Never underestimate the importance of a mission statement and clear values. Often overlooked or brushed aside, they are essential for supporting the overall culture and identity of a business. Providing clarity of objectives across the organization will ensure that all employees are aligned to the same goals, therefore establishing a clear vision for the future. If everyone is working towards the same end goal, then staff can work together more effectively and efficiently to reach it.
Furthermore, having clearly defined values can aid the decision-making process, helping managers and directors to prioritize and move forward. A mission statement lays out the framework upon which the organization can be developed; it provides the necessary direction to help guide the decision process, keeping the organization on track, and rocketing towards the primary business objectives.
A comprehensive set of values can also be used to educate customers and potential clients about the company. Accordingly, they can be key to employee retention, as younger employees tend to pay more attention to the values at the heart of a company. With structured goals in place, a company is in a far better position to innovate. Knowing these values can help shape the innovation process in line with key business objectives.
It is all very well that the senior management team know these values, but how much do your employees know? Transparency is essential in ensuring that all stakeholders are aware of the company’s core values and that all employees are also kept in the loop with any mid-long term business objectives. Knowing who and what you are innovating for is important in establishing a successful innovation strategy.
According to employees, the most important ingredient for successful innovation is a strong visionary business leadership.
Aligning ideas and challenges with company values or a mission statement is easy when using an innovation management software. Wazoku allows transparency of goals across the organization where appropriate and facilitates integration of these goals into posted ideas and opportunity briefs.