Can mission statements plant the “seeds” of dysfunctional behaviors in an organization´s memory?

Mission statements, one component of an organization´s culture, espouse the “official” and fundamental ideologies of the organization. Organizational culture, a component of organizational memory (OM), influences the members´ behavior including the production of both functional and dysfunctional outcomes. This research uses a model from cognitive therapy to examine formal mission statements for potentially dysfunctional beliefs. Exploratory analysis suggests that some mission statements may plant the “seeds” for dysfunctional behaviors in an organization´s memory through the introduction of disturbed beliefs into the organization´s culture. This paper´s research model provides managers and OMIS designers with a labeled list of disturbed thinking patterns that facilitates recognition and discovery of “irrational” beliefs. After discovery, omission or mitigation of extreme beliefs is possible