Organizational culture and mission statement

To the fields of activity

• Organizational culture and corporate philosophy
• Mission statement with "mission" and "vision
• Corporate values and value prioritization
• Corporate goals and purpose
• Code of conduct and leadership principles
• Business model development and transformation
• Change and learning culture

I offer you:

Strategy consulting, conceptual design, workshops, coaching, copywriting, interactive lectures - partly also online.

• "Culture" and "philosophy" - soft topics for hard times: Why your company should consciously shape and become active here.

A "culture" is always there, every organization has an organizational culture - the question is: How future-proof, positive and constructive is it? To what extent is it consciously shaped by you or is it perhaps more of an accidental result of daily activities?

In organizations and companies, culture refers to the lived values, norms, attitudes and behaviors; what makes up your organization and is typical of it.

The important point is: The stronger a common awareness exists, the more likely you are to find a common identity and motivation, the more likely you are to strive in a common direction.

Here's a tip from me: write down your answers to these two questions in short sentences:

1. How do you describe the culture in your organization?
2. What is your corporate philosophy?

Then ask these questions to some managers and employees and observe for yourself:

• How satisfied are you with the answers?
• How consistent are the perceptions?

One of the ways we create a consciously designed corporate culture is through an actively formulated corporate philosophy, which I like to call a planned corporate culture. It involves a strategic development of culture-shaping elements (norms, ways of thinking and behaving) with subsequent operational implementation.

By formulating and designing a corporate philosophy, you determine, among other things, how responsibility is to be assumed and lived in your organization. This results in a framework - if possible in a strategically oriented and consistently implemented process - which we often also call the corporate constitution. Together, you put into words

• what kind of company you want to be
• how people in your company should feel and behave;
• what kind of constitution you want your organization to be in.

I offer you my support in facilitating and accompanying the corresponding reflection and decision-making process - for example in the form of workshops or coaching or as a sparring partner.

I offer consulting and operational support in the conception, creation and implementation of a corporate mission statement.

The development and impact process of a mission statement can usually be divided into the following phases:

• Planning and formulation of the corporate mission statement
• Communication of the mission statement (internally and externally)
• Implementation of the mission statement in day-to-day business

Through its formulations, a corporate mission statement provides meaningful answers to the following topics:

• Values
• "Identity" (ACTUAL) and "Vision" (Future)
• "Mission" (our meaning, our task, our purpose)
• Code of Conduct (and as part of it: Leadership Principles)

I recommend a conscious selection of those involved in the process. The following stakeholders make sense: owners of the company, management, executives, works council, (selected) employees, business partners.

In principle, the following approaches are conceivable:

TopDown - specification: development and formulation by company management/owners with subsequent communication into the company.

TopDown - with participation of representatives from the workforce. The company management and representatives of the various divisions (including the works council) formulate the mission statement.

BottomUp: The corporate mission statement is developed through a broad-based discussion process with employees (possibly represented by representatives in steering groups), if necessary also in large group events.

The intensity of the involvement of employees and the works council in the development process strongly influences the acceptance of the results.

This is how we develop your corporate mission statement: 

As a service provider, I offer you various modules in this process: including facilitated workshops, coaching, questionnaires with "questions for the development of a corporate mission statement", processing of results, documentation, editorial revision and draft texts.

After the final formulation of the corporate mission statement, the corporate mission statement is officially adopted.

The next step is documentation, visual preparation and communication (internally and externally). What does the roll-out look like? How should the mission statement be communicated?

I will be happy to make suggestions for effective internal and external communication, if necessary in cooperation with network partners.

• What does your organization stand for? Which 3 - 5 values have special significance for your organization?
• When values come into conflict, which values should take priority in your organization?

An essential part of corporate culture and mission statement development is reflecting on and prioritizing the core values that should guide the actions of the company and its stakeholders.

Again, every organization has a foundation of values - consciously or unconsciously. But which values are these in your organization (ACTUAL state)? Which should they be (TARGET)?

To answer this question, a value reflection process is useful, which should be initiated by the management and, if possible, include other stakeholders.

As an organizational consultant and coach, I support you in the process of value reflection and value prioritization - with a set of reflection and clarification methods.

• Why does your organization exist?

This is one of the most important questions that every organization should be able to answer succinctly.

This is a question we humans ask ourselves - consciously or unconsciously - and it is one that is increasingly being asked of companies and organizations as well. The meaningfulness of one's own actions is an essential driver for motivation and willingness to perform as well as acceptance and raison d'être. Here, we people and our organizations are increasingly coming under pressure to justify our sustainability, fairness and responsibility, as well as our orientation toward the common good. Is what we do and offer as a company right and important?

Today, both employees and customers are much more interested in the meaning and meaningfulness of activities and products.

As an organization, you should therefore be able to formulate your raison d'être clearly and argue it convincingly.

Therefore, continuously ask yourself the question: What can we do as a company so that our employees, customers, suppliers, investors and owners feel even more strongly that they are doing something meaningful and are involved in it?

In this process, which I like to call the personal or organizational sense reflection, I support you on the organizational level as well as on the personal level.

Only after the clarification of meaning can you formulate meaningful corporate goals.

• What do you want to achieve?
• What results do you want to achieve by when?
• How do you evaluate your previous objectives against the background of sustainability and future viability (economic, ecological, social)?

I would be happy to advise you on the development and formulation of objectives that are clear, motivating and future-oriented in terms of content and language.

• In addition to the "what", the "how" also counts! The end does not justify all means.

As a company and as company management, you are not only subject to the social pressure to be able to prove your meaningfulness. You are also increasingly called upon to achieve the company's purpose and specific goals in a socially responsible manner.

As a final component, corporate mission statements therefore often feature a code of conduct. In this code of conduct or, if applicable, leadership principles, statements are made that provide orientation for the behavior of all participants and explain how they are to achieve the formulated goals and fulfill their tasks.

One of the challenges here is not to create abstract "prose works" that are too vague and therefore have no relevance in practice. At the same time, however, the principles must not be too detailed, so as not to give rise to petty paternalism.

I would be happy to present you with various practicable approaches for your code of conduct, e.g. in the form of a "Fairness Code of Conduct" or "Ethics Code".

• Can you successfully market the same products and services today as you did ten or twenty years ago?
• What products and services will you be able to sell at a reasonable profit in ten or twenty years?
• Do you need to fundamentally reinvent yourself and your business?

These questions are existential for companies and organizations - and not easy to answer. In addition to technical and content-related competencies, courage and clarity in analysis and projection are needed.

Using effective methods of analysis and reflection, I support you in reviewing your business model and developing transformation strategies.

How well are the people in your organization attuned to change?

How well does "learning" work?

What is the error culture like in your organization?

What transparency and security does your company offer in change processes?

In order to implement the desired corporate culture and the corporate mission statement and to live them in everyday work, changes and learning processes are usually required.

The impact of the corporate mission statement and the leadership principles ultimately depends on the relevance they develop for those involved in the day-to-day work of the company. This does not happen automatically, but must be supported and demanded by appropriate measures and behaviors.

Real change processes are necessary in terms of attitudes, competencies, structures and processes. The entire set of tools from organizational development and human resources development is available to us for this purpose.

Effective are for example:

• Regular meetings or components in meetings (Jour Fixe)
• Workshops
• Trainings
• Coaching
• E-learning modules for individual self-learning

Integration into everyday management tools for personnel selection, appraisal, compensation as well as personnel deployment and promotions.

I would be happy to present my offers and services in these areas to you. Please contact me without obligation.