Mission
•Message
•The German
concept of mission can be thought of as a contract, hence an agreement,
between superior and subordinate. The subordinate agrees to make his
actions serve his superior’s intent in terms of what is to be
accomplished, while the superior agrees to give
his subordinate wide freedom to exercise his imagination
and initiative in terms of how intent is to be realized.
•As part of
this concept, the subordinate is given the right to challenge or question
the feasibility of mission if he feels his superior’s ideas on what can be achieved
are not in accord with the existing situation or if he feels his superior has not
given him adequate resources to carry it out. Likewise, the superior has every
right to expect his subordinate to carry-out the mission contract when agreement
is reached on what can be achieved consistent with the existing situation
and resources provided.
•
•Limitation
•While this
concept of mission gives form and expression to what is expected between an
individual superior and subordinate, it does not suggest ways to coordinate
or harmonize activities among many superiors and subordinates as a collective
group.
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