More on Values

Introduction

"...we are going to see companies increasingly assume that what they stand for in an enduring sense is more important than what they sell..."
Kim Collins as quoted by Chris Schutte, 2023

Values guide perspective and action of organisations.
"...Writing down a set of commonly held values can help an organisation define its culture and beliefs..."
Chris Schutte, 2023

Having a common set of values can help unite organisations when setting their goals and dealing with challenges; values can clarify an organisation's identity and serve as a rallying point for staff.

Exploring important values that an organisation needs to have can be painful and make some staff feel like outsiders, ie
"...an organisation's set of values may be seen to limit its strategic operational freedom and constrain the behaviour of some of its people..."
Chris Schutte, 2023

Importance of values

"...- we work in stressful times, and they provide guidelines for our behaviour
     - it is a highly competitive world, and they help show our customers how we are different from others......other perspectives employees because they say, 'this is what we value here'
     - people are increasingly aware of organisational values and look for them, frequently choosing one organisation over another because of their values, when they make job and career choices
     - they provide the basis for achieving cultural change
     - they enable people and organisations to succeed
     - they impact on professional practice
     - they can provide a measure of success for individuals. (Some organisations include them in people's performance reviews).
     - they can provide some stability through change, ie which values remain, how to implement the change in line with our values
     - they set out the 'dos and don'ts' around the organisation..."
Chris Schutte, 2023

They can be regarded as guiding beacons; components of an organisation's philosophy; relate to how an organisation deals with beliefs about people's work; define non-negotiable behaviours.
"...more and more studies show that successful companies place a great deal of emphasis on their values. Any organisation which promotes their values will tell you they underpinned their vision..."
Chris Schutte, 2023

You articulated set of values should be from around 3 to 5

An example of how to explore your values

Look at the key drivers in the elements of business ethics, physical health, lifestyle stability, autonomy, needs for growth, interaction and entrepreneurialism.

(source: Chris Schutte, 2023)

An organisation's profile

  (source: Chris Schutte, 2023)

Based on the above diagram, following statement was developed for a management consultancy group whose main products are involve psychometric testing.
"...We are driven by professional standards (business ethics) for psychometric assessments to minimise the risk (low or reject risk) of people management for our clients (concern for others). Our approach for our clients is creative (creativity) yet practical and filled with passion for our products and services (business ethics and achievement). how people are encouraged to grow and develop (ability utilisation) in a culture of trust where we value variety (low on cultural identity) and entrepreneurialship (financial reward). We never compromise our business ethics and always ensure we listen to our clients and save them risk and money..."
Chris Schutte, 2023

The main drivers of its values were achievement, ability utilisation, variety, financial rewards, concerns for others, creativity and business ethics.

The reject drivers were risk, physical challenges, physical activity, cultural identity, close relationships, predictable environment and prestige.

(source: Chris Schutte, 2023)