Vision, Mission, Values
3
Strategic Layers
Vision, Mission, Values
14%
Of PHR Exam
Business Management weight
SWOT
The Tool
Internal-external scan
a triangle, not a stack of boxes
The Strategic Pyramid
Each layer answers a different question. The narrow tip is aspiration. The wide base is behavior. Cut the pyramid open and the layers stack like geology.
how to read this
- › The narrow tip is the longest time-horizon. Vision is small because almost nothing about today is decided up there.
- › The wide base is the rules of behavior. Values touch everyone every day, so the layer is fat.
- › When you remove a slice, the layers above slide down and lose meaning. Values without a mission is a vibes deck.
two axes, four quadrants, no confusion
SWOT, Quadrant by Quadrant
Inside vs outside is the column. Helpful vs harmful is the row. Every finding lands in exactly one cell — no exceptions.
Strengths
SOpportunities
OWeaknesses
WThreats
Tcousins, not synonyms
PESTLE — political, economic, social, tech, legal, environmental — scans the macro weather. Porter Five Forces scans the competitive arena. Both feed SWOT. Neither replaces it.
Exam Traps
SWOT mixes internal AND external
Strengths and weaknesses are internal. Opportunities and threats are external. The exam flips them on purpose.
Vision and mission are not interchangeable
Vision is future. Mission is present. Sample statements force you to identify which is which.
Values are not the same as culture
Values are stated. Culture is what actually happens day to day. The exam tests this gap.
PESTLE is environmental, not competitive
PESTLE scans the macro environment. Porter Five Forces scans the competitive landscape. Different tools, different jobs.
SWOT axis trap
Strengths and weaknesses live INSIDE. Opportunities and threats live OUTSIDE. Confusing them costs easy points.
V/M/V in one breath
Vision points to the horizon. Mission stands on todays ground. Values mark the guardrails.
The dot on the map you want to reach. Probably 5 years away. Maybe further. It is aspirational by design.
Your reason for being on the road right now. The make and model of how you operate this year.
The painted lines that keep you from drifting. They do not move whether the road bends or straightens.
Before you drive, look inside (engine = strengths, low fuel = weaknesses) and outside (sunny day = opportunities, storm ahead = threats).
A separate scan for macro forces — political, economic, social, tech, legal, environmental — that change the road conditions for everyone.
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