Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

The value of values - a guide for managers

Introduction

Our values are the foundation of everything we do, they drive our choices and our
decisions and help explain our feelings and emotions.

Having an understanding of values and their impact will give you an essential tool for
getting the best from yourself and those you work with.

This values guide will provide you with information, ideas and techniques that will help you
to:
 Explain why and show how values are important to you and others
 Understand other people’s values to improve their motivation, contribution and
fulfilment
 Use values to help people/teams to work better together
 Attract and retain people who are important to you and your organisation –
employees and customers
 Identify and embed values for your organisation which are meaningful for people
and make a difference

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Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

Contents

PART 1: WHAT VALUES ARE AND WHY THEY ARE IMPORTANT

 Our personal values

 The link between personal and organisational values and their

relationship to culture and behaviour

 Why are values important to managers and leaders?

PART 2: VALUES IN PRACTICE

 Making values tangible

 The relationship between values, needs and motivation

 Using values to enhance employee engagement

PART 3: PRACTICAL TOOLS, HINTS AND TIPS

 For me/ my staff: Identifying personal values

 For teams: Helping teams to work better together through shared

values

 For organisations: Identifying/refreshing organisation values

 What values look like in action - behaviours

 Embedding values and making them live

 Measuring values and their impact

FURTHER READING AND RESOURCES

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Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

PART ONE: VALUES: WHAT THEY ARE AND WHY THEY ARE
IMPORTANT

1.0 Our personal values

“One’s judgement of what is important in life” (www.oxforddictionaries.com)

Our personal values describe what is most important to us - what we instinctively prioritise
above other things – our ‘inner guide’. They are the core of who we are, the fundamental
things that need to be present in our lives for us to feel happiness, satisfaction and
fulfilment.

They are individual and internal and we use them every day, often at an unconscious level,
to make decisions and choices about what we do and how we do it – they are the reason
why we do the things we do.

Our values provide the motivation, drive and energy to get things done. They fuel our
passion and our emotion. So they also determine when we feel frustrated, angry or lack the
energy to do something because it doesn’t fit with the values that are important to us.

Values are the point at which our internal world of beliefs, hopes, fears and expectations
connect with the world around us. If there is alignment between our personal values and
the prevailing environment at home, work or in the wider community/ society, we will feel a
sense of wellbeing. If there is gap, we will ‘disengage’ and not be able to give our best or
fulfil our potential.

Being more aware of our own values helps us understand why we act the way we do and
how we are perceived by others. We can make more informed choices about what we do
and how, in line with what matters most for us.

Awareness of other people's values helps us understand what motivates them and causes
them to act as they do. They enable us to make choices about how we relate to others and
what we expect of them. And how we can help others to be their best

Values are therefore powerful ‘connectors’ or ‘dis-connectors’ between us and those

around us, with resulting impact on our workplaces and communities

“The Latin root of the word values is ‘valor’

meaning strength... In understanding our
values we equip ourselves with a perennial
source of motivation, focus and strength to
achieve those things that matter most to
us”
Michael Henderson, Finding True North,
2003

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Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

What values are not

Values are often confused with beliefs, ethics, morals, principles and behaviour. They may
overlap but are not the same

Values describe what is important. They affect what we chose to do and how

Values are underpinned by beliefs. Beliefs are why we think something is important or
desirable (or undesirable). This may not be "true" or "real", but we believe it to be.

Our beliefs inform our principles. Principles help us to predict what we think ‘will’ (or
believe ‘should’) happen. Principles include a level of judgement

Ethics and morals include a sense of right and wrong whereas values in themselves are
neutral – they are not ‘good’ or ‘bad’

People don’t judge us by our values, they judge us by our behaviour, i.e. what we say and
do (or don’t say or don’t do). We demonstrate in our behaviour what is important to us

Beliefs Ethics Morals Principles

•These are •These are the •These are our •These are basic
assumptions or standards by adopted truths or
convictions that a which behaviours viewpoints on understanding
person holds to are evaluated for what is right and about how
be true regarding their morality – wrong, good and “things” work.
people, concepts, their rightness or bad.
or things. They wrongness.
come from our
life experience
and are open to
being reformed
based upon new
experiences

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Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

1.2 The link between personal and organisational values and their
relationship to culture and behaviour
“Important and lasting beliefs or ideals shared by the members of a culture about what is
good or bad and desirable or undesirable. (www.businessidctionary.com)

“Culture describes the way human beings behave

together – what they value and what they celebrate”
Roger Steare, Financial Times, 15 July 2012

Organisation Culture and values

Everyone has different values and combined together they form a key part of the complex
and complicated culture of where we work and live.

Leaders

Culture
and values

Managers Individuals

Values are always personal but some organisations chose to define ‘corporate values’ which
describe the sort of organisation they are, what it stands for and how people will behave
collectively.

