How to Choose and 'Live' the Right Organizational Values?

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How to Choose and 'Live' the Right Organizational Values?

Values are being revisited in many organisations - yet few manage to select the right values and then anchor them in their culture as virtues. Often because they simply don't know how. Other causes of poor organisational values include:

• WRONGLY CHOSEN VALUES: In a hasty attempt to get onto the vision and values bandwagon, organisations end up with values that are expected rather than what is core to their principles and their underlying assumptions. There is often a sameness about them. They represent what is basic to being in business rather than an exciting differentiation (like Zappos).
• CYNICISM: There are major behavioural disconnects from stated values (VW, Barclays, BP to name a few) that raise cynicism about stated values in general, and question their sincerity and authenticity.
• WRONG INTENT: There is a stampede to join the 'purpose economy'. Businesses see profit potential in embracing a higher purpose. They recognise that this can be a magnet that attracts talent and customers, enhances reputation, fosters engagement. Firms with a genuine motive (like Patagonia), are the exception. Purpose simply cannot be properly implemented without living the accompanying virtues.
• PRESSURE TO UPHOLD REPUTATION: Sustainability challenges prompt organisations to "up their good citizen game", and some adopt a 'radical adaption' approach - but again without the support of entrenched virtues.
• INCREASING DIVERSITY: Increasing diversity in the workplace puts pressure on organisations to develop cultures, values and behaviours where people are valued and looked after, and where differences become a strength and not (as is too often the case) a source of disharmony and discontent.
• NOT COPING WITH RAPID CHANGES: When the pace of change overwhelms, and things are done too quickly, then the result may be lower quality outcomes, harmed relationships, loss of community, and lack of interest in the values.

How to Implement and Live the Published Values?

What things (underlying beliefs and assumptions, ways of converting stated values to character virtues, visible symbols, artefacts and processes) will determine whether an organisation will succeed at living their published values? Do the answers lie in:

1. More ethical and benevolent leadership;
2. Distinguishing between types of values (core, threshold, general);
3. A change process that develops shared core values and seeks to align organisation and employee values;
4. Attaching behaviour indicators to decided values;
5. Special methods and techniques for anchoring chosen values in the culture;
6. Techniques for individual behaviour modification and reinforcement, measurement and appraisal mechanisms;
7. Other?

I'd appreciate your experiences and thoughts.

Sources:
Williams, G; Fox, P and Haarhoff D., "The Virtuosa Organisation: The Importance of VIRTUES for a Successful Business", Knowres Publishing 2015
Chouinard, Yvon, "Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman", Penguin Books 2006.

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		3 Gandhi Heryanto Management Consultant, Indonesia
	Bringing the Organization Values to Life In my view, to implement and live organizational values once they're published, you need to convert them into specific, behavioral examples. By modeling and rewarding behaviors that demonstrate each value, employees are constantly reminded of what their company stands for and how to better work by those principles. Here are four ways to bring them to life: 1. Put values front and center. Values need to be communicated from the top on a regular basis. 2. Hire based on values. Building a workforce that lives and works by the company moral code starts with hiring based upon values. 3. Work (and play) by values. The best way to bring organizational values to life is to model them by playing them on a daily basis. 4. Reward and promote values. Last, but certainly not least, promote organizational values by rewarding behaviors that demonstrate them. Source: Lavoie Andre, 4 Ways to Bring Your Organizational Values to Life, entrepreneur.com, January 2017.

		1 Graham Williams Management Consultant, South Africa
	Bringing Organizational Values to Life Thank you Gandhi. Clear, good input! By what process are the values decided? And in what ways can we promote that they are actually lived by? For example, are they are part of a formal appraisal system and does both reward and sanction apply?

		3 Gandhi Heryanto Management Consultant, Indonesia
	The Process of Creating Organizational Values @Graham Williams: As we know that a company’s core values are a set of values that the whole organization not only acknowledges, but also actually live and breathe through its people, inside and outside of the company. The values should naturally come from the company's mission. We begin to define the values with having a clear understanding of the mission statement among the leadership who will develop them through a collaborative effort to maximize the vested interest of all involved. After all, the values should become a commitment from the business to everyone in it. As proof of its commitment, the company gives rewards to behaviors and employees that demonstrate them.

		2 Graham Williams Management Consultant, South Africa
	The Process of Organisational Values Creation Thank you Gandhi. My own preferred approach is likewise to get everyone involved in the process of deciding the values, how to describe and define them, and the process for ensuring that they are lived (down to individual coaching and training where needed) - as far as is feasible. This way the values become 'owned' by the participants. (What values are selected is a complementary process). I'm also pleased that your focus is on positive reward and not forced compliance. Even resorting to the formal appraisal system (beginning to be questioned by more people) can have the downsides of over-control by supervisors, and employee resentment. The best is when the process facilitates values that become virtues. Because it is the nature of morals, ethics, values that they simply cannot be enforced by rules alone.

