Organizational Vision and Visionary Organizations - Essay Example

Organizational Vision and Visionary Organizations ID] [Lecturer] Definition of Vision A visionis a long term end point where the business organization wants to see itself in a particular duration of time. It indeed is the end goal where it wants to reach before it draws up another vision statement. The vision is not set every now and then. In fact visions are usually drawn in nearly two or three decades for any business organization and such is its impact that it lasts for a long period of time. It is an obvious that mission statements go hand in hand with the vision – a position where the ultimate stability and success for the business would be measured in entirety. Therefore it is true to state that vision is strategic, has a long term and lasting effect, remains there in a lengthy notion and must not change in tactical moves and directions that are adopted by the business organizations every now and then. Planning can help a particular company gain so much in accordance with its goals and objectives that had been planned and drafted but in the current times more and more attention and emphasis is making the rounds of the discussion as to whether these plans can actually deliver what was expected of them in the first place. Essential Components of a Visionary Organization A visionary organization would look to set its objectives in a manner which would be strategically placed and the aims within the working domains would center on relieving the short term gains for the long term benefits. A visionary organization looks at plugging the gaps that are present amongst the different departments of the business organization so that the eventual results in the form of different processes, activities and undertakings on the part of the organization are distinctive from that of its competitors and unique in its own righteous way. A visionary organization would aim to reach the top in the specified period of time since it has to be answerable to its own people, the stakeholders and more than anything else, it has to maintain its credibility of being a true player within the industry. A visionary organization takes care of the upper tier, the middle management (also known as the knowledge management) as well as the lower levels within the organization and thus sets a vision which works to the best effect of one and all within the business organization. It takes input from the stakeholders who have invested their resources in the form of time and money towards the betterment of the business organization in the first place. Lastly, this organization places a great deal of emphasis on the way customers perceive the activities of the business as well. Everyone has got a role to play in devising the visionary basis of the organization. Only then could the organization be hailed as a success from the visionary quarters. Effective Leadership and Vision Effective leadership within a visionary organization can be achieved if there is authority of purpose within the related ranks of the business organization and when there is oneness in terms of undertakings, understanding of different processes and strategies and so on. Leadership is an aspect that has attained immense significance in the times much like today, mainly due to the fact that leadership paves the way for the business organization to shape up within the long run and provides a support system for the employees as per their respective undertakings and actions. (Bassett, 1993) At different stages of one’s career, an individual has to exhibit certain set of skills and qualities, which make him/her, stand out like nobody else. He has to portray the best of his character and bring out what is not present in the rest of the populace. He has to lead by example, a thing which people of present times usually lack and which is not that easily found in our society. Similarly, at the top level, it is very significant to have a clear mind whereby the person can think way beyond his understanding as well as ask of his subordinates to carry out his instructions with accuracy and wisdom. (Elkin, 1998) Needless to say, a leader at a senior position has to understand that he/she is the ultimate boss and without his/her proper vision and goals, there can be no other person to fill the void which would be created if his/her thinking and mindset are just not there in the right place. A leader is a person who aims to bring out his best in relationships with the people around him as he constantly asks of them for efforts both in the business concern and in an individual capacity so that the end result is one of success and achievement. Then only can a leader be remarked as a true leader of professionals. One of the more important skills that are required of a leader is that of having determination and dedication to exceeding levels. This means that his physical and mental make up must be of a leader and should not suggest that he is a coward man at any point in time. The devotion factor must be present within an astute leader at all times. An effective leader can produce the following four outcomes: 1. Synergize the efforts of the whole team into a single entity 2. Bring out the best from the weakest of team members 3. Produce results in the most difficult of circumstances 4. Maintain consistency in achieving targets and attaining positive results. Visionary Organizations The qualities and tangents on which organizations are set apart from the visionary ones include their tact of dealing with the long term growth and expansion basis of the business regimes. These visionary organizations know what they are doing within their working domains and they make sure that the leading industry players know what their aims and objectives are in the long run. They might not reveal much about the tactical level planning steps but the strategic, long term objectives are made aware to one and all. They have an attacking mindset where they try to exploit the weaknesses present within the competitors as well as play around the areas of strength that the competitors have all this while. They like to have the first mover advantage whilst bringing out new products and/or services for the betterment of the eventual users as well as for their own good, speaking from a truly financial standpoint for the business organization. The visionary organizations thus have a lot of different qualities on which it can play upon from time to time and thus make a mark for its own self within the related ranks. Pioneers – Bill Gates Microsoft is the brainchild of Bill Gates, the third richest man on the planet who made his dream come true by establishing this fine institution that has been the source of fulfillment of our various computing needs and been a resource for our leisure activities which have been aplenty in the last decade or so. Bill Gates has built an empire of his own by having a sound vision in place. His idea of working incisively within computers has paid him rich dividends and he is undoubtedly one leader that the world can look up to with a sense of pride and dignity. Other leaders of repute have included huge names like Warren Buffet, George Soros, David Dreman and others. Forecasting For setting up a visionary organization, economic prosperity is one aspect that holds a lot of significance since it is the lynchpin behind the undertaking of the economies of scale and economies of scope. What we need to understand here is the fact that these related terms are incorporated into the whole mix so that productivity and growth measures within the business organization could be envisaged on a consistent basis and there is a forecasting regime in charge of the pattern that is actually bringing about the whole change, for the better without a shadow of a doubt. In the world of today, strategic planning is not appropriate for a company which has to meet tactical moves as well as go in line with its strategic tilt and direction that has been set ages ago. This owes its basis to the fact that the company’s mission and vision statements are chalked up when it is in the early stage and thus the whole concept of finding out what it wants from its different processes and activities, whether or not to go for the short term incentives or substitute the same for the long term gains and a host of other things that come in line with these points as well. (Orpen, 1985) Strategic planning has to be drawn in the light of the objectives that the company has set for itself and this does not mean that the revenues and profits alone are the points that need discussion rather the emphasis is on understanding the mission and vision statements of the company and the manner in which the two align with the goals that it has to meet over a period of time and then only weigh it with the benefits that are reached courtesy the strategic incentives and the short term gains. References Bassett, Glenn. (1993). The Evolution and Future of High Performance Management Systems. Quorum Books Elkin, Paul. (1998). Mastering Business Planning and Strategy: The Power of Strategic Thinking. Thorogood Orpen, Christopher. (1985). The Effects of Long Range Planning on Small Business Performance: A Further Examination. Journal of Small Business Management Vol. 23 Word Count: 1,538 Read More