In-House Counsel

Mission statements, values declarations, and vision projections

By Rees Morrison

Edward Russell-Walling, 50 Management ideas you really need to know (Quercus 2007) at 49, differentiates three items, each of which a general counsel might seize upon. A mission statement articulates ?our purpose, why we?re in business?; our values: ?our style, what is unchanging and important about the way we work?; and our vision: ?our goals, where we want to be in X years.?

As to law departments and mission statements, I have weighed in, and not positively (See my post of March 20, 2008: 18 references cited on mission statements.). My grievance is that mission statements are full of sound and fury ? you know the rest.

Values declarations of law departments have triggered several thoughts (See my posts of Aug. 8, 2005: part of McKinsey 7S model; Dec. 19, 2005: active inertia and ?beliefs that inspire, unify; and identify?; Feb. 7, 2006: values assessment at Cox Communications; May 31, 2006: all management reveals values; Sept. 17, 2006: expressed and revealed preferences; Oct. 6, 2006: Code of Conduct expresses values; Nov. 26, 2006: memes and memetics; and Jan. 10, 2008: employee engagement and values.).

The blurred line between ?culture? and ?values? remains, well, blurred (See my posts of Nov. 16, 2005; Nov. 20, 2007; Dec. 17, 2007; and May 30, 2006: culture and values.).

I have yet to write about vision projections by law departments, but the essential idea creeps into many mission statements.

Full post as published by Law Department Management on May 23, 2008 (boomark / email).