, a mission statement serves as a foundation, empowering an organization to realize its visionary goals and ensuring enduring organizational success.

It's imperative for management to ensure that all employees and stakeholders remain cognizant of this organizational purpose. A well-constructed mission statement acts as a motivational beacon, providing clear criteria for decision-making. Consequently, your mission statement, to be unambiguous, should respond to four pivotal questions as outlined by Ahaus and Diepman (1998):

1. What is the primary rationale behind the organization's existence?
2. Which fundamental needs do your products and/or services address?
3. What void would emerge in the absence of the organization?
4. What defines the organization's very essence or purpose of existence?

Bearing the above in mind, a mission statement should encompass core value attributes, addressing direct stakeholders such as customers, employees, suppliers, and shareholders.

Example mission statement

At NewCo Audio, our commitment is to deliver flexible and sustainable audio solutions and services to our Dutch B2B clientele at the most competitive total cost of ownership (TCO).

We pride ourselves on our leadership and expertise in audio, along with pragmatic solutions grounded in our foundational principles: innovation, excellence, integrity, and passion. These intrinsic values manifest in every NewCo Audio process, community, and employee. We continually inspire our passionate team to exceed our clients' expectations.

Our mission statement embodies five pivotal tenets:

1. To surpass the audio expectations of our clientele.
2. To foster a stimulating and positive work environment for our team.
3. To maintain a streamlined and proficient distribution channel for our esteemed audio suppliers.
4. To stand as a reliable partner for both our customers and suppliers.
5. To ensure a substantial return on investment for the NewCo group and its shareholders.

Let's assess this mission statement using the "Ahaus & Diepman" mission checklist:

	1 - What is the primary rationale behind the organization's existence? We aim to consistently surpass the audio expectations of our customers. We foster a stimulating and supportive work environment for our employees and colleagues. Our foundation is built on leadership, deep audio expertise, and pragmatic solutions driven by our core values: innovation, excellence, integrity, and passion.
	2 - Which fundamental needs do your products and/or services address? We offer flexible and sustainable audio solutions at the most competitive total cost of ownership (TCO). We maintain a streamlined, professional, and efficient distribution channel for our esteemed audio suppliers. We focus on ensuring a robust return on investment for the NewCo group and its shareholders.
	3 - What void would emerge in the absence of the organization? The market would lose a professional and efficient outlet for trusted audio suppliers. The industry would lack our distinctive leadership and practical solutions rooted in deep audio knowledge. Customers would miss out on a team passionate about exceeding their expectations. The NewCo group and shareholders would be deprived of a reliable source of return on investment.
	4 - What defines the organization's very essence or purpose of existence? We stand as a trusted and valuable audio partner for both our customers and suppliers. We take pride in delivering flexible and sustainable audio solutions with optimal total cost of ownership (TCO). We are committed to providing a sound return on investment for the NewCo group and its shareholders.

Our mission statement comply and therefor we may asume that it could contribute to our overall strategy plan.

Next logical step is business development objectives. What do we want to accomplish and what are the basic assumption behind these?