Ashridge Mission Model - Explained
What is the Ashridge Mission Model?
Written by Jason Gordon
Updated at October 5th, 2022
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What is the Ashridge Mission Model?
The Ashridge Mission Model, proposed by Andrew Campbell, is a method that can be used to create or analyze a Mission, Sense of Mission, and Mission Statement.
It contains the following four elements which should be linked tightly together, resonating and reinforcing each other to create a strong Mission:
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Purpose. Three categories:
- shareholders
- stakeholders
- higher ideals
- Strategy. The commercial logic for the company. Strategy links purpose to behavior in a commercial, rational, left-brain way.
- Values. The beliefs and moral principles that lie behind a company's culture. A Sense of Mission occurs when employees find their personal values aligned with the organizational values. Values give meaning to the norms and behavioral standards in the company.
- Policies and Behavioral Standards. Guidelines to help people to decide what to do on a day-to-day basis.
Steps in the Ashridge Mission Model?
The following questions are useful in assessing the company mission.
Purpose
- Does the statement describe an inspiring purpose that avoids playing to the selfish interests of the stakeholders - shareholders, customers, employees, suppliers?
- Does the statement describe the company's responsibility to its stakeholders?
Strategy
- Does the statement define a business domain and explain why it is attractive?
- Does the statement describe the strategic positioning that the company prefers in a way that helps to identify the sort of competitive advantage it will look for?
Values
- Does the statement identify values that link with the organization's purpose and act as beliefs that employees can feel proud of?
- Do the values 'resonate' with and reinforce the organization's strategy?
Behavioral Standards
- Does the statement describe important behavioral standards that serve as beacons of the strategy and the values?
- Are the behavioral standards described in such a way that individual employees can judge whether they have behaved correctly or not?
Character
- Does the statement give a portrait of the company and does it capture the culture of the organization?
- Is the statement easy to read?