Mission statement effectiveness: Investigating managers' sensemaking role

Purpose: This study highlights the instrumental role of the mission statement as a tool used by managers to shape value congruence to achieve enhanced employee performance levels. Design/methodology/approach: A variance-based structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data obtained from...

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Main Authors: Toh, Seong-Yuen *, Tehseen, Shehnaz *, Mahmoud, A. B., Cheok, Jason *, Grigoriou, N., Opute, J.
Format: Article
Published: Emerald 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:http://eprints.sunway.edu.my/1863/
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author Toh, Seong-Yuen *
Tehseen, Shehnaz *
Mahmoud, A. B.
Cheok, Jason *
Grigoriou, N.
Opute, J.
author_facet Toh, Seong-Yuen *
Tehseen, Shehnaz *
Mahmoud, A. B.
Cheok, Jason *
Grigoriou, N.
Opute, J.
author_sort Toh, Seong-Yuen *
building SU Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Purpose: This study highlights the instrumental role of the mission statement as a tool used by managers to shape value congruence to achieve enhanced employee performance levels. Design/methodology/approach: A variance-based structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data obtained from a sample of 123 managers working in private organisations in Malaysia. Findings: The management sensemaking approach is useful in mission statement research. Managers' involvement in clarifying the mission statement to various firm stakeholders, especially employees, is the strongest predictor of value congruency between employees and the firm, leading to improved levels of employee behavioural performance. Managers can influence value congruency through two processes: (1) guiding and shaping employees' values and (2) adapting the mission statement's contents. Research limitations/implications: Future studies can consider the impact of managerial role modelling on employees' value alignment with the firm in longitudinal studies. Other aspects of alignment offer further research opportunities, for example, HR policy alignment and alignment of marketing and operation strategies with the mission statement. Practical implications: Managers should move beyond treating the mission statement as a management tool. Instead, it is a firm philosophy that reflects managers' words and deeds and exemplifies their philosophical ideals. Originality/value: Despite three decades of research into the relationship between the mission statement and performance, the results have been mixed. Therefore, this study adopts a sensemaking approach to research the mission-performance relationship underpinned by the resource-based view (RBV) theory.
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spelling sunway-18632021-10-18T03:58:22Z http://eprints.sunway.edu.my/1863/ Mission statement effectiveness: Investigating managers' sensemaking role Toh, Seong-Yuen * Tehseen, Shehnaz * Mahmoud, A. B. Cheok, Jason * Grigoriou, N. Opute, J. HD28 Management. Industrial Management Purpose: This study highlights the instrumental role of the mission statement as a tool used by managers to shape value congruence to achieve enhanced employee performance levels. Design/methodology/approach: A variance-based structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data obtained from a sample of 123 managers working in private organisations in Malaysia. Findings: The management sensemaking approach is useful in mission statement research. Managers' involvement in clarifying the mission statement to various firm stakeholders, especially employees, is the strongest predictor of value congruency between employees and the firm, leading to improved levels of employee behavioural performance. Managers can influence value congruency through two processes: (1) guiding and shaping employees' values and (2) adapting the mission statement's contents. Research limitations/implications: Future studies can consider the impact of managerial role modelling on employees' value alignment with the firm in longitudinal studies. Other aspects of alignment offer further research opportunities, for example, HR policy alignment and alignment of marketing and operation strategies with the mission statement. Practical implications: Managers should move beyond treating the mission statement as a management tool. Instead, it is a firm philosophy that reflects managers' words and deeds and exemplifies their philosophical ideals. Originality/value: Despite three decades of research into the relationship between the mission statement and performance, the results have been mixed. Therefore, this study adopts a sensemaking approach to research the mission-performance relationship underpinned by the resource-based view (RBV) theory. Emerald 2021 Article PeerReviewed Toh, Seong-Yuen * and Tehseen, Shehnaz * and Mahmoud, A. B. and Cheok, Jason * and Grigoriou, N. and Opute, J. (2021) Mission statement effectiveness: Investigating managers' sensemaking role. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, ahead- (ahead-). ISSN 1356-3289 http://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-03-2021-0031 doi:10.1108/CCIJ-03-2021-0031
spellingShingle HD28 Management. Industrial Management
Toh, Seong-Yuen *
Tehseen, Shehnaz *
Mahmoud, A. B.
Cheok, Jason *
Grigoriou, N.
Opute, J.
Mission statement effectiveness: Investigating managers' sensemaking role
title Mission statement effectiveness: Investigating managers' sensemaking role
title_full Mission statement effectiveness: Investigating managers' sensemaking role
title_fullStr Mission statement effectiveness: Investigating managers' sensemaking role
title_full_unstemmed Mission statement effectiveness: Investigating managers' sensemaking role
title_short Mission statement effectiveness: Investigating managers' sensemaking role
title_sort mission statement effectiveness: investigating managers' sensemaking role
topic HD28 Management. Industrial Management
url http://eprints.sunway.edu.my/1863/
http://eprints.sunway.edu.my/1863/
http://eprints.sunway.edu.my/1863/