How to engage employees with a corporate vision

Visioning as a strategic discipline

A successful visioning strategy involves developing a picture of a desirable future state and then taking steps to define the path that will take the company to that desired state. Leaders can develop the vision using a ‘look forward then reason back’ approach, a ‘take stock and imagine possibilities’ approach (known as effectuation), or a combination of both.

The first part of visioning is the ability to imagine potential futures that are ambitious and achievable. Many corporations excel at this aspect of it, but truly effective visioning does not stop there. The critical second part of the process requires mobilizing the organization to realize the future successes that the business has identified.

The discipline of visioning is about building bridges between potential futures and current realities. It is not enough to envision an ideal future; in addition, leaders must communicate and energize people around the vision. This demands the skill of ‘powerful simplification’ – the capacity to articulate the vision (and the strategies that will achieve it) clearly and compellingly.

Any good vision defines a future that is meaningful and attractive. For business leaders, the vision provides a compelling mental picture of how the organization will look and feel when the strategy is fully realized. To ensure that all activities related to reaching this ideal future are directed effectively, the vision should answer the question: Given what this organization has committed to do (the mission), its priorities (the core objectives), and how it expects to move forwards (the strategy), what will it look like and how will people act when its vision is fulfilled?

Driving engagement

While a powerful purpose without a vision can leave an organization without a clear destination, a shared corporate vision can align behavior, pull employees towards a desirable future, and reduce anxiety about the challenges ahead. A compelling vision generates directed passion. However good the firm’s strategy may be, if people do not understand why action is necessary – and how to achieve it – that strategy is useless. Visioning provides a clear picture of the ‘why’ and the ‘where,’ through communication that distills, informs, and inspires.

Done well, a vision organizes and motivates employees to pursue a common goal. Visionary leaders provide inspiring aims that help organizations overcome self-interest and factionalism.

In business, visionary leaders energize their organizations. A compelling vision helps employees understand how their work contributes to the enterprise’s success and furthers its mission and purpose.

A significant benefit of a strong vision is its capacity to drive engagement by aligning with employees’ personal values. A study of more than 50,000 employees showed that staff who see their company’s vision as meaningful have engagement levels 18 percentage points above average.

Research shows that employees are willing to sacrifice future earnings for work they feel is meaningful. In turn, these employees are also 69% less likely to quit, potentially saving organizations vast sums in turnover costs.

Another benefit of visioning is that it supports business leaders in building alliances, by enabling the formation of personal relationships and networks that lay the foundations for individual, team, and organizational success.