Values are all too often felt to be limited to the strategic end of business development
and/or ‘not relevant’. However, they have an essential role because they express what is
most important for you to carry out your purpose, strategy and business objectives. They
are part of your unique organisation identity

Clear values at organisational level will influence the decisions you take about what you do
and how you do it – directly affecting the experience of your employees and customers.

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Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

Whether they are written down or not, values define your brand and reputation. They need
to be translated into the behaviours which you need to be effective as a business, and lived
out in everyday practice and experience. For values led businesses, values act as a golden
thread that runs through every level of their business strategy, performance management
systems and corporate communications.

Shared values

Organisational values and behaviour

Identity

Values

Skills and Capabilities

Behaviour

Environment

Your employees and your customers also have their own values which will influence their
behaviour. The greater the alignment between their personal and your organisational
values, and the greater the alignment between people's values with one another, the
greater the rapport, loyalty and commitment people will have to your organisation and its
success.

Shared values and behaviour

Identity

Values

Skills and Capabilities

Behaviour

Environment

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 Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide Key attributes of values led

The impact of behaviour Businesses

Leaders and managers indicate to employees and

customers what is important by what they actually say and
what they do - not what is written on the wall or in They are good at what they
corporate literature. Your words and deeds directly shape do
the culture if you are in a senior or influential role. The
They see values as a major
words and deeds of all employees will be seen by others as motivator for staff
an example of the culture of the organisation in practice.
Values motivate and tell a
You can choose to demonstrate and role model explicit and story both internally and to
intentional behaviour to drive specific results and actions. the outside world

They are seen as open and

Examples of the importance of behaviour on culture
trustworthy
Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google encourages his staff to spend 20% of
their time on what interests them and not what their boss wants Management is held to
them to do. He says: "Out of that most of our great new products account for both results
have come." and values by stakeholders

These are his personal values, but by the virtue that he's made them There are clear mechanisms
public, he is saying to Google employees he values risk takers, in place which ensure that
welcomes change, and has faith that new ideas and success will values are the bias of
come from them. shared purpose which is
Julian Roberts, CEO Old Mutual plc is quite clear about the understood and
importance of behaviour in establishing the culture Old Mutual transmitted through the
requires, and leads by example business

‘’It is very very important if you want to build a business where our Values place clear
customers trust us then the fundamental layer of our values, the expectations on staff in
fundamental layer of our behaviours is critically important…You’ve how they relate to each
never done enough, it’s always a journey…you keep on having to other, to suppliers and
refresh and remind people how important our behaviours are.”
customer
And-what happens when behaviours has negative
Staff views are listened to
consequences
Examples of values led
The negative impact of leaders’ behaviours on the culture of
organisations:
organisations has been epitomised by Bob Diamond, former Barclays
CEO. He will regret saying in November 2011 “‘for me, the evidence John Lewis
of culture is how people behave when no one is looking”. How right
he was! The subsequent revelations of rate fixing and mis-selling led ARUP
not only to the loss of stakeholder confidence in him and Barclays
Bank, there was a knock on loss of trust for other banking institutions Nationwide
and leaders in general. Barclays has now invested millions of pounds
in redefining its values and training all its staff to achieve culture and (“Profiting from Values”
behaviour change Mark Lupton and Angela
Lomax)
“Leaders get the culture they behave”
David Jarrett, Bath Consultancy Group 2012
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Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

1.3 Why are values important to managers?

Managers are like the glue in an organisation. Individually they show in their behaviour what
is important (see section 1.2) They are also judged collectively by their behaviour and
actions by the people who work with and for them

If all managers fundamentally believe their people are the most important part of getting a
job done well, then their people will reflect that importance through the delivery of their
work. This will directly impact the customer/ stakeholder experience.

Organisation Managers Individuals Customers/

•Desired culture and •In touch with their •Personal values are
values own values so they recognised and aligned
Stakeholders
•Leadership articulate can articulate them with corporate values •See/experience a
personal values that appropriately •Allowed to do their recognisable culture
inspire their people •Management of team best work that keeps them
aligned with desired coming back for more
culture and values

If as a manager you are in touch with your own values about what is important and why,
you can make more informed choices about what you do in the workplace and how you do
it - and also what you won't or can't do.

This will give you more sense of personal control and will directly impact the way you are
perceived by others. Your behaviour will be contributing to the style and culture of the
organisation and how others in turn behave

Articulating what is important to you and why, and knowing what is important to your
team members will give you more options about how to keep yourself and those who work
with you engaged and motivated.

Your reputation as a manager, and that of your organisation, will depend on the way people
- your Board, executive leaders, employees and customers alike - see you. If your
management style motivates groups of people to do their jobs consistently well, then your
pivotal role in the success of the team and the organisation will be seen.

