[Developing the hospital's mission to facilitate organizational change: limits and possibilities]

The author begins by discussing the field of General Administration Theory vis-à-vis the defining role of "organizational goals" within an overall change process in organizations. While admitting the validity of some challenges raised by certain authors who deny the possibility of establishing a "single" direction for the organization by explicitly outlining its formal or official goals, the author presents and discusses his experience in defining the mission in the health sector as a way to implement organizational goals. This definition is meant as a strategy to improve communications among health team members and to a culture of responsibility when dealing with health service users.