Twycross Zoo Vision Statement 2010

zoogiraffe

zoogiraffe

Well-Known Member
Right here goes probably the longest post I have ever posted,this is a direct and complete re-type of the vision statement 2010,that was given to TZA members 31/10/2010!From the next paragraph is just what the zoo released.

Ata time when the world's flora and fauna are under such great pressure,TZEMS is an organisation that cares and willstrive to make a significant and meaningful difference.

Within five years,we will be recognised asbeing one of the world's top fifteen zoo's for contribution in the areas of:

Animal Welfare,Research,Conservation,Education and Sustainability.Sharing our learning on thes topics and using innovation in technology.

Best business practice;being efficient,focussed and productive.With close attention paid to planning,ecologically sound design and enviromental detail,we will be renowned within the region and country for delivering on market trend.

Outstanding "Value for Money" for all who visit us.Providing fun,entertainment,learning and above all an opportunity to engage and assist us in achieving our vision.A standard bearer of excellent customer service,we will always listen to our visitor feedback,respondinf and adapting accordingly.
Positive staff experience.We will be an employer of choice for the way we develop and care for our people and the opportunities we provide for them.Our first class leadership will ensure a fully engaged and happy workforce.

VALUES

Excellence by Design
Pursue excellence at all levels in leadership,planning,animal care and customer service by competing against the highest standards of performance worldwide.

Knowledge and Learning
Continuously develop and acquire skills,knowledge and qualifications whilst valuing knowledge and technical expertise in colleagues.Undertake cutting edge research to make a difference in conservation and encourage innovation and willingness to question the stauts quo.

Integrity with Passion
Communicate with honesty and openness.Display enthusiasm and intergrity in all our dealings internally and externally.Make ethical decisions by having courage of our con vicitions and being open to new ideas.

Empowerment and Accountability
Encourage individuals to take ownership of their own work by using robust delegation process to alow people to relise their true and full potential.

Financial Sucess
Generate a surplus in order to achieve our charitable aims by reducing waste,making efficient use of resources and maximising income streams.

Respecting and Caring
Show kindness,consideration and understanding of our colleagues,animals and visitors.Build trust regardless od differences.Care for our local and the world's enviromemnts.Minimise our enviromental footprint.Act altruisticaly and assist other organisations.


Right thats the end of it have to say,as far as I am concerned they have achieved very little,of what they said in this vision statement.
 
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zoogiraffe said:
Right here goes probably the longest post I have ever posted,this is a direct and complete re-type of the vision statement 2010,that was given to TZA members 31/10/2010!From the next paragraph is just what the zoo released.

Ata time when the world's flora and fauna are under such great pressure,TZEMS is an organisation that cares and willstrive to make a significant and meaningful difference.

Within five years,we will be recognised asbeing one of the world's top fifteen zoo's for contribution in the areas of:

Animal Welfare,Research,Conservation,Education and Sustainability.Sharing our learning on thes topics and using innovation in technology.

Best business practice;being efficient,focussed and productive.With close attention paid to planning,ecologically sound design and enviromental detail,we will be renowned within the region and country for delivering on market trend.

Outstanding "Value for Money" for all who visit us.Providing fun,entertainment,learning and above all an opportunity to engage and assist us in achieving our vision.A standard bearer of excellent customer service,we will always listen to our visitor feedback,respondinf and adapting accordingly.
Positive staff experience.We will be an employer of choice for the way we develop and care for our people and the opportunities we provide for them.Our first class leadership will ensure a fully engaged and happy workforce.

VALUES

Excellence by Design
Pursue excellence at all levels in leadership,planning,animal care and customer service by competing against the highest standards of performance worldwide.

Knowledge and Learning
Continuously develop and acquire skills,knowledge and qualifications whilst valuing knowledge and technical expertise in colleagues.Undertake cutting edge research to make a difference in conservation and encourage innovation and willingness to question the stauts quo.

Integrity with Passion
Communicate with honesty and openness.Display enthusiasm and intergrity in all our dealings internally and externally.Make ethical decisions by having courage of our con vicitions and being open to new ideas.

