Building on empirical, theoretical, and normative literatures, we develop an integrated discussion of organizational vision, including a range of factors, from the reasons for visioning to the impacts of vision on individuals, groups, and organizations. The goal is to help integrate the field and to provide direction for both future research and leadership practice. Building on prior reviews, we update the literature and contrast group visioning processes with leader-driven vision development. The article offers a comprehensive look at vision development, implementation, and the impact of visioning and suggests a number of propositions for future research.
Ackoff, R.L. ( 1993). Idealized design: Creative corporate visioning. OMEGA: International Journal of Management Science, 21, 401-410.
2.
Allison, M., & Kaye, J. ( 2005). Strategic planning for nonprofit organizations: A practical guide and workbook. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
3.
Antonakis, J., & Hooijberg, R. ( 2007). Cascading vision for real commitment. In R. Hooijberg, J. G. Hunt , J. Antonakis, K. B. Boal, & N. Lane (Eds.), Being there even when you are not: Leading through strategy, structures, and systems (Monographs in Management; Vol. 4, pp. 231-244). Oxford, UK: Elsevier.
4.
Ary, B. ( 2001). The growth of the nonprofit sector in the Netherlands . Nonprofit & Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 30, 221-246.
5.
Awamleh, R., & Gardner, W.L. ( 1999). Perceptions of leader charisma and effectiveness: The effects of vision content, delivery, and organizational performance. Leadership Quarterly, 10, 345-373.
6.
Barge, K.J. ( 1994). Leadership: Communication skills for organizations and groups. New York, NY: St. Martin Press.
7.
Bartlett, C., & Ghoshal, S. ( 1995). Changing the role of top management: Beyond structure to processes. Harvard Business Review, 73(1), 86-96.
8.
Baum, J.R., & Locke, E.A. ( 2004). The relationship of entrepreneurial traits, skill, and motivation to subsequent venture growth. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89, 587-598.
9.
Baum, J.R., Locke, E.A., & Kirkpatrick, S.A. (1998). A longitudinal study of the relation of vision and vision communication to venture growth in entrepreneurial firms. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83, 43-54.
10.
Bennis, W., & Nanus, B. ( 1985). Leaders: The strategies for taking charge. New York, NY: Harper & Row.
11.
Berson, Y., Shamir, B., Avolio, B.J., & Popper, M. ( 2001). The relationship between vision strength, leadership style, and context. Leadership Quarterly, 12, 53-74.
12.
Boal, K.B., & Hooijberg, R. ( 2001). Strategic leadership research: Moving on. Leadership Quarterly, 11, 515-549.
13.
Bolman, L.G., & Deal, T.E. ( 1991). Leadership and management effectiveness: A multi-frame, multi-sector analysis. Human Resource Management, 30, 509-534.
14.
Bolman, L.G., & Deal, T.E. ( 2008). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice and leadership . (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA : Jossey-Bass.
15.
Bryson, J.M. ( 2004). Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations: A guide to strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
16.
Bryson, J.M., & Anderson, S.B. (2000). Applying large-group interaction methods in the planning and implementation of major change efforts. Public Administration Review, 60, 143-162.
17.
Bunker, B.B., & Alban, B.T. ( 1997). Large group interventions: Engaging the whole system for rapid change. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
18.
Bunker, B.B., & Alban, B.T. ( 2006a). The handbook of large group methods: Creating systemic change in organizations and communities. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
19.
Bunker, B.B., & Alban, B.T. ( 2006b). Large group methods: Developments and trends. In B. B. Jones & M. Brazel (Eds.), The NTL handbook of organization development and change: Principles, practices, and perspectives (pp. 287-301). San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
20.
Cole, M.S., Harris, S.G., & Bernerth, J.B. (2006). Exploring the implications of vision, appropriateness and execution of organizational change. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 27, 353-367.
21.
Collins, J. ( 2006). Aligning with vision and values. Leadership Excellence, 23(4), 6.
22.
Conger, J.A. ( 1991). Inspiring others: The language of leadership. Academy of Management Executive, 5(1), 31-45.
23.
Conger, J.A., & Benjamin, B. ( 1999). Building leaders: How successful companies develop the next generation. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
24.
Densten, I.L. ( 2002). Clarifying the relationship between inspirational motivation and extra effort. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 22, 40-44.
25.
Densten, I.L. ( 2005). The relationship between visioning behaviours of leaders and follower burnout. British Journal of Management, 16, 105-118.
26.
