Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin (1895-1975) was a Russian philosopher, critic and scholar who wrote many influential works of literary theory and criticism. His works, dealing with a variety of subjects, have inspired groups of thinkers who have incorporated Bakhtinian ideas into theories of their own. These thoughts on language use are particularly interesting in Change Management and Conflict Management and include:

Vision and Mission statements are your guiding principles. They say what you intend to accomplish and create. They are principles you can measure your progress against.

• The vision statement is a high-level statement that encompasses your philosophy, goals and long-term position. It is your realistic, credible and attractive future. There is no more powerful engine driving you toward excellence and long-range success than an attractive, worthwhile, and achievable vision of the future.

• The mission statement is a more specific articulation of the vision, a statement of how the vision will be implemented day-to-day. It can be done in a narrative form, but a list is more specific.

Vision is the art of seeing that which is invisible, a picture of something that does not yet exist. Organisations and people need vision, they need to understand:

• where they are

• where they are going
• how they are going to get there