Every organization has a past, present, and (hopefully) a future. At Scecon, we want to understand the purpose(s) of an organization's “reason for being”; these are the why questions that help us to comprehend their past. When were they established as an organization? What was the chief reason for their founding? Who did they serve? This is (was) their vision.
Over time, an organization's vision and/or mission may change, or it may not. Either way, it's important to know where they are today, the present. We ask a lot of questions that tell us how they operate how they get things done and how these things affect the organization's performance. How has this changed over the years? Who do they serve today? How well are they serving them? This is the organization's mission.
Finally, we ask a lot of questions that help us understand “where” they want to go. How will they look? How will it affect their people and their customers? How will they quantify and qualify the results? When will they see significant change? This is their future.
This understanding of past, present and future; of vision and mission, provides the basis for what their messaging should include at the base level. Their culture and the culture of their customers will define what the message looks like and how it's delivered (see Culture Grid and Customer Snapshot).