Dionne, S.D., Yammarino, F.J., Atwater, L.E., & Spangler, W.D. (2004). Transformational leadership and team performance. Journal of Organizational Change Management , 17, 177-193.
27.
Dvir, T., Kass, N., & Shamir, B. ( 2004). The emotional bond: Vision and organizational commitment among high-tech employees. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 17, 126-143.
28.
Farmer, B.A., Slater, J.W., & Wright, K.S. ( 1998). The role of communication in achieving shared vision under new organizational leadership. Journal of Public Relations Research, 10, 219-235.
29.
Frese, M., Beimel, S., & Schoenborn, S. (2003). Action training for charismatic leadership: Two evaluations of studies of a commercial training module on inspirational communication of a vision. Personnel Psychology , 56, 671-697.
30.
Gioia, D.A., & Chittipeddi, K. (1991). Sensemaking and sensegiving in strategic change initiation. Strategic Management Journal , 12, 433-448.
31.
Hackman, J.R. ( 1987). The design of work teams. In J. W. Lorsch (Ed.), Handbook of organizational behavior (pp. 315-342). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
32.
Hill, C.W.L., & Jones, G.R. ( 2010). Strategic management: An integrated approach (9th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.
33.
Hill, R.C., & Levenhagen, M. (1995). Metaphors and mental models: Sensemaking and sensegiving in innovative and entrepreneurial activities. Journal of Management, 21, 1057-1074.
34.
Jick, T.D. ( 2001). Vision is 10 per cent, implementation is the rest. Business Strategy Review, 12(4), 36-38.
35.
Kantabutra, S. ( 2003). An empirical examination of relationships between customer and staff satisfaction in retail apparel stores in Sydney, Australia (Unpublished doctoral dissertation), Macquarie Graduate School of Management , Macquarie University, Sydney , Australia.
36.
Kantabutra, S. ( 2008a). Vision effects in Thai retail stores: Practical implications . International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management , 36, 323-342.
37.
Kantabutra, S. ( 2008b). Negative vision effect in Thai retail stores. Singapore Management Review, 32(1), 1-27.
38.
Kantabutra, S. ( 2009). Toward a behavioral theory of vision in organizational settings. Leadership & Organization Development Journal , 30, 319-337.
39.
Kantabutra, S., & Avery, G.C. ( 2007). Vision effects in customer and staff satisfaction: An empirical investigation. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 28, 209-229.
40.
Kantabutra, S., & Avery, G.C. ( 2009). Shared vision in customer and staff satisfaction: Relationships and their consequences. Journal of Applied Business Research , 25(4), 9-21.
41.
Kantabutra, S., & Avery, G.C. ( 2010). The power of vision: Statements that resonate. Journal of Business Strategy, 31(1), 37-45.
42.
Kantabutra, S.K., & Vimolratana, P. (2009). Vision-based leadership: Relationships and consequences in Thai and Australian retail stores. Asian-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, 1, 165-168.
43.
Katzenbach, J.R., & Smith, D.K. ( 1993). The wisdom of teams: Creating the high-performance organization . Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
44.
Kirkpatrick, S.A., & Locke, E.A. ( 1996). Direct and indirect effects of three core charismatic leadership components on performance and attitudes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 81, 36-51.
45.
Kotter, J. ( 1982). The general managers. New York, NY : The Free Press.
46.
Kotter, J. ( 1996). Leading change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
47.
Kouzes, J.M., & Posner, B.Z. ( 1987). The leadership challenge: How to get extraordinary things done in organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
48.
Landau, D., Drori, I., & Porras, J. ( 2006). Vision change in a governmental R&D organization: The pioneering legacy as an enduring element. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 42, 145-171.
49.
Larwood, L., & Falbe, C.M. ( 1995). Structure and meaning of organizational vision. Academy of Management Journal, 38, 740-769.
50.
Larwood, L., Kriger, M.P., & Falbe, C.M. ( 1993). Organizational vision: An investigation of the vision construct-in-use of AACSB business school deans. Group & Organization Management, 18, 214-236.
51.
Larwood, L., Falbe, C.M., Kriger, M.P., & Miesing, P. ( 1995). Academy of Management Journal, 38(3), 740-769.
52.
Lewin, K. ( 1936). Principles of topological psychology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
53.
Locke, E.A., Latham, G.P., & Erez, M. ( 1988). The determinants of goal commitment. Academy of Management Review, 13, 23-39.
54.
Lowe, K.B., Kroeck, K.G., & Sivasubramaniam, N. (1996). Effectiveness correlates of transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analytic review of the MLQ literature. Leadership Quarterly, 7, 385-425.
