A shared vision is more than just a corporate mission statement.
It is a force that unites people, giving them a sense of purpose and direction.
A true shared vision isn’t something imposed by leadership.
It is co-created, where every team member feels invested in and inspired by the organization’s goals.
Peter Senge, an American systems scientist, senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and author of the groundbreaking book The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization, emphasizes that a shared vision fosters a sense of common identity and creates the feeling that "we are all in this together."
It aligns individual aspirations with organizational goals, transforming work into a collaborative journey rather than a series of tasks.
When a vision is genuinely shared, it taps into the collective energy of the team, fueling innovation, commitment, and resilience.
It is a living force that grows and evolves, inspiring individuals and aligning their aspirations with the broader purpose of the organization.
As Senge notes, great organizations stand apart because they can connect every individual to a purpose greater than themselves, fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth.
The Assumptions Driving Return-to-Office Policies
As organizations increasingly implement return-to-office policies, many cite culture as a primary motivator.
Traditionally, the physical office has been seen as the space where shared vision develops naturally through spontaneous interactions, team meetings, and shared experiences.
In contrast, remote work is often viewed as a challenge to these cultural touchpoints, with teams perceived as disconnected, fragmented, and overly transactional.
This belief assumes that without physical proximity, the shared sense of purpose and collaboration necessary for a thriving culture is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve.
The Reality: Shared Vision Rarely Comes Easy
Being in an office does not guarantee that a shared vision comes easily.
In fact, it rarely does.
Physical proximity in traditional office settings has often failed to foster the alignment and sense of purpose that organizations aspire to.
Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace Report reveals that only 23 percent of employees globally feel engaged, regardless of whether they work on-site or remotely.
Similarly, Deloitte’s 2023 survey found that nearly 60 percent of employees feel disconnected from their organization’s purpose.
The issue is compounded by poor cross-team communication.
A Harvard Business Review study highlights that 74 percent of employees feel they miss out on critical information due to silos, a challenge that exists in both on-site and remote environments.
These findings reveal an important truth.
Shared vision is never an automatic outcome of proximity.
It requires deliberate effort, thoughtful leadership, and systems designed to foster alignment and collaboration.
Before rushing everyone back to the office in the name of “culture,” we should pause and reconsider.
Remote work presents a unique opportunity to redefine how a shared vision is created.
It challenges us to move beyond outdated assumptions about physical proximity and instead embrace new, intentional approaches that foster connection and purpose.
When approached strategically, organizations can empower diverse, distributed teams to connect in meaningful ways and democratize vision-building, giving every team member a voice.
These approaches not only create opportunities for alignment but also cultivate a sense of shared purpose that traditional office environments have often struggled to achieve.
By stepping back and rethinking how we build a shared vision, we can design workplaces that are more inclusive, intentional, and adaptable.
The question is no longer where we work but how we work together.
Creating a Shared Vision in a Remote World
Creating a shared vision in a remote world takes deliberate effort.
It is not something that will happen on its own.
Just like we mistakenly think it naturally appears from water-cooler talks in the office, it is not going to magically emerge just because you have a Miro board and a Teams chat.
It requires actionable strategies that work in the day-to-day reality of distributed teams.
The good news is that it does not need to be overcomplicated.
By focusing on storytelling, embedding the vision into daily operations, and leading by example, we can start making a shared vision a living, breathing part of our work, no matter where we are.
Here are three practical ways to start building a shared vision in remote work environments.
1. Leverage Asynchronous Vision Storytelling
A shared vision becomes real when people connect it to their own experiences.
Senge emphasizes that a shared vision must feel deeply personal.
It is not just a directive handed down by leadership; it is something people need to internalize.
Remote work actually gives us an advantage here.
Asynchronous tools give employees the space to reflect and share their perspectives on their own time.
Ask reflective questions like:
What does our vision mean to you personally?
How does your role contribute to achieving our shared vision?
What inspires you about our goals?
Compile these stories into a shared repository using tools like Notion, SharePoint, or even a Slack channel and highlight them during meetings or newsletters.
You can even use AI tools to analyze the submissions and look for patterns and shared themes that reveal where alignment exists or where it is missing.
Invite new employees to contribute during onboarding to keep the vision dynamic and evolving.
This approach allows employees to see the vision through each other’s eyes, creating a sense of collective ownership and highlighting areas of alignment that might not have been visible before.
2. Embed Vision Alignment Into Daily Work
A shared vision only has value if it shows up in the day-to-day.
Senge reminds us that alignment does not happen by chance. It requires practical steps that connect individual contributions to the bigger organizational purpose.
Here are some simple ways to bring the vision into daily work:
In Team Meetings
Start each meeting with a quick reminder of the vision or a relevant goal.
For example: “This week’s focus connects to our vision of improving customer experience by simplifying processes.”
Wrap up with a reflection: “How did today’s discussion move us closer to achieving our shared goals?”
In Project Planning
When planning initiatives, include a section in project briefs that explains how the work aligns with the vision.
Even one or two sentences can make the connection clear.
In Feedback Conversations
During one-on-ones or reviews, ask simple reflective questions like:
How does your work support the organization’s goals?
What are you most proud of in contributing to our shared purpose?
By making these adjustments to existing processes, you integrate the vision into everyday actions without adding extra steps or complexity.
This way, the vision becomes a natural part of how teams operate, not an abstract concept floating above the work.
3. Leadership Modeling and Vulnerability
Senge is clear: leadership plays a critical role in any shared vision.
Leaders cannot just talk about the vision.
They need to live it.
That means showing a personal connection to the vision and creating a safe environment where others feel empowered to do the same.
Start by sharing why the vision matters to you.
Record a short video or write a post explaining what the vision means to you and why it motivates you.
Share specific examples of how you have seen the vision come to life through the team’s work.
Be open about challenges.
In virtual town halls or team meetings, discuss obstacles you have faced and what you learned from them.
For example:
Here is a mistake we made and how it helped us adjust our approach.
Encourage team members to share their own challenges and lessons, reinforcing a culture of trust and growth.
Celebrate efforts that reflect the vision.
Recognize team members whose work demonstrates the vision in action.
Highlight these examples in company updates or newsletters to reinforce alignment across the team.
Regularly check in with your team.
During remote one-on-ones or team retrospectives, ask reflective questions like:
What are we doing well in living our vision?
Where can we improve as a team to better align with our purpose?
When leaders embody the vision and intentionally share their connection to it in remote settings, they create an environment where others feel motivated and safe to align their efforts with the shared purpose.
Remote work may create physical distance, but thoughtful leadership can bridge that gap and keep the vision alive.
Reimagining Shared Vision
Creating a shared vision in any work environment is no small feat.
As we have seen, proximity alone does not guarantee alignment.
Even in traditional office settings, shared vision rarely happens organically.
It takes effort, intentionality, and systems designed to bring individual contributions into alignment with a larger purpose.
Remote work presents a unique opportunity to rethink how we approach this challenge.
By leveraging tools and strategies like asynchronous storytelling, embedding the vision into daily operations, and modelling it through thoughtful leadership, we can create a vision that is not bound by physical spaces.
A shared vision is not just a statement on a wall or a slide in a presentation.
It is something people feel connected to.
It’s a living force that inspires, guides and brings teams together.
As Peter Senge reminds us, a shared vision creates the sense that "we are all in this together."
Remote work, rather than being a barrier, can be the catalyst for creating more inclusive and purposeful ways to align and connect teams across any distance.
The question is no longer where we work but how we work together to build a vision that truly inspires.
— G