Corporate mission statements can
make hypocrites of employees, for a text that most people realize is façade and
yet which employees must pretend is true makes employees hypocrites.
On the other hand, if
corporate mission statements are used as a text to challenge the entire
organization, then the statements become living, something to interact with,
something to challenge culture and actions with – but otherwise such statements
foster deceit for people must learn, in the interest of self-preservation, to
act as if they are true when in fact they are not.
Many mission statements are
probably written because competitors have them and clients expect them. Few are
likely written with the expectation that they actually be used to measure not
just corporate behavior but, more importantly, executive behavior. Where is the
CEO or chairman of the board who says, “Critique me by using our mission
statement and our core values”?
Posts
Sensitivity training comes to mind.
ReplyDeleteYes Sal, I hadn't thought of that - there is an irony in that sensitivity training can desensitize us to truth and reasoned discourse - it makes us hypocrites.
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