It involves intuition and creativity. The outcome of strategic thinking is an integrated perspective of the enterprise . . . The mission statement defines the organization's purpose, its raison d'etre, and the general means to realize that purpose. Managers liked mission statements because they make a difference in whether a company succeeds or fails. Taken together, an organization's guiding values or principles create an overall operating philosophy and ethical framework to facilitate professional decision making.
Values form the bedrock of an organization's culture.
Constituents must be able to enumerate the values and have common interpretations of how values will be put into practice. They must know how values influence their own jobs and how they directly contribute to organizational success. The vision of the organization is a simply defined, compelling ideal state that the leadership team foresees for the organization. Nothing should be done in an organization that is not compatible with the vision. Strategic planning builds on anticipated future trends, data, and competitive assumptions.