Values Clash

Introduction

"...How we behave and how we think, how we solve problems and how we negotiate, how we work and how we play - all of these are influenced by our beliefs and our values...... values are deeply tied to our sense of identity..."

Mindtools Content Team, 2025c

"...Values are the beliefs and principles underpinning your day-to-day life. They represent what you consider to be important and insignificant, good and bad, right and wrong..."

Mindtools Content Team, 2025c

Even though your values appeared to be set for life, they can be influenced based on your information and/or other people's perspectives.

With workplaces becoming more 'values diverse', there is the potential for an increase in value clashes.

"...People are more likely to 'make a stand' if they feel that their values are being called into question and this can sometimes make it more difficult to communicate and reach a compromise..."

Mindtools Content Team, 2025c

"...A clash of values can come down to different attitudes toward race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability..."

Mindtools Content Team, 2025c

When values clash—whether in teams, organisations, families, or broader society—effective management is crucial to maintaining trust, respect and progress.

Some practical tips for navigating and managing value clashes:

1. Be Alert to a Values Clash

• Sometimes it's not obvious that it is a clash in values (you need to look deeper than the obvious reasons for the clash to determine if there is difference in values)

“…Consider a values clash as a potential cause of friction, alongside more common workplace issues such as lack of communication or poor listening skills, when you are trying to solve a problem…”

Mindtool Content Team, 2025c

2. Acknowledge the Clash Respectfully

• Don't ignore it (pretending a values conflict doesn’t exist often leads to greater tension.)
• Use non-judgmental language:
  "I see this is important to you. It’s also different from how I see things. Can we explore this together?"

3. Understand the Values Involved

• Ask questions to uncover core beliefs and motivations:
  “What’s important to you about this?”
  “What concerns you most here?”
• Identify if the clash is about ends (goals) or means (methods).

4. Separate Values from Behaviours

• Recognise that values (eg, loyalty, fairness, etc) may be shared, but how people express them may differ.
• Focus discussions on actions and impacts, not on judging or moralising someone’s viewpoint.

5. Seek Common Ground

• Get the parties talking and listening actively to one another in a calm and respectful manner.

• Look for overlapping interests, eg, both sides valuing “respect” but defining it differently.
• Be prepared to use reframing, ie introduce a new perspective

(for more detail, see elsewhere in Knowledge Base)

• Use values as connectors, not dividers (look for win-win solutions, ie

“…Not only will this help to encourage communication and collaboration within your team, but it also means that both parties can stay true to their principles, protect their self-esteem and avoid feeling resentful or guilty…”

Mindtool Content Team, 2025c

• Phrase shared goals positively:
  “We both care about doing what’s right—how can we agree on what that looks like here?”

6. Encourage Mutual Listening

• Use facilitative tools like:
• Reflective listening (repeat back to check understanding)
• Dialogue circles or third-party mediation
• Values clarification exercises.

7. Revisit Organisational or Group Values

• Use team/organisational values as a focus, ie find common ground.
• Ask: “How does this align with what we’ve agreed we stand for?”
• If necessary, refresh or co-create shared values to realign expectations.

8. Agree on a Way Forward

• Co-design solutions that respect diverse values.
• You may not solve the conflict fully, but aim for:
• Clear boundaries
• Transparent rationale
• Agreed behavioural norms.

9. Stay Emotionally Grounded

• Value clashes often evoke strong feelings.
• Be self-aware: “Why is this pushing my buttons?”
• Avoid escalating the situation with blame or sarcasm.

10. Change staff

• If someone is not willing to compromise their values, eg a pacifist working for a weapons manufacturer, you may need to move them to another part of the organisation or let them go

11. Recruit/select/promote staff with compatible values

"...Recruit people who embody the same values your organisation does, or whose values are compatible with yours and the rest of your team's. You may still be managing people with diverse values, so make it a priority to create a team that is built on a foundation of trust, emotional intelligence and positive communication. Encourage mutual respect, reaffirm team values and work to create a shared team identity...."

Mindtool Content Team, 2025c

 Optional Tools You Can Use

• ToP Facilitation Methods (Technology of Participation; help groups explain diverse perspectives.)
• Ladder of Inference (helps people slow down and examine their assumptions.
• Competing Values Framework (useful for diagnosing tensions in teams or organisations.)
• Crucial Conversations Model (framework for high-stakes, emotionally charged dialogue.)

Summary

“…Your values are the beliefs and principles that guide you throughout your life and career.

Being principled and holding strong values – and being vocal about them – has become more important to more people and they are less likely to compromise their values for the sake of work. This means that having the skills necessary to work through and resolve values clashes has become essential for managers.

When these kinds of clashes happen, take great care to listen to the concerns of all the parties involved and to find a solution that accommodates as many of their values as possible.

If this proves too difficult, you'll need to employ strong decision-making skills to choose which set of values matters the most to your team and your organization. Remember that values are often an emotional issue for people, so you need to be prepared for your decision to have consequences…”

Mindtool Content Team, 2025c