Many executives feel the need to articulate an ideal end-state for their organizations-often in the guise of a corporate vision. Striking the balance between novelty and believability of such an ideal end-state is often tricky, and empirical evidence shows that people are neither satisfied with the vision, nor the visioning process. This article argues that the very idea of having a corporate vision is of limited use in today's complex business landscapes. When you perceive your world as unstable and unpredictable what matters is being coherent rather than being visionary. Being coherent means acting in a manner that reinforces who you are, as an organization, given the current environment. It is such coherence that "makes sense" to us and to the others around us. The authors point out why executives need to replace visioning efforts with a focus on how to become and remain coherent throughout the organization. They also offer a few guiding principles on how to do this in practice. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.