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 Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

PART 2: VALUES IN PRACTICE

2.1 Making values tangible

Values may still seem abstract at this stage, but once you start looking you will constantly
become aware of them in yourself and others. You will hear what is most important to
people by what they say and what they choose to do; where you see their energy and
enthusiasm (or lack of it.) And you will learn to recognise your own values in the way you
feel and react at work and outside.

To articulate and share values it helps to ‘name’ them. Below is a list of some of the values
identified by the UK Values Alliance as important to people and organisations
(http://www.valuesalliance.net)

Acceptance Decency Independence Recognition

Accountability Dependability Inner strength Reliability
Achievement Development Innovation Resourcefulness
Adaptability Diversity Integrity Respect
Appreciation Dignity Information Responsibility
Authenticity Duty sharing Results orientation
Balance Efficiency Kindness Safety
Being valued Empathy Knowledge Security
Being the best Empowerment Learning Sense of Purpose
Belonging Enthusiasm Listening Service
Calmness Environmental awareness Love Sharing
Caring Equality Loyalty Simplicity
Caution Excellence Making a Spirituality
Challenge Fairness difference Stability
Cleanliness Financial stability Openness Success
Collaboration Forgiveness Order Support
Commitment Freedom Partnership Team
Community Friendship Patience Tolerance
Compassion Fun Peace Trust
Competence Goal orientation Perseverance Truth
Connection Gratitude Positivity Variety
Continuous improvement Growth Pride Well being
Control Harmony Productivity Wisdom
Contribution Helpfulness Professional
Cooperation Honesty Protection
Courage Humility Quality
Creativity
Customer satisfaction

This is not an exhaustive list and you can use other inventories: For example, the
Minessence Values framework consists of 128 discrete and universal values and descriptions
http://www.minessence.net/PDFs/ValueDescriptorList.pdf . Steve Pavlina gives you an
inventory of 418 to choose from to get started http://www.stevepavlina.com/articles/list-
of-values.htm. The Barrett inventory of values is also wieldy used
(http://www.valuescentre.com)
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Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

You can identify values from what people say about what matters and why - to them and to
others. Listening to employees, customers and other stakeholders, as well as people outside
work, will tell you a lot about what their values are. And it is fine to use their own ‘values’
words.

Different words will mean different things to different people. It is therefore important that
whatever words we choose to describe values, we understand and articulate what we mean
by the word, what it gives us, and what it looks like ‘in action’.

This is particularly important for choosing and defining what we mean by organisation
values. This is because the organisation is describing to employees and customers what is
important, why it is important, and what can therefore be expected from that organisation
and its people.

If we engage employees and customers in this process, the organisation values are much
more likely to align to their personal values, and to be meaningful and motivational to them

For more information about values inventories and other ways to identify individual and
organisation values see section 3.0

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Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

2.2 The relationship between values, needs and motivation

Values are the things that are most important to us, which we prioritise above other things
in the choices we make. Values are therefore a collection of what we need (or have to have),
and what we desire (the things we would like or want to have)

Some values describe the outcome we seek (e.g. making a difference, equality, justice);
others are more about how we experience life’s journey (e.g. collaboration, caring, integrity)

Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is well known and ‘universal’. In reality our needs are
very influenced by our context. Most people in the western world would take their basic
needs for granted. Different needs will be important to each of us, and may be more or less
important at different times in our lives.

Maslow suggests that in each case we cannot experience ‘higher level’ needs if the ‘lower
levels’ are unmet

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

5) Self-actualisation:
achieving one's full potential,
including creative activities

4) Esteem needs:
prestige and feeling of
accomplishment
3) Belongingness and love needs:
intimate relationships, friends

2) Safety needs:
security, safety

1) Physiological needs:
food, water, warmth, rest

For example, safety and survival can be threatened by job insecurity or safety at
work/where we live. Physiological needs would rise in importance if you broke your leg and
couldn’t get to work or do your job. Equally, if an elderly relative of one of your team gets ill,
being able to care for them becomes a priority. People won’t be able to perform to the best
of their abilities without this priority being understood and accepted.

Unmet needs divert energy from the real work we want to do or we want our teams to
achieve. For example, we cannot be creative if the office is too cold to work in. We cannot

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Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

expect someone to work from home all the time who relies on the team to feel a sense of
belonging without putting other measures in place to meet this need in a different way.

Similarly, Herzberg’s Motivation theory states a difference between motivation needs which
link to the work we do, and hygiene (or maintenance) needs which are more about the
context of our work and what needs to be in place. Hygiene needs will act as demotivators if
they are not met. Examples of Herzberg's hygiene needs in the workplace are: relationship
with supervisor, work conditions, salary, company car, status, security, and relationship with
subordinates (linked to the lower three levels of Maslow’s hierarchy). Examples of
motivation needs are completely different e.g. achievement, recognition, nature of work,
responsibility and advancement.

