The development and communication of a company’s mission, vision, and strategy are seen as important steps in defining the sustainable growth of any business.
Apple, Inc. needs to articulate its mission, vision, and strategy more clearly to define its priorities and methods. The organization does not have a specific statement available for customers or investors, which makes its mission and vision rather fragmented. That Hambrick and Fredrikson (2005) emphasize that executives need to articulate the strategy properly to ensure all employees’ clear understanding of the direction the company is heading.
Effective mission statements should shed light on the organization’s values regarding employees, society, methods to be used, and goals to be achieved (Camillus, 2008; Nwachukwu & Zufan, 2017). In simple terms, strategic statements need to include a clearly cut mission and vision that are based on particular values that are also placed to the fore (Spear, 2017; Whittington et al., 2020). Rey and Bastons (2018) state that companies’ mission statements should be dynamic, formal, and motivational.
The mission and vision statements of Apple, Inc. lack some of the components mentioned above. Apple, Inc. focuses on innovation, accountability, and practicality (Apple, 2021). It has been acknowledged that properly formulated mission statements help companies achieve organizational goals and safeguard their identity and competitive advantage (Alegre et al., 2018). Apple is not sufficiently straightforward regarding these areas, which can be a threat to its future development.
The company needs to formulate its mission and vision and make it available to the public in a formal way. Instead of using some cliches regarding innovation and accountability, the company should explain in simple terms what goals it has and how it plans to achieve them. Gardere, Sharir, and Maman (2018) state that after the clear statements made by Steve Jobs, the company seemed to lose its focus, so Tim Cook and his team needed to relay their vision and mission to the public.
It can be recommended that Apple, Inc. should revisit its goals and define its strategy and objectives clearly. Therefore, defining the central goal of innovation and the company’s uniqueness is pivotal for its future. The company should answer the major question: Why do people need Apple’s innovations? By addressing this question, the company will be able to develop its strategic statement aligned with its mission and vision.
Reference List
Alegre, I. et al. (2018) ‘The real mission of the mission statement: A systematic review of the literature’, Journal of Management & Organization, 24(4), pp. 456-473.
Apple. (2021) Apple at work. Web.
Camillus, J. C. (2008) ‘Strategy as a wicked problem’, Harvard Business Review, 99-106.
Gardere, J., Sharir, D. & Maman, Y. (2018) ‘Consulting and executive coaching on future trends: the need for a long term vision with Apple and Samsung’, International Journal of Business and Social Science, 9(3), pp. 1-7.
Hambrick, D. & Fredrikson, J. (2005) ‘Are you sure you have a strategy?’, Academy of Management Review Executive, 19(4), pp. 51-62.
Nwachukwu, C. & Zufan, P. (2017) ‘Influence of customer focused mission statement on customer satisfaction’, Acta Universitatis Agriculturae Et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, 65(3), pp. 1031-1038.
Rey, C. & Bastons, M. (2018) ‘Three dimensions of effective mission implementation’, Long Range Planning, 51(4), 580-585.
Spear, S. (2017) ‘Impression management activity in vision, mission, and values statements: a comparison of commercial and charitable organizations’, International Studies of Management & Organization, 47(2), 159-175.
Whittington, R. et al. (2020) Fundamentals of strategy. 5th edn. Harlow, England: Pearson.