Aligning Organizational Processes with Mission: The Case of Service Excellence

• Published in: Academy of Management perspectives 2005-08, Vol.19 (3), p.54-68
• Main Authors: Crotts, John C., Dickson, Dundan R., Ford, Robert C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Auditing; Auditing policies; Auditing procedures; Audits; Business studies; Corporate management; Corporate strategies; Customer service; Employees; Environmental policy; Externalities; Financial audits; Human resources; Management audits; Mission statements; New employees; Organization development; Organization theory; Organizational behavior; Studies
• ISSN: 1079-5545; 1558-9080; 1943-4529
• DOI: 10.5465/AME.2005.18733215

It has become increasingly clear in the research literature that successful organizations have found ways to ensure that their organizational missions are aligned both in terms of fit with the external environment and with all factors internal to the organization. The challenge is that accomplishing this fit is easier said than done. Too often there is a gap between what the organization says it seeks to do and what its employees actually do. The purpose of this paper is to offer managers a method by which they can create and conduct an audit of the gaps in the alignment of their organizational practices, policies, and procedures with their mission. The value of conducting such an audit is to create a diagnostic device to identify and close the gaps in an effort to secure better alignment with the mission. The authors use the mission of service excellence to illustrate the logic and process of developing such an audit, as this is one of the more challenging aspects of any organization and especially a service organization's mission. If what gets measured gets managed, then conducting such an audit can serve as an important tool for ensuring that the internal actions of the organization are being effectively managed to achieve the mission.