> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://wiki.anatomyofmarketing.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://wiki.anatomyofmarketing.org/the-aom-model/layer-three-connected-tools/company-strategy-tools/purpose-vision-mission-values-framework.md).
# Purpose/Vision/Mission/Values Framework
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### Tool Notes
The Purpose/Vision/Mission/Values Framework maps the four statements that define what guides a company and shows how they connect to one another. The critical insight behind this framework is that these four elements cannot be answered independently. Each one constrains and informs the others. A Purpose that is not reflected in the Mission is inspiration without commitment. Values that are not anchored to Purpose risk becoming a list of aspirational traits rather than genuine behavioural commitments.
This interdependence is what makes the framework distinctive. Most organisations develop Purpose, Vision, Mission, and Values separately, often at different times, by different teams, and without a governing structure that shows how they relate. The result is that each statement may be well-crafted in isolation but incoherent as a system. The framework exists to prevent this.
These decisions belong in Company Strategy. Purpose in particular is frequently treated as a marketing or communications exercise: something to be expressed externally rather than used internally to make decisions. When that happens, the result is purpose washing: a stated belief that does not reflect how the business actually operates. The framework positions all four statements as strategic, not promotional.
The framework follows a narrative cascade. Purpose answers why the organisation exists. Vision describes the future it is working toward. Mission defines how it will get there. Values describe how people will behave along the way.
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### **Framework Content**
The Purpose/Vision/Mission/Values Framework is structured as a cascade of four connected statements, each with a defined organisational function and a company narrative prompt.
**Purpose (Shared Belief).** Organisational function: Inspirational. Company narrative prompt: "We believe in..." Purpose defines the shared belief that drives the organisation beyond commercial outcomes. It is the foundation from which the other three statements are built.
**Vision (Aspirational).** Organisational function: Aspirational. Company narrative prompt: "So we aspire to..." Vision describes the future the organisation is working toward. It flows directly from Purpose: if Purpose is the why, Vision is the what the organisation is reaching for.
**Mission (Strategic).** Organisational function: Strategic. Company narrative prompt: "To get there, we will..." Mission defines how the organisation will achieve its Vision. It is more concrete than Vision and more durable than a plan. It narrows the field of strategic options without prescribing execution.
**Values (Behavioural).** Organisational function: Behavioural. Company narrative prompt: "And along the way, we will..." Values define how people in the organisation are expected to make decisions and treat each other on the way to achieving the Vision and Mission. They are not aspirational: they are the behavioural standard the organisation holds itself to.
The framework is read as a connected narrative: We believe in \[Purpose]. So we aspire to \[Vision]. To get there, we will \[Mission]. And along the way, we will \[Values]. The coherence of that narrative is the test of whether the four statements are genuinely connected.
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### References
The Purpose/Vision/Mission/Values Framework was originated by Kieran Antill and Ross Hastings and published as The Purpose Framework by Ne-Lo (2020). While substantial bodies of work exist on each of the four elements individually, including Simon Sinek's work on purpose, Jim Collins and Jerry Porras's Built to Last (1994), and Patrick Lencioni's The Advantage (2012), the AoM framework is distinctive in treating the four as an interdependent system that must be developed together rather than independently. The framework was designed and adapted for the AoM by Kieran Antill and Ross Hastings (2022), standardising the cascade structure, language, and colour coding within the AoM design system.
[*See All AoM References*](/governance/references.md)
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### AoM Structure
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*Section*
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[Company Strategy](/the-aom-model/layer-two-fundamentals/company-strategy.md)
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*Sub-section*
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[Why](/the-aom-model/layer-two-fundamentals/company-strategy/why.md)
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*Connected Fundamental(s)*
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[Purpose](/the-aom-model/layer-two-fundamentals/company-strategy/why/purpose.md)
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[Vision](/the-aom-model/layer-two-fundamentals/company-strategy/why/vision.md)
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[Mission](/the-aom-model/layer-two-fundamentals/company-strategy/why/mission.md)
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[Values](/the-aom-model/layer-two-fundamentals/company-strategy/why/values.md)
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