The previous article discussed the first three strategic values of vision.  Today's article will continue with the five other strategic values of vision, namely:-

In providing meaning

There has been a tremendous shift in the thinking of the new breed of employees in the last decade.  Asian executives today are in search of meaning in their work, aside from remuneration.  They want to know they make a difference to their organisation.  They want to make sense of their work, beyond the short-term profits they help organisations achieve.  They want to know why their organisation is in business.  They want to know how their company's products and services add value to the world.

This new breed is not content to be merely cogs in the company wheel.  They want to be part of the big picture.

A meaningful vision that allows a company product or service to add value and contribute a positive difference to the lives of people will provide special meaning to the work of employees.  Employees will be more satisfied with their roles if they link their work with the positive impact it has on the lives of people, be they customers, suppliers, staff, the community, the nation or the world at large.  To ensure work is meaningful to people, organisations must change their environment from being control-driven to winning commitment.

In building leadership

The workplace is full of people who clock in and clock out.  They are involved in menial and trivial tasks.  The are not gripped by the passion to excel.  Without passion, people are a mere latent force of possibility, like and unused match waiting to strike a flame.  However, a powerful and compelling vision can conjure up the passion to exceed the normal standard of performance.  A powerful vision can become a calling, which can elicit great leadership.  It can provide the energy and enthusiasm with which leaders influence and excite, a force which translates dreams into reality.

A company's future will be brighter when its leaders have more vision, fewer nightmares.  Leaders gripped by a powerful vision will turn weaknesses into strengths, obstacles into stepping stones and disasters into triumphs.

In breaking paradigms

A paradigm is a set of beliefs, assumptions and rules regarding how thing work.  It is a mental picture we develop to define the way we see something.  A paradigm will limit the way people think, feel and act.  In his videotape on paradigms, Joel Barker (author of Paradigm Shift) shares the concept of paradigm effect.  He points out that paradigms determine boundaries that have great influence on human behavior, as they define what is possible and what is not.  As an example, he tells the story of the Tarajumarian Indians, who can run about 100 km every day, because that ability fits the tribal paradigm.

Similarly, most organisations today think and behave in a way that fits the paradigm of their " corporate tribal" belief of what is possible.

One of the great lessons about paradigms comes from Horace Rutledge, who pointed out how our attitude determines our lives: "When you look at the world in a narrow way, how narrow it seems!  When you look at it in a mean way, how mean it is!  When you look at it selfishly, how selfish it is!  When you look at it in a broad, generous, friendly spirit, what wonderful people you find in it."

Likewise, the future of your organisation begins with how you look at it today.  A vision of the future is the best way to break the paradigm of today.  People in organisations are all too comfortable with what is achievable today.  A powerful vision of the future should break some of the existing paradigms in organisations,  To allow new and exciting possibilities for tomorrow.

In driving performance

In the course of my work, I have encountered many CEOs who ask me about the value of corporate vision.  One CEO asked point blank:  "How does corporate vision improve my profit?"  A clear motivating vision of the future drives performance.  It provides the attraction, like a magnet, that pulls people forward.  However, to build commitment and sustain effort, organisations must provide employees with a stake in the outcome.  In short, companies need to address the "What's In It For Me" issue.

One great reality of the workplace is that people are more motivated to perform when this serves their interests.  They will thus be more willing to pursue the corporate vision if they know that, in the process, they are also serving their interests.

Organisations that adopt the philosophy "We shall grow and proper together" will thus be able to win the commitment of their staff to achieving their corporate vision.  The message should therefore be: "The vision of the future for the company will ensure prosperity and well-being for the organisation and employees.  The success of the company will allow the company to expand and grow.  This will provide opportunities for employees to be promoted, take on new responsibilities and learn new skills."

To ensure that companies provide a genuine stake in the success of the vision, there must be a clear performance measurement and reward system that is fair and equitable.  To provide credibility, compensation should be linked to the performance of individuals.  Organisations that build interest in their employees, through their vision, will win commitment.  Employees will act like owners and have a deep sense of belonging.

In increasing change capability

A challenging vision increases the change capability of an organisation.  To bridge the gap between the current state of the organisation and its future, desired state requires new skills.  In pursuing their vision, organisations will improve their anticipatory skills, as leaders strive to ascertain what opportunities are ahead and how to capitalize on them to improve the fortunes of their organisation.  They will also increase their innovativeness as they strive to meet their goals with tight deadlines.  The speed of their response to customers will increase as they encounter increasing customer demands.  On the path to the vision, leaders will encounter many  obstacles and difficulties; these will increase their resilience and adaptability.  Leaders will become more able to manage ambiguity and chaos.  They will improve their strategic capability when countering the emerging threats of competition in the marketplace.

Leaders will build tremendous change management skills, as they are the catalysts for change and the agents for the translation of organizational vision into reality.
In the Asian business environment, characterized by global competition, technological break-through, customer sophistication, deregulation and an increasing concern for environmental well-being, change has become the new saviour of business survival.

But change creates a deep sense of uncertainty over the future.  One effective way to create a sense of control is to develop a vision of the future for your company.  According to Peter Drucker, "The best way to predict the future is to create it."

A good example is Bill Gates' Microsoft, which is creating the future not only for his own company for the whole IT industry.  The power of vision is all around us.  What is it that you as a leader are doing to help your organisation to unleash this power?  How do you see your customer service?  Is your company becoming more customer-focused?  Does it provide value for customers?  Is it integrating strengths?  Does it foster creativity and innovation?  Is it responsive, flexible and adaptable?  Is the future of your organisation exciting, full of meaning and attraction?

If not, I say it is time to develop a compelling vision and communicate it well.  Hold fast to your corporate vision, for if the vision dies, your organisation is like a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.  And in these tough times presented by the challenge of economic crisis, fly you must.

Victor S.L. Tan is an international consultant and authority on change management.  He is the author of 4 books and the CEO of KL Strategic Change Consulting Group. He can be contacted at 603-90741129 / 90742219 or email: victorsltan@klscc.com