		5 Javier Elenes Business Consultant, Mexico
	Choosing and Permeating Organizational Values that Support the Strategy A key issue in successful implementation of a competitive strategy is indeed that the people in the organization live the values that "support" the strategy. So first you shall choose the values that...

		4 Jaap de Jonge Editor, Netherlands
	Establish the Company Values from the Very Beginning I know what I am going to say is not very helpful for existing firms, but it's best if you select and implement the right values from scratch - in the start-up phase of your still small company. In pa...

		5 Charles Alter Consultant, United States
	Finding and Living Corporate Values and Purpose In my experience, Jim Collins' Good to Great is the best reference for finding core values and purpose. Most organizations don't have the luxury of establishing core values from their beginning. So...

		2 Steve Business Consultant, South Africa
	Refreshing the Organizational Values I would add to the list of ideas: - Engage Employees about how they feel about the organizational values, as well as - Create events and programs that exemplify organizational values as they need to...

		1 Ozioma Afakwu Student (MBA), United Kingdom
	Apply All Prescribed... Thanks Thank you for sharing this and thank you for all the contributions. I have learnt a lot. In my business consulting, I would use all the approaches prescribed, especially where each applies....

		1 Graham Williams Management Consultant, South Africa
	Thanks It's wonderful to get this sort of response - an acknowledgement of learning and commitment to applying. That's growth! Thank YOU @Oziama and good luck with your MBA....

		2 Jaap de Jonge Editor, Netherlands
	How to Choose and Live the Right Values for an Organisation? What a good topic this has become! To learn some more around this complex but important topic, you might also explore these resources: ...

		1 Maurice Hogarth Consultant, United Kingdom
	Determining the Right Values of an Organisation The question asks about the "right values", as indicated by Javier Elenes. But there is not always a single right answer as to what the values of an organisation should be. For the small/start-up bus...

		1 Paramathmuni srinivas Kumar India
	The Organization's Values Depend on the Context I suppose depending on the context, the priority in choosing the values will change. For example, if one were to decide between telling the truth or not, and telling the truth will as a consequence l...

		3 Graham Williams Management Consultant, South Africa
	Right Values or Valuing Right @Maurice Hogarth: Some thoughts for your deliberations: In an age where environmental, social and economically preventative, corrective and restoration measures are indicated, is there is merit ...

		0 Graham Williams Management Consultant, South Africa
	Change of Priority in Choosing Organisation Values I like your thought-provocation @srinivas! You've raised a very interesting and potentially huge discussion on its own, that is the interconnection between beliefs, values, ethics and consistent virtu...

		1 Paul Pretorius Management Consultant, South Africa
	A Powerful Contribution @Javier Elenes: This approach links the whole value system to the single word that drives all decisions. Excellent and powerful....

		2 Jaap de Jonge Editor, Netherlands
	Creating Values Alignment A recent view towards how we can select and "live" the values for a company or organization is to aim for "values alignment", aligning the values of our company/organization with both its strategy and...

		1 Anonymous
	Amazing Info Wow 😮 So much is collected here about establishing values for companies. Thank you all for contributing....

		2 Helen Strong Business Consultant, South Africa
	How to Deal with a Violation of Corporate Values? The discussion has covered useful ground regarding the setting and promotion of positive purpose driven organisations. There is no doubt that most employees and customers prefer the atmosphere of trus...

		3 Maurice Hogarth Consultant, United Kingdom
	The Actual Value of Corporate Values in Practice @Graham Williams: Good questions. Some time back in history some 'guru' stated that organisations should have and should state their values. To many businesses this seemed like a good marketing ploy....

		3 Frederic A Parker Consultant, United States
	Leaders and Managers Must Live the Organizational Values First If you are concerned about the behavior of your employees, about their work culture, look in the mirror at your problem and start there. Jim Collins and his team of analysts have published two specif...

		1 Anonymous
	Start by Living your Own Values @Frederic A Parker: I agree strongly with your post. People usually reflect and represent the model and attitude that they see and observe from the leadership. If a manager is using his position and ...

		1 Frederic A Parker Consultant, United States
	Well Stated @Anonymous: Excellent recap of the most important aspect of living organizational values....

		1 Jaap de Jonge Editor, Netherlands
	From Values to Company's Principles You can also bring a company's values to life and make them more concrete by defining and then implementing corporate principles....

		0 Maurice Hogarth Consultant, United Kingdom
	The Value of Embedded Values @Graham Williams: some ponderings in relation to your points. I like your stated beliefs. Re: Point 1 "... values umbrella." All behaviour is made and all decisions taken, "under a values umbrella."...