55.
Meyer, J.W., & Rowan, B. ( 1977). Institutional organizations: Formal structure as myth and ceremony. American Journal of Sociology, 83, 340-363.
56.
Mintzberg, H., Ahlstrand, B.W., & Lampel, J. ( 1998). Strategy safari: A guided tour through the wilds of strategic management. New York, NY: Free Press .
57.
Munroe, M. ( 2002). The principles and power of vision: Keys to achieving personal and corporate destiny. New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House.
58.
Nanus, B. ( 1992). Visionary leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
59.
Nanus, B., & Dobbs, S.M. ( 1999). Leaders who make a difference: Essential strategies for meeting the non-profit challenge. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
O’Brien, F., & Meadows, M. ( 2000). Corporate visioning: A survey of UK practice. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 51, 36-44.
62.
O’Brien, F., & Meadows, M. ( 2003). Exploring the current practice of visioning: Case studies from the UK financial services sector. Management Decision , 41, 488-497.
63.
Oswald, S., Stanwick, P., & LaTour, M. (1997). The effect of vision, strategic planning, and cultural relationships on organizational performance: A structural approach. International Journal of Management, 14, 521-529.
64.
Peel, D., & Lloyd, G. ( 2005). City-visions: Visioning and delivering Scotland’s economic future. Local Economy, 20, 40-52.
65.
Rafferty, A.E., & Griffin, M.A. ( 2004). Dimensions of transformational leadership: Conceptual and empirical evidence. Leadership Quarterly, 15, 329-354.
66.
Ready, D., & Conger, J. ( 2008). Enabling bold visions. Sloan Management Review, 49(2), 70-76.
67.
Senge, P.M. ( 1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. New York, NY: Doubleday .
68.
Shamir, B. ( 2007). Strategic leadership as management of meanings. In R. Hooijberg, J. G. Hunt, J. Antonakis, K. B. Boal, & N. Lane (Eds.), Being there even when you are not: Leading through strategy, structures, and systems (Monographs in Leadership and Management; Vol. 4, pp. 105-125). Oxford, UK: Elsevier.
69.
Siegel, A.L., & Ruh, R.A. ( 1973). Job involvement, participation in decision making, personal background and job behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 9, 318-327.
70.
Smircich, L., & Morgan, G. ( 1982). Leadership: The management of meaning. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 18, 257-273.
71.
Sosik, J.J., Kahai, S.S., & Avolio, B.J. ( 1999). Leadership style, anonymity, and creativity in group decision support systems: The mediating role of optimal flow. Journal of Creative Behavior, 32, 227-256.
72.
Strange, J., & Mumford, M. ( 2002). The origins of vision: Charismatic versus ideological leadership. Leadership Quarterly, 13, 343-377.
73.
Strange, J., & Mumford, M. ( 2005). The origins of vision: Effects of reflection, models and analysis. Leadership Quarterly, 16, 121-148.
74.
Testa, M. ( 1999). Satisfaction with organizational vision, job satisfaction and service efforts: An empirical investigation. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 20, 154-161.
75.
Thoms, P., & Greenberger, D.B. (1998). A test of vision training and potential antecedents to leaders’ visioning ability. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 9(1), 3-19.
76.
Tichy, N.M., & Devanna, M.A. ( 1986). The transformational leader. New York, NY: Wiley.
77.
van der Helm, R. ( 2009). The vision phenomenon: Towards a theoretical underpinning of vision of the future and the process of envisioning. Futures , 41, 96-104.
78.
Vanyperen, N.W., Berg, A.E.V. D., & Willering, M.C. (1999). Towards a better understanding of the link between participation in decision-making and organizational citizenship behaviour: A multilevel analysis. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 72, 377-392.
79.
Weick, K. ( 1995). Sensemaking in organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
80.
Weisbord, M. R. (Ed.). (1992). Discovering common ground: How Future Search conferences bring people together to achieve breakthrough innovation, empowerment, shared vision, and collaborative action. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler .
81.
Zaccaro, S.J., & Banks, D. ( 2001). Leadership, vision, and organizational effectiveness . In S. J. Zaccaro & R. J. Klimoski (Eds.), The nature of organizational leadership: Understanding the performance imperatives confronting today’s leaders (pp. 181-218). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
82.
Zaccaro, S.J., & Banks, D. ( 2004). Leader visioning and adaptability: Bridging the gap between research and practice on developing the ability to manage change. Human Resource Management, 43, 367-380.
