Field Notes #4: Is Mission Dissonance Harming Your Team?

The Situation

We were working with a team whose mission was easy to believe in. They did important work in the community, people cared deeply about the people they served, and there was a real sense of pride in the work. On paper, the organization had a lot going for it.

But when we started talking about what it was actually like to work there, a different picture emerged. People didn't always feel comfortable speaking up, communication was inconsistent, and some employees felt they had to be careful about what they said and to whom. There was frustration that wasn't being talked about openly.

What struck us was that people weren't disengaged from the mission. They were deeply committed to it. In some ways, that commitment made it easier to overlook what was happening internally. People were willing to put up with a lot because the work mattered.

Mission Dissonance

This is what we mean by mission dissonance: the gap between what an organization says it values and what people actually experience inside the organization. An organization can have a mission centered on health, equity, community, or well-being while employees experience something very different at work. We can talk about equity while some voices are consistently overlooked, or talk about well-being while burnout is treated as part of the job.

The fact that the work is important doesn't make that disconnect less significant. How people experience their workplace affects whether they speak up, trust their leaders, collaborate well, and ultimately whether they can do their best work.

The mission isn't only what we do for the community. It's also how we work together to do it.

Your Turn...

Jamesa and I work with organizations to look at the gap between what they say they value and what people actually experience. As you reflect, consider: What does your organization say it values, and what do employees actually experience on a typical Tuesday? Where do those things line up, and where might there be a gap?

And perhaps the harder question: If your employees never saw your mission statement, what would they say your organization actually stands for?

Field Notes is a series of leadership dilemmas drawn from real organizational life. Names and identifying details have been changed. The aim is to help us all lead with more humanity.