Stragetic Positioning of Information Services in a Competitive Environment Feature Strategic Positioning of Information Services in a Competitive Environment by W. David Penniman Managers of information services must come to grips with four necessary elements for survival of their operations in today's harsh business environment. We have heard so much about missions and visions that I suspect many people are tired of them. But they are important and without clarity in both areas, we could be lost in the sea of tremendous changes occurring now and in the future.
Mission focuses on here and now.
It is a clear description of what you do, for whom, how and why. Vision, as I will describe later, is more about the future you hope to shape. Last summer I taught a course on management of information systems and services. The first third of the course was devoted to managing oneself, on the principle that without that skill, the students could not expect to manage others. And much of that segment of the course was devoted to helping the students develop their own personal mission statements.