10 hours ago, sue said:

Thanks to those pro-mission statement posters who have posted why they think they are useful.  But I don't think you have answered or even addressed my very simple questions in post #30, viz:

Let me make a start.  Perhaps a new small insurance company might want to emphasise different values etc than an established big one.    However I'd see this as tinkering around the edges of what every insurance company might see as its mission.  But OK, I'll concede it might be useful to emphasise the points where that company departs from the 'standard' mission of insurance companies. 

But when it comes to football I just don't see why they'd be any difference between clubs regardless of ladder position/development phase.  There might be different plans for addressing the next few years, but why would the club "mission statement" be any different from any other club in any truly meaningful way?

agreed. The level of tinkering may vary. All Clubs talk about Community but the Bulldogs have embraced it more than others Not sure that is because of any mission statement though. I am a bit of a believer in.  Do no tell them.. Show them approach from leadership.  Not to be taken literally as far as not telling them of course.

1 hour ago, ding said:

Wow, label those who agree as intellectual, and dismiss the cynics as non-thinkers.

Very typical of people who i have met before who promote this sort of thing. Its patently dishonest, and nothing more than an easy out. 

I have been happy to discuss at an "intellectual level", but very few of my questions have been answered. Thats ok, i dont need positive reinforcement to own my ideas.

Carry on.

Monsieur Ding, sorry if you thought that was a put down of those who disagreed with me. That wasn't the intention. I was referring to those who simply make a short negative statement without any substance. Or who think that because something didn't work before, the whole idea is without merit. 

Perhaps in doing to, I may have prevented you from seeing the real point of that post. That I appreciated Deefensive's post and his dedication to his job. And that my job, by comparison isn't important.

One of the things we were discussing in Shanghai is the danger of miscommunication through social media. I think we've just seen an example of that. Truly sorry for my role in it.

Wow!

Thanks all, the level of comment show the difficulty with this sort of stuff, and the levels of knowledge and experiences within our supporters groups.

Some really good content from Fd and Df which while not providing direct answers to some questions which would require lengthy and almost forensic detail.

i would urge the sceptics to think about the outline that Fd introduced and examine their own experiences against the options presented.

some of the jargon, buzz words and wankery are just that, but are no less a statement than the simplistic or basic action responses. 

Whatever is agreed can be stated, you can call it a mission statement or an aim or a goal whatever once you identify that you can examine some actions to achieve it. You can call it buy in, co operation or team work whatever,

Choose your buzz words from any dictionary but make sure you communicate them clearly and consistently. It becomes nstinctive if you live them but at least it must be transparent at the work place.

Football teams are an excellent environment, small enough, with enough emotional altruistic desires to more easily control the actions of its members.

i look forward to progress and hope the club considers the views of knowledgable and passionate supporters while it reviews the actions it will take to success.

On 8/27/2019 at 11:37 PM, ding said:

This is precisely the kind of word salad i was talking about.

Once agreed, the working party defines the Values and Behaviours we will live by.

No, this is what MANAGEMENT tells you they will live by... most employees wont ever learn the Mission statement, nor will they care.... Some will have a quick read, especially when bosses force them to... After all i assume its a significant financial investment to come up with these words, and the boss will want his people to know what they are.

I think this is the point Fd made but did not express, management is not seperate from the organisation, just also a part of the organisation. No force will work but communication is essential. I would suggest that no boss of a successful organisation will waste profit on words and consultants to deliver them if they did not get a return

From there on, we live by those Values and Behaviours

No sane, rational individual lives by a mission statement generated by their boss and his committee. they will live by their own personal values. If you meant to say that the business will "work" to these values you might have been closer to the mark. The "WE" is only the group who came up with the words, and their middle management. The line workers wont give a rats what you say they should stand for. Values are feelings, and as such they cant be imposed on someone against their will.

Yes personal values will always be paramount which is why those values must be considered within the structures and tasks that are needed to be done to achieve the goal/ meet the mission.

Those who don't conform are counselled and given another chance.  A second offence says they're not our type... and they're gone.

And here is the nub. People, when threatened with punishment will practically always say whatever the boss wants to hear in order to keep it. This threat is usually handed out most eagerly by the same [censored]-kissing middle managers who are trying to climb the ladder over whatever metaphorical corpse they need to walk on. You can change a behaviour with threats, but you cant change what a person thinks. 

Punishment must be adroitly handled to ensure it is fair and reasonable. It should also be to develope improvement and not engender bitterness. It is rarely done well but certainly can be. Was the cutting of Watts, the removal of Jumior , the letting go of Pedersen punishment or well  done? Is dropping a poor performer punishment or a chance to learn and develop?

What percentage of existing staff can recite their employers mission statement? If it was more than single digits in a large company, i would be staggered.

It may not be necessary to recite the statement in fact preferable not to the aim should be seamless with actions.

Now i get that you will defend your own profession. I would expect nothing less, and im sure you earn a nice quid from it. I just dont agree that an individual wants or needs to be told what their "Mission" is. They mostly just want to put food on the table and get the kids through school.

Patently disagree, to put food on the table an individual must at least do what is required to achieve the aims of the organisation.

Mostly, they are paragraphs hung up on the wall near the entrance, which people will only read when they are waiting for something else.

