Creating Aspiration Statements: Why they matter and how to write inspiring statements to guide your Culture Change process

Why Create Aspiration Statements?

Each aspiration statement reflects a value or goal

related to the discovery of what already works best in a group or organization. Aspiration Statements represent the ultimate goal of the third, Dream phase of the Culture Change journey. It can be helpful to think of an Aspiration Statement as a guidepost or vision statement towards which the group can plan, gather feedback educate and effect change.

What makes a great Aspiration Statement?

A great aspiration statement describes a future that reflects and builds on areas identified in Discovery and Dream important to and valued by the organisation and its people.

When completed, Aspiration Statements serve as a guide for where the organization and its people will move in the future. Each Aspiration Statement reflects a value or goal related to the Discovery of what already works best in a group or organization.

When we create an aspiration statement , we turn traditional problem solving on its head. We challenge ourselves to dream big, to think outside the box and refuse to be limited by our current understandings of ‘how things are’ in creating a vision of the future.

—Lorna de Witt, PhD, Researcher, Huron County Culture Change Coalition