[Robotgroup] Mission statement (a request and an example)

[Alberto Alonso]

Commitment is not a bad word. It is a must and a requirement
for being a member of a non-mandatory organization.

Let's look at the ... "make a better world". If you don't
agree that making a better world is important and that
the only goal in life is personal gain, then you are not
commited to the mission statement. Commitment does not
imply an indication of how many hours you'll give to the
group, not even what activities you'll be a part of. It
is a commitment to the values and implications of the
mission statement.

A good example. It is important for me to do both: receive
and share knowledge. So, if I don't want to listen to anything
anybody else has to tell me I would not be following my
personal mission statement. The same applies to sharing,
if I refuse to answer all questions someone asks then I
wouldn't be sharing any knowledge. Of course bear in mind
that the above does not imply that all information is
welcome nor shared (ie. spam and private information is nor
welcomed nor forwarded).

I know that mission statements may tend to be on the
abstract side without giving specifics. It is essential
to keep it that way. It is what allows flexibility to
the individual. In a decent size organization not everyone
is going to agree on how something needs to be accomplished.
That's OK. As far as the common values and intent of the
mission statement are not violated it is good to disagree.
Of course at the end, not all ideas can be accomplished and
some ideas will be better or just more feasable.

So far I can only see a recurrence of 2 keys that are
important to everyone in the current group:

* art
* technology

The simplest case encompassing them that I can think of
is:

To form a community where art and technology are commonly
merged.

(merged/fused/bridged all good words in this case)

See how open it is, yet how it applies to the current
group? It doesn't forbid members/associates from focusing
on pure technology nor on pure art. However, somewhere
it the group there should (note: not must by all) be an
interest of mixing some of the things that are coming from
those two fields and merging them into one.

Of course, if consistently nothing is done, then the group
won't evolve or be successful. That's where the "how" becomes
important. But at this point I think the "how" should not
be present, if we don't agree on what we are after we'll
never agree on how to get there.

Just my 2 cents.

Alberto

> Here are some semi random thoughts on mission statements.
> The mission and purpose statements derive from the common values and
> interests of the members and reinforce those values in a consciously
> chosen direction. Community life is about developing normative standards
> while civilized life is about formalizing those standards. How to herd
> cats.
> What kind of activities and purposes are you willing to commit to? Let's
> try rephrasing that: What kind of organization makes you want to
> participate?
>
> A community of collaborators coming together to show that technical
> creativity is not an oxymoron.
>
> To develop a common workshop area and a set of shared tools and
> equipment while learning to avoid the many forms of the so called
> Tragedy of the Commons (an ongoing experiment).
>
> To share knowledge, teaching and learning from each other. To extend
> that learning and teaching to the outside community.
>
> Creative outlets in the form of projects that incorporate physical
> actuators and sensors, inspired more often than not by biological life
> forms. Hence the notion of "robots".
>
> Learning how projects can come into being and run their course in a
> volunteer environment. Understanding the nature and limitations of
> leadership skills.
>
> Thriving on Vague Objectives: A Dilbert Collection (Paperback) by Scott
> Adams
> ISBN: 0740755331  I don't know anything about the book, I just like the
> title.
>
> Two of the following three mission statements come from the Mission
> Statement Generator at
> http://www.dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/games/career/bin/ms.cgi
> The other one is the mission statement of Apple Computers, or so I was
> once told. Guess which.
> We exist to seamlessly fashion scalable meta-services and
> synergistically customize performance based content while promoting
> personal employee growth.
> It is our business to dramatically foster high-payoff methods of
> empowerment as well as to seamlessly supply performance based
> meta-services for 100% customer satisfaction.
> Our mission is to make the world a better place.
>
> Derek
>
>
> Mike wrote:
>> Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 07:04:37 -0500
>> Subject: [Robotgroup] Mission statement (a request and an example)
>>
>> The Robot Group needs to develop a mission statement...a succinct
>> statement
>> of our mission, our values, our purpose, our goals, our reason for
>> existence.  Most sources that I have consulted emphasize that, in
>> addition
>> to the succinct part (one paragraph), the mission statement should be
>> free
>> of jargon.
>>
>> Although some among you find the concept laughable, the mission
>> statement
>> implies a commitment (as is, "What am I willing to commit to do in order
>> to
>> aid the organization in its mission?")
>>
>> To start some discussion on this, I have appended the mission statement
>> from one of the other organizations to which I belong.
>> All the best....
>> Mike
>>
>> Mission Statement of the School of Natural Sciences
>> The School of Natural Sciences strives to help our students understand
>> and
>> be able to value their physical, social, academic, and cultural worlds.
>> Through our programs in natural sciences, computer sciences and
>> mathematics, we provide students with knowledge, skills, and experience
>> that prepare them for careers as scientists, mathematicians, or
>> practitioners in a related profession. Our mission is rooted in the
>> University?s Mission Statement, which calls for a balance among the
>> humanities, sciences, and the professions. The School helps to
>> accomplish
>> this by its contribution to the General Education Core-Curriculum and by
>> its various degree programs. By providing General Education courses, the
>> School also educates non-science majors in understanding the role of
>> science and mathematics in today?s world. The School of Natural Sciences
>> strongly promotes research and scholarly activities among students and
>> faculty, which in turn provides the ultimate active learning environment
>> for the students and teaches them to be life long learners. Because of
>> our
>> Catholic and Holy Cross heritage, we attempt to promote an understanding
>> of
>> the world and the human person, which is derived from reason and open to
>> faith.
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