Mission and Vision 147
From a strategic point of view, the question becomes, “At what do we or could
we excel?” Or we ask, “In what distinctive ways do we create educational value?”
Put more pointedly, “For what do we want to be known?” Thus we find references
on our list to creating a “passion for learning,” educating “servant leaders,” or
“empowering students.” The language of aspiration is still in evidence: terms like
“highest quality” are typically used to describe the desired level of performance.
Characteristics of Vision Statements
When understood in the context of strategic leadership, how effective is
the language of “the best” and its surrogates? Does it succeed in providing an
academic community with a worthy and inspiring shared vision of its future?
Although its ultimate effectiveness as an instrument of leadership will always
be highly contextual—the aim is to reach and motivate engaged participants,
not the general public—there are some clear characteristics and criteria about
visions that use superlatives.
It appears that at least one of the goals of a vision is to stimulate the instincts
of people to create a reputation and results that are superior to those of oth-
ers, namely the competition (Gioia and Thomas 2000). The normally polite but
very real rivalry to attract the most talented faculty and students, and the most
resources, is driven in part by an ambition that will make an institution equal to
or better than competitors and be perceived that way. Even a cursory reading of
strategic plans shows clearly the presence of this competitive impulse. As much
as one might want to do so, one cannot ignore the reality that competitiveness is
an integral part of strategic thinking and a source of motivation.
But competitiveness sinks into a negative spiral of distortion if the ambitions
to be the best are not redeemed by the aspiration to reach levels of quality that
are substantive and worthwhile in themselves. If the vision is to motivate people
to seek ever-higher levels of quality as a matter of fulfillment, it has to meet a
variety of criteria. It must articulate the values and authentic aspirations of a
given institution with its own history, profile, and possibilities. For these reasons,
the effort to define that niche or space within which an organization can excel or
exercise leadership is a fruitful endeavor. Differentiation is a way to capture the
specific promise and possibility of an institution. The goal is to find and to state
the precise structure of the highest form of quality and value creation that a par-
ticular institution is able to attain. A differentiated vision reveals the distinctive
forms of quality that are possible, thus opening the way to levels of commitment
that otherwise might remain untouched.
If a vision is to contribute to the tasks of leadership, it must be not only ambi-
tious but plausible. In being inspirational, it will define attractive possibilities,
and in being realistic, it will be seen as attainable over a period of time. The
key to striking the right balance is to ensure that the vision is determinable and
is therefore subject to various forms of measurement. An effective vision has to
come with a set of indicators that are spelled out within a strategic plan or other