Abstract
1- Introduction
2- Literature review
3- Empirical study
4- Discussion
5- Conclusion
Acknowledgements
References
Abstract
Although research confirms that company mission and organizational values may influence the performance of individual employees as well as the company, it is evident that explicitly or implicitly codified statements of company mission and organizational values are simply not enough. Employees should feel the meaning of the mission and values, they should exercise them passionately and positively. It is therefore not only important for companies to define such statements but spread such ideas among the employees. By focusing on literature review and empirical research, the paper illustrates and verifies the significance of written and communicated company missions and organizational values. The study is based on a sample of Slovenian companies. In the study, we confirm positive connections between the existence of company mission and organizational values and their communication within a company on one hand and some of the non-financial aspects of company performance on the other.
Introduction
The research confirms that company mission and organizational values influence company’s achievements and accomplishments of its employees. Accordingly, to Bart et al. (2001), only if employees feel the essence of a mission, they will be able to enforce and implement it with deep passion and determination. However, it is evident that just the existence of a written form of such statement may not be enough. Desmidt and Prinzie (2009) emphasize the importance of a written mission statement as a tool that may stimulate communication processes within a company, especially the information transfer and converging of relevant information. However, Whitbred (2004) points out that employees may develop different interpretations of the company mission and organizational values despite the existence of a written form such statements. For example, descriptions of those who are positioned higher in the organizational hierarchy usually have a much higher degree of overlap with actual company mission. It is therefore not only important to codify the company mission and organizational values or put them into a kind of a written form, but also the process of doing it as well as the process of communicating it. Internal communication processes in a company might have a fundamental role in this (Musek Lešnik & Arzenšek, 2008; Florjančič & Lesjak, 2010).