A few days ago I did a workshop for a staff group at one of our colleges. We were talking about change and David Rock’s SCARF model. (Todd wrote about that model in a past blog post.)
We had a good conversation about how change can be a threat to the human need for certainty, and that a strong organizational mission can help mitigate the threat of changes at work. When we all agree on the mission, we know that it will remain constant no matter what else changes. For example, one of the participants had previously worked at the University of Minnesota. Her unit was facing a lot of change, but staff knew that the changes would always support the mission of teaching, research, and outreach.
Our new Minnesota State logo includes the phrase “Extraordinary Education. Exceptional Value.” This summarizes the mission that many of us have been supporting for a long time. As we are looking at numerous changes over the next few years, we know that mission will remain constant. Here’s the full “Brand Promise” mission statement from the new branding manual:
Minnesota State is a system of collegesand universities united to provide anextraordinary education that is affordable,accessible, enhances quality of life, and ensuresprosperous communities.
