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196 • Part III Principles from the Values and Social Dimensions

the product. It is unlikely that the company will be a cost leader at the
same time. Having a strong operational excellence strategy means a
high level of standardization. This in many cases conflicts with the
understanding of the specific needs of customers, which would lead to
processes aimed at a wide variety of specific customer demands,
increasing the cost. There are ways to bridge these strategic opposites,
but if a company succeeds in doing so, the mission statement should
point out that unique position. “The soul of Dell” does a good job of
explaining that strategic synthesis. Dell, the computer company, con-
nects direct relationships with customers to its model of operational
excellence, where customers have a superior customer experience put-
ting together their own computers.
The Avaya mission statement, mentioned earlier in the chapter, has
clarity. It says it provides the world’s best communications solutions that
enable businesses to excel. Avaya has a clear focus on quality. Let’s look
at another example: the vision statement of the logistics company Nor-
folk Southern. Its aim is to be the safest, most customer-focused, and
successful transportation company in the world. It not only focuses on
the customer, but particularly on safety. It gives clear guidance on
where to invest, not on squeezing cost of service, but on maximizing
safety and customer focus.

A Mission Statement Should Be Defined in
Broad Terms
The mission statement needs to be specific on how it adds value to its
stakeholders, but it can’t be too specific, as strategies come and go over
time, and products and services change as well. It is best if the mission
statement is formulated in terms of what the stakeholders achieve with
the products and services of the company, instead of what the company
offers. For instance, Nokia doesn’t speak about telecommunications; it
talks about “connecting people.” Its newly released navigation systems,
for instance, fit perfectly within that mission statement. Google, the com-
pany behind the search engine, states that its mission is to organize the
world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. That
mission goes way beyond the main product of Google (the search
engine) and allows Google to find many alternative ways of contributing