This is called reinforcement and is the transparent communication of aims. It is better if Fd process is followed and this is a message aligned with the organisation and its occupants and not glib phrases cut and pasted from some foreign source.

I dont mean this a personal attack, as you may be the nicest person in the world, but i have strong views of my own on what the ultimate value of a forced "Mission" has. I also dont believe any organization needs one to be a success.

Probably correct success can come about from a variety of circumstances. If you are trying to achieve that success or control ascension to it you must have some identification of and process for reaching it and maintaining it.

Regards

 

Ding there is much in this response that needs further discussion I hope I have respondedto your points. This is pretty complex stuff that probably needs deeper consideration. Would love to sit amongst all on this thread to discuss this topic, it is unlikely that we will solve our clubs woes but hopefully would reinforce our passion.

On 8/28/2019 at 9:21 AM, sue said:

Put me down as a skeptic.  Please explain why there is any difference in the mission statements of say, all insurance companies. Or indeed all footy teams.  Surely they should all be pretty identical within each industry.  And if so, what is their worth?

Good point Sue

All insurance companies are pretty identical but distinguish themselves to achieve their own goal with the people iit wants to include.

All footy clubs want to win the flag. How they do that is what forms the mission statement which establishes the methods that will be used.

Their worth is only recognised by the return to be achieved. I would suggest that the worth would not be announced or attributed directly but successful organisations continue to search for something that will differentiate them from their competitors and would not invest in this sort of exercise if their was no return.

if consistent and transparent aims are identified anfd result in consistent coherent and effective action it is valuable. Where a1% difference matters this type of effort can be very valuable.

On 8/28/2019 at 6:41 PM, monoccular said:

I agree with those who are saying a mission statement is just corporate waffle.  An organisation has to have one these days but does it seriously change anything?

Were I asked to make a mission statement for MFC it would be bloody short - winning matches and winning premierships.   

Yes Mono an excellent place to start but as Sue says all footy clubs have that as an aim. If that needs to reinforced at MFC maybe that is where we should concentrate.

How and what methods we use may be required. I think Essendon had that aim but it didn't quite work out due to being just a tad simple in their mission tactics.

On 8/29/2019 at 6:27 PM, Mazer Rackham said:

Fanatique, what you're saying rings true. And only possible because of buy-in from all parties who then live out the agreed behaviours. Harvard Business Review contains many articles over the years about genuine positive cultural change because of buy-in from staff.

But most "mission statements" are a hollow mockery of the behaviour you are describing. I have worked at places, and been to many more, where the "mission statement" is literally a buzzword bingo brass plaque on the wall that is a curio paid no attention to by anyone, including the "bosses", and not executed in mind or deed. Because the "bosses" thought a "mission statement" would be cool thing to do (more or less to keep up with the Joneses) and paid it little more thought than to engage consultants to dream up some fancy wording. For those businesses, a poster on the wall of dogs playing poker would be an equally meaningful statement of corporate values, and would cost less.

I would suggest this -- hollow mission statements -- is a common experience in Oz, and hence the widespread scepticism of mission statements, which I share. (Good corporate values are lived and do not require a plaque on a wall or buzzword bingo.)

Exactly correct. Fd may be a resource to make sure we do not adopt the unsuccessful approaches you have identified.

On 8/29/2019 at 8:26 PM, Smokey said:

Well in my profession as an engineer, low-level design documentation on how we will achieve success appeals to me more. Not that this type of document would ever be made public, but you get my point. 

Not sure I get your point Smokey.

Your low level design documentation would be a mission statement. Probably effective if communicated and applied consistently.

Have seen some design documentation which resulted in disasters however so perhaps greater consideration can be required in some circumstances.

On 8/31/2019 at 2:07 PM, Sir Why You Little said:

 

Mr Language as a School Teacher, what are your feelings towards Players going to the AFLPA behind Goodwin’s back concerning the 2017 Camp?

if Students go to a higher authority, without your knowledge, to question some  of your teaching methods how does that effect your teaching dynamic?

Has already had a response but would add that this was perhaps a great endorsement of why some sort of mission statement is valuable.

Players should not have to go behind anyone's back , this inclusiveness and transparency should be stated and recognised. I think Goodwin handled it badly and perhaps has and is overcompensating since, but maybe he also needs to have a clearly communicated statement underpinning actions.

we saw the Essendrug outcomes where players were not included as equals in the mission, and not included in a transparent fashion.

And yes sometimes the productive outcome (teaching dynamic) needs to be modified to match the capacity and capabilities of the resources.

 

16 hours ago, dpositive said:

Not sure I get your point Smokey.

Your low level design documentation would be a mission statement. Probably effective if communicated and applied consistently.

Have seen some design documentation which resulted in disasters however so perhaps greater consideration can be required in some circumstances.

A mission statement does not define the logic of the plan, it outlines it. I would consider that to be more high level than low level, but this comparison isn't sound in principal anyway so take it as you will. 

On 8/25/2019 at 2:30 PM, ding said:

Mission statements are just another example of corporate wankery invading sport... 

They dont do a damn thing to improve performance, and the vast majority of employees couldnt tell you what their organizations Mission Statement was.

We dont need one. Actions speak louder than words so the saying goes.

Branding?

or Our Brand is ect