Empowerment and Accountability
Encourage individuals to take ownership of their own work by using robust delegation process to alow people to relise their true and full potential.

Financial Sucess
Generate a surplus in order to achieve our charitable aims by reducing waste,making efficient use of resources and maximising income streams.

Respecting and Caring
Show kindness,consideration and understanding of our colleagues,animals and visitors.Build trust regardless od differences.Care for our local and the world's enviromemnts.Minimise our enviromental footprint.Act altruisticaly and assist other organisations.


Right thats the end of it have to say,as far as I am concerned they have achieved very little,of what they said in this vision statement.
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First class leadership?,who wrote this Peter Kaye?
 
Has anyone ever read a Vision Statement (or Mission Statement) from any organisation which was not tripe like this?

Alan
 
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Without saying anything that might get anyone in trouble, could someone summarise what people's issues are with Twycross at the moment? It's hard to follow all this as an outsider who has only been to the zoo once, and that was on a fieldtrip for junior members of the North of England Zoological Society circa 1989!
 
gentle lemur said:
Has anyone ever read a Vision Statement (or Mission Statement) from any organisation which was not tripe like this?

Alan
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Spot on, they're always like this -consultants are paid fortunes to cram any organisation's situation into their one-size-fits all vague vision. They could/would probably change less than 10% of it and apply it to a completely different organisation/situation (and change the same high price, no doubt). My favourite phrase was, "we will be renowned within the region and country for delivering on market trend".

Other than the above, I'm not commenting any more on this thread -I prefer something a little more challenging than shooting fish in a thimble.
 
canaryboy said:
Dudley's new mission statement (which can be seen in the gallery) seems pretty realistic and concise.
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I presume you refer to this: http://www.zoochat.com/198/investment-plan-2-a-332755/.

If so, it is a totally different kettle of fish.

The Dudley document is a practical list of things to get done.

The Twycross document is a higher level statement of intent.

The sorts of things that are on the Dudley list might enable an organisation to reach the sort of place that the Twycross document is describing - but the two documents serve different purposes.

While I share some of the scepticism about the sorts of things that are said in this vision statement - and in some ways, it is a typical example of its species - I would applaud any organisation that does take a step back to contemplate just what it is that it is trying to do. I think far too many zoos don't really go in for high-level analysis of this sort, and the end result is the fairly confusing pudding with which we are left. Is it a serious conservation organisation? Is it a leisure park? Should it be trying to keep a big collection? Should it focus on a particular group?

The point has been made elsewhere that one of the reasons why Twycross and Marwell both floundered after the departure of their respective founders was that neither was wholly sure of what it was they they were trying to do. I think this is very astute analysis.

So - possibly not a brilliant vision statement. But at least they were trying to reflect on what they wanted to achieve, and where they wanted to go.
 
sooty mangabey said:
I presume you refer to this: http://www.zoochat.com/198/investment-plan-2-a-332755/.

If so, it is a totally different kettle of fish.

The Dudley document is a practical list of things to get done.

The Twycross document is a higher level statement of intent.

The sorts of things that are on the Dudley list might enable an organisation to reach the sort of place that the Twycross document is describing - but the two documents serve different purposes.

While I share some of the scepticism about the sorts of things that are said in this vision statement - and in some ways, it is a typical example of its species - I would applaud any organisation that does take a step back to contemplate just what it is that it is trying to do. I think far too many zoos don't really go in for high-level analysis of this sort, and the end result is the fairly confusing pudding with which we are left. Is it a serious conservation organisation? Is it a leisure park? Should it be trying to keep a big collection? Should it focus on a particular group?

The point has been made elsewhere that one of the reasons why Twycross and Marwell both floundered after the departure of their respective founders was that neither was wholly sure of what it was they they were trying to do. I think this is very astute analysis.

So - possibly not a brilliant vision statement. But at least they were trying to reflect on what they wanted to achieve, and where they wanted to go.
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I think everyone would rather Twycross make a statement like Dudley created. It's a zoo, they do not need this, the staff and visitors would rather have a realistic plan like Dudley. Something the staff can aim for easily and one that visitors can look forward to.

