This study aims to identify whether and how Brazilian higher education institutions (HEIs) are using organizational mission statements as drivers of strategy. Based on the effectiveness of the mission model proposed by Pearce and David (1987), this paper presents a content analysis of the mission statements of ninety-one HEIs, based on information available on their websites. The results show that philosophy, type of service, and self-concept are the most frequent elements found, and that none of the ninety-one mission statements analyzed featured more than six out of the eight elements of the conceptual model. This denotes only a partial use of mission statements as strategy drivers in HEIs. Moreover, as a consequence of the specificities of the educational sector and of the Brazilian regulations, two new elements have been added to the original conceptual model (with more than 560 citations in Google Scholar): graduates' profile and contribution to the community, making the conceptual model more aligned with the specificities of HEIs. These results can be used by HEIs to improve the formulation of their mission statements and enhance their effective use as strategy drivers.
RESUMOEste estudo tem como objetivo identificar se e como as instituições de ensino superior (IES) brasileiras estão utilizando a missão organizacional como direcionadora da estratégia. Com base no modelo de efetividade da missão proposto por Pearce e David (1987), foi realizada uma análise de conteúdo das missões de 91 IES, a partir de informações disponibilizadas em seus sites. Os resultados mostram que a filosofia da IES, o tipo de serviço e Disponível em: www.univali.br/periodicos ISSN: 1983-716X Revista Alcance -Eletrônica -vol. 25 -n. 2 -Mai./Ago. 2018 Palabras clave: Direccionador estratégico. Declaración de misión. Instituciones de enseñanza superior.