Research And Discuss The Mission Statement Of General Motors (Essay Sample)

General Motors Mission Statement
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General Motors Mission Statement
Most employees in an organization often have the problem of agreeing on a common goal. For the employees within an organization to remain focused on the objectives of an organization, most companies design a mission statement. A mission statement is aimed at empowering employees so that they can be able to make better decisions to boost the productivity of an organization (Daft, 2005). A mission statement is, therefore, a fundamental requirement in any business venture. However, for a mission statement to be effective in an organization, the customers of an organization must be able to comprehend what the statement says. There are those organizations that have mission statements which project self-importance or which indicate a company’s market dominance. Such statements do not help a company to achieve its objective (Bryan, 2009).
A large number of companies exist that have poor mission statements, such as General Motors (GM) Motor Company. The company has not been able to achieve good results because of its weak mission statement. The mission statement of the company is "GM is a multinational corporation engaged in socially responsible operations, worldwide. It is dedicated to providing products and services of such quality that our customers will receive superior value while our employees and business partners will share in our success and our stakeholders will receive a sustained superior return on their investment" (Bryan, 2009).
This mission statement is poorly structured. A mission statement should be able to tell the world what the role of an organization in the world is. However, for GM’s mission statement, it is not possible to comprehend the activities that the company undertakes. A company should not try to attract the attention of the public with its mission statement. However, it can be seen that GM’s mission statement is designed in a manner that draws the attention of people while not necessarily telling the public the value that it can provide to them (Hipp, 2007). The customers of the company, therefore, do not find any meaning in the mission statement of the company. A company should never try to glorify itself with its mission statement. Instead, a company should design a mission statement that tells the public the key objectives that it hopes to attain. Since the market today is full of companies that produce similar products, it is crucial for GM to design a mission statement that reminds the public of the activities that it engages in (Company Statements & Slogans, n.d).
GM’s mission statement does not offer any explanations about any products that it produces. Therefore, the mission statement of the company needs to be revised. Since the mission statement fails to mention the activities of the company, GM should rephrase it by specifying the type of services it offers. Also, the mission statement is too long and does not provide a person with the relevant informati...