ABSTRACT
No self-respecting organisation these days is complete without its vision statement, although writing a statement and having a sense of vision for the whole enterprise are not always the same thing. An organisation can have a clear sense of purpose, communicated to all, without a written vision statement: it is also possible to have a vision statement that is full of good words but does not derive from any clarity of purpose or direction. In fact it is very difficult to judge a vision statement from what is put on paper: whether noble words are motivating truths or empty platitudes depends more on what the organisation does than what it says.
