It's "in" to develop a statement of corporate values. But it isn't worth much unless the leaders are committed to managing the business in a way that is congruent with the stated values. And that is one of greatest challenges managers face every day.
The hazards of values statements that are not practiced are illustrated through a short, engaging story about an imaginary CEO (Bill Elby). Touring through the Museum of Corporate Contradictions, Bill revisits some of his company's visible inconsistencies between statements and action. Among those:
- a paper clip - acquisition requires two levels of approval; the principle is decisions at the lowest possible level.
- supervisors - inadequately trained to manage "our most important resource."
- a newspaper story - about large executive bonuses during a time of serious cutbacks.
After this depressing tour, Bill encounters supervisors and managers who have personal passion and commitment to living their values at work. For example, a supervisor named Willie walks away from his chat with the CEO saying, "Sorry I can't stay and talk but I told a few of my folks that we'd get together. Their time is important. And besides, when you say something, you gotta do it!"
There are six key things that leaders do to create the "climate" or "culture" of an organization.* To the extent that these six are consistent with the stated corporate values, the leadership will be seen as "walking the talk." All of these six have more impact in shaping the culture than your formal values statement.
- What you pay attention to, measure, and control:
- staff meeting agendas
- monthly report content
- decisions reviewed
- The way you react when there is a serious problem:
The first piece of this is "what is a serious problem?" Members of the organization learn what matters by what you react to. How you handle the problem also carries a message about your beliefs about human nature, work, and your company.
- How you allocate scarce resources:
For example, consider,
- the level of acceptable financial risk reflected by your budget process
- the decision making required to "kill" a project
- How you act as a role model, teacher, and coach:
- having and expressing passion for the organization's mission
- telling stories that reinforce the kind of environment you want
- What you reward and how:
Culture is created as much (or more) by implicit criteria as explicit criteria.
- Is "fire-fighting" rewarded more than quality improvements?
- Whose opinions are most valued in deciding who gets important rewards?
- Do "risk takers" get held up as positive examples?
- Who you hire, promote, or "excommunicate":
- Do you promote strong "people managers" or those with the best "bottom line" more often?
- Are people "put out to pasture" for taking risks and failing?
And the Seventh thing is . . .
Research has shown that the extent to which members of an organization feel committed to their organization's values is strongly affected by their clarity about their own personal values. So offering employees a process or tool for clarifying their own values could be a significant step in gaining commitment to the organization's values.
Teaming tip:
Review the things to which you have paid visible attention at work in the past two days. What does this list say about what matters most to you?
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