Finding the vision wow factor

¶ … Vision 'Wow' Factor

Finding the Vision Wow Factor

The vision statements that will be analyzed in the following pages are: Estee Lauder Companies' "Bringing the best to everyone we touch," DuPont's "Our vision is to be the world's most dynamic science company, creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer and healthier life for people everywhere," 3M's "3M's commitment is to actively contribute to sustainable development through environmental protection, social responsibility and economic progress. To us, that means meeting the needs of society today, while respecting the ability of future generations to meet their needs," Boeing's "People working together as a global enterprise for aerospace leadership," and Goodyear's "Become a market-focused tire company providing superior products and services to end-users and to our channel partners, leading to superior returns for our shareholders."

The two frameworks selected for the analysis are Kotter's approach, which basically states that a successful vision should be imaginable, desirable, feasible, focused, flexible and communicable, and Metals' approach that considers that a good vision statement should be a dream, it should be excessive, and it should be deviant.

Estee Lauder's vision statement is a simple one, short, concise, easy to understand and to remember. Customers are likely to remember such a vision statement. However, the vision does not offer an image of the future, it focuses on providing an image that refers to the present, it offers no clear view of what the customer is expected to receive in the future. The vision is desirable, it focuses on committing to product quality, which is a driver for both employees and consumers. The vision refers to feasible objectives, given the fact that the company's high standards in relation to quality have proven over decades of activity (Estee Lauder Inc., 2010). In other words, the vision is focused on product quality, this factor being the central issue on which the company's strategy and decision-making is based on. The vision statement is not a flexible one, being so concise, but it is very communicable. As for Metals' approach, Estee Lauder's vision can be considered a dream. Given the company's situation, it is not an excessive one. However, the purpose of this vision statement is not to be a deviant, but a traditional one.

DuPont's vision is a more complex one and it includes more factors (DuPont, 2010). The vision is indeed imaginable, consumers being able to figure out what the company intends to do in the future. The issues addressed by this vision are appealing to all the parties involved, from shareholders to customers, making it desirable. The objectives stated in the vision are feasible. The vision is communicable, it is easy to be understood by the public. The vision is slightly excessive, the objectives established by the company may be too high to be achieved shortly. The vision statement does not break conventional thinking.

The vision expressed by 3M is clearly the most complex one because it addresses a series of issues of great interest for the community, and not for the consumers or the company only. The vision is imaginable, clearly referring to future generations. It is desirable, as it includes factors that the shareholders are interested in, like economic progress, the community, like environmental protection and social responsibility. The vision is flexible, as it can be adapted to changes that might emerge. Also, it is easy to communicate such a vision. The vision represents a dream, for the company, its customers, and for the community in case. The objectives communicated through this vision statement are slightly excessive, they are difficult to achieve. However, the vision does not break conventional thinking.

Boeing's vision is a simple, concise, and easy to understand one. But same as other short vision statements, it does not provide an image for the future that customers can analyze. The vision is not extremely desirable, since it does not refer to matters of interest for the customers, like the quality of service and others. It is difficult to assess whether this is a feasible vision, since it does not imply quantifiable objectives, but only abstract notions. The vision is easy to be communicated. This vision can be considered a dream, but an abstract one. The vision is not excessive, but it refers to unconventional frames of reference.

Goodyear's vision is a traditional one, focusing on aspects that customers are interested in. The vision manages to offer an image of what the company intends to do in the future. The vision incorporates desirable objectives for the company's shareholders and for its customers. These objectives are feasible ones, especially given the company's possibilities and position on the market. The vision is a flexible one, it can be easily adapted if the situation requires it. This vision is not a deviant, but a classic one, as mentioned above.