Vision and Values Survey for Mission Alignment

Measure Values with 360 Feedback

Mission, vision, and values statements provide the starting point for mission alignment profiles. The objective of these is to ensure that the stated values are actually being embraced and practiced by all levels of an organization and becoming part of the organization culture.

Two survey approaches can be used for mission alignment:

• Values-based 360 feedback for managers and executives is a good choice when you suspect that individual managers are blocking progress. Key issues of fairness, diversity, ethics, innovation, and other values-driven topics can be addressed. Vision and value statements in 360 feedback can determine the alignment between the stated value and the actual behaviors of employees.
• A general employee survey is a good choice for researching the extent to which employees can observe the mission, vision, and values in actual daily practice at all levels. Do they feel the stated values and vision are part of the company culture?

Either way, these 360 feedback questionnaires are structured around behaviors, which are observable and can be influenced by training.

A sample statement might be: "The management of this organization encourages innovative thinking."

These questionnaires are typically structured so that high scores reflect behavior consistent with the stated mission or values, and low scores reflect inconsistency. Group composites, showing how well groups of employees actually "live the values" are very useful springboards for training and executive discussion.