4.1
Af Jens Holmgren og Christina Nüssler, forfattere og rådgivere, opdateret juni 2024.
The concept of strategy never appears alone. It is presented in conjunction with related concepts such as, for example, vision and mission, focus areas, and action plans. Here is our take on these terms.
We distinguish between the terms mission and vision. It is worth noting that the mission is typically more robust over time, as the term is associated with the organization’s core purpose and fundamental justification for existence, whereas the vision for an organization tends to change more frequently. The vision can be seen as a guiding ambition for what the organization wishes to achieve and how it wishes to be perceived.
For example, the vision may change in connection with a new strategic period or – in the public sector – with a new political period accompanied by a new city council and new political visions. Thus, the vision expresses a “future” desirable state – or an expected future outcome – created by the organization, while the mission is more connected with the organization’s fundamental reason for “being.”
When the mission therefore answers “why” and the vision answers “where to,” the broader strategy answers “how” – how do we fulfill our expectations for the future, and how do we move in the right direction?
This text on mission and vision is from the book Strategic Leadership for Public Leaders published by Samfundslitteratur in 2020. The authors, Jens Holmgren and Christina Nüssler, have both worked as consultants at CfL. Jens Holmgren is a section manager and lecturer at the Department of Economics and Management at Aalborg University, holding a cand.oecon and a Ph.D. in strategic leadership. Christina Nüssler is a chief consultant at COK, the Center for Public Competence Development, and holds an M.Sc. in strategy and leadership.
This text on mission and vision is from the book Strategic Leadership for Public Sector Managers, published by Samfundslitteratur in 2020. The authors, Jens Holmgren and Christina Nüssler, have both worked as advisors at CfL. Jens Holmgren is Head of Section and Associate Professor at the Department of Business and Management at Aalborg University, holds a Master’s degree in Economics and a PhD in Strategic Management. Christina Nüssler is a Senior Consultant at COK, the Center for Public Competence Development, and holds a Master’s degree in Strategy and Management.
The strategic focus areas are also called strategic initiatives, and they seek to answer the question:
What are the most important areas for the organization to focus on, invest time and resources in, and give managerial attention to – in order to move toward the vision and achieve the strategy?
A newer and popular term for strategic focus areas is “must-win battles,” which harkens back to military strategies, and has recently re-entered the strategic vocabulary with the publication of the book Must-Win Battles (Killing et al., 2011).
A must-win battle is one of the most important battles that an organization must unconditionally win to achieve its overall objectives. An organization can only have a limited number of simultaneous must-win battles so that the management has sufficient resources to focus on them.
On a very concrete level, we encounter the term action plans, which is the element in strategic work that comes closest to converting the strategy into activities and behavior. A good action plan helps the organization by specifying goals, activities, timeframes, and responsibilities, so that the participating leaders, employees, and any key persons understand the expectations, have the mandate to act, and can follow up on the fulfillment of the strategy.
This is how CfL works with strategy – from purpose through analysis to execution.
In our book, we repeatedly use the term strategy work as a common concept for the activities that take place in and around strategy. With the above considerations in mind, we define strategy work as follows:
A process that, based on external and internal analyses, defines or relates to the organization’s mission, vision, and long-term goals, and prioritizes key focus areas for achieving them.
It also includes the development of action plans and processes aimed at translating the strategy into daily operations, day-to-day priorities, and everyday practice — all while taking into account key aspects of the surrounding society, as well as internal factors related to structure, culture, and resources.
This definition of the elements of strategy work implies that working with strategy involves both an “outer” and an “inner” side in relation to the public organization in question and the actors involved in the strategic process.
Strategy work always takes place in a context, and on the outside, it is essential to consider the surrounding society, political climate, technological opportunities, and key agendas. At the same time, the strategy must succeed on the inside — within a given structure, culture, and resource/competence situation from which the strategy is launched.