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. 

What are the Elements of the Ashridge Mission Model? 

It contains the following four elements which should be linked tightly together, resonating and reinforcing each other to create a strong Mission:

• 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.

How to Employe 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?