How to Create Values

There are several elements of creating culture with your values:

  • Understand the Different Types of Values. It is important to understand the different types of values:
    • Core values are the deeply ingrained principles that guide all of a company’s actions. They serve as its cultural cornerstones. They are the source of a company’s distinctiveness and must be maintained at all costs.
    • Aspirational values are those that a company needs to succeed in the future but currently lacks. A company may need to develop a new value to support a new strategy, for example, or to meet the requirements of a changing market or industry. Aspirational values need to be carefully managed to ensure that they do not dilute the core.
    • Permission-to-play values simply reflect the minimum behavioral and social standards required of any employee. They tend not to vary much across companies, particularly those working in the same region or industry, which means that, by definition, they never really help distinguish a company from its competitors.
    • Accidental values arise spontaneously without being cultivated by leadership and take hold over time. They usually reflect the common interests or personalities of the organization’s employees. Accidental values can be good for a company, such as when they create an atmosphere of inclusivity.

“We WILL be there with you every step of the way.” 

Be Authentic

Many companies view a values initiative in the same way they view a marketing launch: a one time event measured by the initial attention it receives, not the authenticity of its content. This can undermine the credibility of an organization’s leaders. Put them on the walls. Put a “fine jar” in every room for every time they are violated. Make someone the “culture cop.” In the same way that a culture will develop negatively if no values are set, once you put in place some tools to make your values visible, they will quickly become second nature.

Living by stated corporate values is difficult. After all, it’s much harder to be clear and unapologetic for what you stand for than to cave in to politically correct pressures. And for organizations trying to repair the damage caused by bad values programs, the work is even harder. But if you are willing to devote your time and energy to creating an authentic values statement, there’s a good chance that the resulting values will stand your company in a far better stead than your competitors.

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