V
 
canaryboy said:
I think everyone would rather Twycross make a statement like Dudley created. It's a zoo, they do not need this, the staff and visitors would rather have a realistic plan like Dudley. Something the staff can aim for easily and one that visitors can look forward to.

V
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...but the two things are in no way mutually exclusive! They serve wholly different purposes. The Twycross vision statement above may not be a particularly impressively put-together document (and as the ever-astute Shorts points out, this is a common failing in such documents), but there is no point in thinking about the 'ground level' stuff (building this, renovating that, repairing the other) if there isn't a bigger narrative of which all are aware, and into which all staff buy. Twycross is a textbook example of a place where that discussion had not been had. When Ms Badham retired, what was the point of Twycross Zoo? What was it trying to do?
 
As far as I'm concerned the only thing they really needed to drastically improve from miss Badham's run was Animal Welfare, breeding, groupings ect. The problem with this 'vision statement' was that it didn't set targets that people on ground level could work on. If it was stripped down, staff might of been able to understand it.
 
sooty mangabey said:
...but the two things are in no way mutually exclusive! They serve wholly different purposes. The Twycross vision statement above may not be a particularly impressively put-together document (and as the ever-astute Shorts points out, this is a common failing in such documents), but there is no point in thinking about the 'ground level' stuff (building this, renovating that, repairing the other) if there isn't a bigger narrative of which all are aware, and into which all staff buy. Twycross is a textbook example of a place where that discussion had not been had. When Ms Badham retired, what was the point of Twycross Zoo? What was it trying to do?
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Yet again wise words from yourself sooty,but we both know one zoo expert that bought into this whole,thing completely and I believe he still believes,that all this will come true.
 
As a History graduate who trained as an accountant, and whose father was an engineer, I must confess that I have very sceptical tendencies when it comes to this sort of stuff. A zoo that doesn't know what it's doing is a zoo whose management needs to go elsewhere, IMVHO.

Twycross's brief - to maintain a high-class collection of primates in such a way that its visitors realised the need to help our wild cousins, breeding as many as possible within the scope of managed breeding programmes - really OUGHT to have been pretty easily understood. The expertise and interest was in primates. The rest really have always been bells and whistles.

Why do so many organisations seek to make their lives complex?
 
There are directors still employed at Twycross who co wrote that stuff, interesting ehh? Fancy believing in on market trend, that certainly isn't any enclosure I've seen........That stands for 'lot of guff'
 
Thanks for taking the time to post this, ZooGiraffe.

Only a couple of comments from me;

1. I only see the word 'animals' twice in the whole document (plus fauna once).

2. They've already had three of the five years and I wonder how many of these mostly nebulous and incomprehensible 'targets' they think they've achieved so far.
 
sooty mangabey said:
When Ms Badham retired, what was the point of Twycross Zoo? What was it trying to do?
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As far as I can see, its only aim since has been to keep open and keep running profitably- but with little other motive behind that. I see much the same with Marwell - no identity anymore.
 
sooty mangabey said:
.

The Dudley document is a practical list of things to get done.

The Twycross document is a higher level statement of intent.

I would applaud any organisation that does take a step back to contemplate just what it is that it is trying to do. I think far too many zoos don't really go in for high-level analysis of this sort, and the end result is the fairly confusing pudding with which we are left.
Click to expand...

But to me it seems to have no substance to it. I accept it is described as a 'vision' statement rather than say, a business plan, but am no clearer what they are trying to achieve or any future plans than I was previously. I get the feeling they produced this because they couldn't produce anything more concrete(no pun intended) at the time(or now either for that matter) such as Dudley's is, of things that can or will actually happen on the ground.
 
Pertinax said:
Thanks for taking the time to post this, ZooGiraffe.

Only a couple of comments from me;

1. I only see the word 'animals' twice in the whole document (plus fauna once).

2. They've already had three of the five years and I wonder how many of these mostly nebulous and incomprehensible 'targets' they think they've achieved so far.
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Not a problem,I have enjoyed reading peoples comments on it.

Well personnaly I don't think they are even close to being a top 15 zoo in the world,that said I don't think they are even in the top 15 in the UK,but thats just my view!
 
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