How to Make Values Central to Your Organization’s Success

Values are an intrinsic part of every organization. They influence an organization’s culture and environment. These values are responsible for creating the workplace you desire. But are the current values in line with your organization’s goals and do they complement your mission and vision? If the prevailing values do not create a motivated and happy workforce, you will need to do the following:

1. Identify the current values of your workplace.
2. Ascertain if they are the right values for your workplace; and
3. Modify the actions and behaviors of employees to bring about the desired value.

Let us learn how to develop and implement shared workplace values, as shared by top management consulting firms, to successfully help the organization achieve its plans and goals.

Follow these 4 steps to Identify organizational values

1. Gather your executive group to discuss the importance of shared values in an organization.
2. Once the import has been established, obtain a go-ahead from the leads to create a value-based workplace.
3. Define the individual roles of managers in this process.
4. Print out a written material to be distributed among the employees.

Organize a value alignment session in which all members of the organization will have to participate. Ensure that such sessions are conducted by trained facilitators so that all the members of your company can participate equally. In case you don’t manage an external coordinator, let one of the employees conduct the session and then train another internal employee to conduct the following session, with the first facilitator now attending as a participant. But first, each leader must do the following:

1. Distribute all the written materials with every participant in your group, explaining the context of the discussion.
2. Stress on the impact of the process on the organization by stating the need and rationale behind it.
3. Ensure that the employees understand the importance of their participation in the process.
4. Make sure that all the members are a part of this session.
5. Address all questions and acknowledge employee concerns across all group members leading the process.

Highlights of the Value identification workshop

The workshop trainer will begin the session with a quick overview establishing the grounds for the process as already communicated by the group leaders. The key pointers being;

1. Each employee brings to the workshop, their own set of values
2. Having similar values in the workplace helps decision making and affects team performance.

Steps in the Workplace Values Identification Process

1. During the value identification workshop, the participants are required to identify and note down 5 to 10 most important values that they bring and contribute to the workplace.
2. Once everyone has written down their values, each employee can read out their list to get an insight into their co-worker’s mind.
3. The participants then team up with small groups of people across the organization to identify which of the values that they have listed, hold importance to the group for creating a healthy work environment.
4. Generally, some values would be repeated across various lists
5. Tally all the lists to reach out on a consensus concerning the most important values.
6. All these values are then defined with examples to explain how they will affect the behavior and actions of the employees when incorporated into the culture
7. Eg: Integrity: to maintain credibility to match our actions with our words

Document these values for sharing

Once the values from each session have been listed, analyze the most common or highlighted values and arrange accordingly into a list.

Develop value statements with examples for easier understanding (Refer: integrity)

Share these values as a print out with all the members for them to inculcate.

The leader’s role in ensuring the perpetuity of workplace values

1. Communicate the mission statement and values with the staff frequently.
2. Establish organizational goals which are in line with those values.
3. Follow and exhibit the values yourself as a model example for others.
4. Reward and appreciate the individuals whose actions reflect the values.
5. Hire and promote those individuals who have adopted these values in their daily lives.
6. Conduct frequent meetings as a refresher.

In order to fructify your efforts towards developing a value-driven organization, follow up is of utmost importance. The organization must be willing to transform and open to change. Never undermine the power of rewards and recognition towards an employee who incorporates the values. However, if you think you can’t commit to this change, then do not even attempt to start this process. Otherwise, you’ll probably end up with a bunch of unhappy employees feeling betrayed and fooled. If you are looking for a consultant who can help you and guide you set up a perfect value-based system, then Cerveausys is one of the most seasoned management consulting companies in Pune. It is also one of the most recognized and experienced management consulting firms in Mumbai. If you are looking out to engage one, please feel free to call us +91-7709992257 or email us at info@cerveausys.com