Relevance of mission statements in Flemish not-for-profit healthcare organizations

Abstract

The aims of the study were to determine: (1) which components managers of Flemish not-for-profit healthcare organizations chose to incorporate in their mission statement, (2) how satisfied managers of Flemish not-for-profit healthcare organizations are with the formulation of various mission statement components and (3) if the managers of Flemish not-for-profit healthcare organizations subscribe the presumed positive relationship between mission statements and organizational performance. To address these research questions, a questionnaire was send to a convenience sample of Flemish not-for-profit healthcare managers and to a control group. The results indicate that Flemish not-for-profit healthcare managers do discriminate and differentiate between mission statement components and that they are not equally satisfied with the articulation of every component. Furthermore, Flemish not-for-profit healthcare managers do support the assumption that a well-written mission statement can produce a host of benefits. The mission statement is considered as an energy source, a guide in decision-making and to influence the managers' behaviour. © 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.