Being “on a mission” at work: How to make mission statements effective in the healthcare sector

Abstract

The identification of the mission in organizations is crucial, providing a purpose and giving transcendent meaning to each person’s work, among other benefits. But often mission statements are not carried out and have few practical results. This chapter aims to shed light on why it happens and how to make missions effective. We focus on the health sector and particularly on hospitals. We conclude that (i) a mission should be a real service—with a logical fit to truth and good—which generates value for its stakeholders; (ii) to kindle a “sense of mission” among the whole company, employees need to internalize the mission, aligning their values with those of the company; (iii) mission needs to be implemented in all organizational dimensions so that the purpose can translate into action, suggesting the need to use an operative tool (dynamic mission); and (iv) it is essential that motor mission (the personal motivation while connected to the accomplishment of the company’s formal and dynamic mission) becomes a true end goal of the company’s members. Finally, we discuss how “motor mission” is activated by transcendent motivation. This motivation goes well beyond contractual theory and becomes the key to make missions effective.