Managing Service Delivery
Managing Service DeliveryVISION
In the literature concerning leadership, vision has a variety of definitions,
all of which include a mental image or picture, a future orientation, and
aspects of direction or goal.
Vision provides guidance to an organisation by articulating what it wishes to attain. It serves as "a signpost pointing the way for all who need to understand what the organisation is and where it intends to go" (Nanus, 1992). By providing a picture, vision not only describes an organisation�s direction or goal, but also the means of accomplishing it. It guides the work of the organisation. Seeley (1992) describes vision as a "goal-oriented mental construct that guides people's behaviour." Vision is a picture of the future for which people are willing to work.
However, vision is more than an image of the future. It has a compelling aspect that serves to inspire, motivate, and engage people. Vision has been described by Manasse (1986) as "the force which moulds meaning for the people of an organisation." It is a force that provides meaning and purpose to the work of an organisation. Vision is a compelling picture of the future that inspires commitment. It answers the questions: Who is involved? What do they plan to accomplish? Why are they doing this? Vision therefore does more than provide a picture of a desired future; it encourages people to work, to strive for its attainment. For public sector leaders who implement change in the product or service they deliver, vision is "a hunger to see improvement" (Pejza, 1985).
As important as it is to know what vision is, it is also important to know what vision is not. Nanus (1992) states that vision is not "a prophecy, a mission, factual, true or false, static, or a constraint on actions." Fullan (1992) warns against visions that blind and states that there is a tendency for "overattachment to particular philosophies or innovations."
To assist leaders in developing an appropriate vision, Nanus (1992) maintains
that the "right vision" has five characteristics:
? attracts commitment and energises people,
? creates meaning in workers' lives,
? establishes a standard of excellence,
? bridges the present to the future, and
? transcends the status quo.
Other descriptions of vision provide more explicit information especially pertinent to public sector leaders. Seeley (1992) defines two types of vision, both related to Cuban's (1988) concepts of first and second order changes. Using the construct of first order changes, those that deal with improvements, Seeley asserts that these changes are connected to first order vision or program vision. An example of a change requiring program vision is an agency's adoption of a new program.
Second order changes are those that require restructuring or a reconceptualisation of an organisation�s roles, rules, relationships, and responsibilities. Seeley (1992) asserts that such second order changes require system vision. "The leader has to visualise not just how a new program or practice would...
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