The Real Mission of the Mission Statement: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Abstract

A mission statement is a widely used strategic tool that emphasises an organisation's uniqueness and identity. Nevertheless, it was not until the early 1980s that academics, managers, and consultants recognised the need of explicitly formulating a mission statement in organisations. This article proposes a systematic literature review to synthesise research in this field. For the purpose of this study, 53 academic papers focused on the role of the mission statement in organisations were reviewed. The analysis covers different perspectives, including both a bibliometric analysis and a content analysis. According to their content, the papers selected were grouped into four thematic areas: (1) mission statement development, (2) mission statement components, (3) impact on employees, and (4) impact on performance. The synthesis of this literature shows that mission statements are widely used in practice but poorly researched in theory. Most articles in the area adopt a managerial phenomenon-based strand, lacking a deep theoretical foundation. The paper ends with suggestions for further research in terms of theory, practice, and methodology.