Do you believe that organizational mission
statement and official goals provide an organization with genuine
legitimacy in external environment? Discuss
Solution:
One important function of a mission statement is to state the reason for the existence of the organization which provides outsiders with a sense of the organization’s purpose. Official goals identify the purpose and legitimize the organization for employees, clients, government and other important external groups. Official goals typically are abstract and therefore run the risk of being perceived by some outsiders as “apple pie” statements that sound good but do little to shape the actual organization. Official goals are in harmony with the mission and provide a rationale or reason for the organization to exist. Many students comment that such statements offer genuine legitimacy only to the extent that they actually go beyond “public relations” to guide decision making. Therefore, the genuine legitimacy provided may come more from the overall implementation of the mission along with the organization’s goals and strategies than from the piece of paper on which the mission is written for outsiders to read.
Solution:
One important function of a mission statement is to state the reason for the existence of the organization which provides outsiders with a sense of the organization’s purpose. Official goals identify the purpose and legitimize the organization for employees, clients, government and other important external groups. Official goals typically are abstract and therefore run the risk of being perceived by some outsiders as “apple pie” statements that sound good but do little to shape the actual organization. Official goals are in harmony with the mission and provide a rationale or reason for the organization to exist. Many students comment that such statements offer genuine legitimacy only to the extent that they actually go beyond “public relations” to guide decision making. Therefore, the genuine legitimacy provided may come more from the overall implementation of the mission along with the organization’s goals and strategies than from the piece of paper on which the mission is written for outsiders to read.
