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Do we need a vision?

At indocisc shareholder meeting

[Picture of me during company's yearly meeting. Smiling. Does that mean we are doing okay? Yes, we are!]

One of the things that I do in my company is providing vision and direction. Even though we are a small start-up company, we have a yearly meeting. During this meeting I talk about our vision. In my opinion, company without direction is like a (star) ship without direction. Lost (in space?).

A few days ago, I was browsing books at Singapore's National Library when my eyes struck on Louis V. Gerstner's book "Who Says Elephant Can't Dance?" There is a sentence in the inside sleeve that bothers me:

"The last thing IBM needs right now is a vision"

Boom! What does it mean? Not having reading the book I do not understand what he means. (I wanted to read the book, but right now I already have more then a dozen books waiting to be read. In due time I will read it.)

The question is, "when do we need a vision and when do we don't?" Can somebody give me a pointer?

Comments

Anonymous said…
we need vision when we have to go forward...otherwise, we dont....hehehe

salam sesama pengguna mac!
2:45 PM
Anonymous said…
Menurut elmu "strategic management", vision organisasi untuk patokan bagi anggota bahwa sekian waktu nanti organisasi mau jadi apa sehingga nanti bisa diukur keberhasilannya. So, bisa jelas, puas.

Menurut elmu Emotional Quotien (EQ), lebih baik ngukur keberhasilan berdasar waktu dan proses yang bisa dijalani. So, tidak perlu frustrasi bila vision tak-tercapai.
8:35 AM
stwn said…
i've been reading that book for about one or two days ;-)

louis said: "great strategies are long on detail and short on vision". it means that we have to plan somethin doable/executable and believable.

people will always need a vision to live. it's like a destination on a journey.
4:38 PM
Anonymous said…
Maaf kalau OOT, tapi dengan segala kerendahan hati saya mohon agar Bapak sudi berkunjung ke http://www.diskusiweb.com/viewthread.php?tid=15350&page=1#pid86038

Kami butuh pendapat seorang ahli seperti Bapak.

Sekali lagi saya mohon maaf.
4:45 PM
Anonymous said…
"Vision - A powerful vision provides everyone in the organization with a shared mental framework that helps give form to the often abstract future that lies ahead. Effective visions provide a word picture of what the organization intends ultimately to become - which may be five, ten, or fifteen years in the future. This statement should not be abstract - it should contain as concrete a picture of the desired state as possible, and also provide the basis for formulating strategies and objectives."
http://www.balancedscorecard.biz/Glossary.html

Now you know the answer to your questions.
5:02 AM
Lilia said…
Vision? Ask Hermawan Kertajaya, he always discuss it and yes it is important.
4:45 PM
Anonymous said…
I think a very good book that explain how important a vision is for a company is Built to Last.

The book was written based on an extensive 6 years research in Stanford, and clearly describes what a vision might do for a company.
5:20 PM
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