Of course we don't always have infinite choices or resources. But if as a manager you
understand and pay attention to the lower level or ‘maintenance needs’ of your people,
which may be absorbing energy or creating dissatisfaction if unmet, then this will allow
more energy to go into the higher level needs and motivators of your team members. This
will create and bring more value to the team and organisation in terms of energy,
commitment and productivity
The Barrett Values Centre
The Minessence Values Inventory differentiates between
define ‘Seven levels of
Foundation, Focus and Vision Values
consciousness’ and aligns
If Foundation Values are not fully met they increase in values to these
importance and can cause stress. They will need additional
Basic needs:
energy and effort to satisfy them. We tend to run to
foundation values emotionally if we feel under Survival e.g. health, security,
stress/pressure - those times are when the Foundation financial stability
values are at their "hungriest". Examples of Foundation
values are Financial Security, Self-preservation, Family Relationship - feeling
Belonging, Care/ Nurture, Self-worth, Tradition protected and loved

Focus values tend to occupy our waking hours and the ideas Self-esteem - feeling a sense
that drive our daily activities. When ‘lived’ they provide a of self-worth
sense of fulfilment and richness of meaning. If they can’t or
Growth needs:
aren’t being lived, this may cause stress. Example of Focus
values are Achievement, Self-confidence/ competence, Transformation e.g.
Financial Success, Loyalty, Workmanship/Quality, Health adaptability, learning, personal
and wellbeing growth

Vision Values paint a picture of the type of world we would Internal cohesion e.g.
like to live in or work in. Vision values are powerful integrity, honesty, creativity
motivators, pull us forward, a source of inspiration. Typically
they are energy giving rather than energy draining and will Making a difference - living
provide great value to any organisation that can harness your purpose
these. Examples of vision values are service/ vocation, Selfless Service -Caring for
pioneerism/ progress, generosity, human dignity, humanity and the planet
discovery and insight, interdependence
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Note: Patterns of values are unique to each individual.
They move in priority and time
Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

2.3 Using values to enhance employee engagement

 Only around a third of UK
Values have a key relationship to employee employees say they are
engagement. actively engaged at work.
 64% of people say they
Employee Engagement is a major topic in national and have more to offer in
international conversations and a term which is skills and talent than they
increasingly being used by organisations because of are currently being asked
the impact it is known to have on other key to demonstrate in their
effectiveness measures (see employee engagement- work
the evidence – below) www.engageforsuccess.org
(Feb 2013)
Engaged employees bring greater productivity to their
work, and engaged employees feel more personally
and professionally fulfilled in their work. If the values
of staff are being met in terms of their needs and motivators (see previous section), they
will be more ‘engaged’, and productivity will increase

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) describes employee

engagement as “being positively present during the performance of work by willingly
contributing intellectual effort, experiencing positive emotions and meaningful connection
to others” (CIPD 2013).

The CIPD measures employee engagement in its employee outlook survey every quarter
(www.cipd.co.uk/ Research) which explores employee attitudes in the fast-changing world
of work in the UK. This and other similar national and international employee engagement
metrics, indicate that typically engagement levels in the UK are 30-35% (up to 50% in the
voluntary sector.) This means that only a third of UK staff are actively engaged at work, and
20 million workers are not delivering their full capability or realising their full potential at
work. This provides huge scope for an increase in productivity and satisfaction if
engagement is enhanced

The figures for the USA are similar with 70% of workers not engaged (Gallup)

ORC International (http://www.orcinternational.com) defines engagement in terms of ‘say,

stay and strive’ principles:
 SAY=Employee advocacy - whether employees are inclined to speak positively about
the organization to colleagues and potential employees and other people externally.
 STAY=Employee Commitment - reflects an employee’s commitment to the
organisation in terms of whether they wish to stay with the organisation, develop
their career there and really be a part of the organisation.
 STRIVE=Discretionary effort - the extent to which employees are willing to go the
extra mile and put discretionary effort into their work.

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Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

Values are at the heart of successful employee engagement. 'Engaging For Success' lists four
enablers shown below (http://www.engageforsuccess.org). All four of these ‘enablers’ has
a link to employee engagement and as a manager you have a key role in influencing all of
these

Engaging For Success's Four Enablers What do I need to do as a manager?

Visible, empowering leadership providing a Translate the narrative into what's important
strong strategic narrative about the for your business and how staff contribute to
organisation, where it’s come from and where this. It's not a one off job. You need to keep
it’s going. asking, how this is reflected in what we do and
why, and how we deliver our services. Collect
Use your values to motivate and tell a story, feedback and constantly review how this fits
both internally and to the outside world with your strategy and performance at every
level of the organisation, from Board
downwards. How is it reflected in your values
and behaviour and what people say about
these?
Engaging managers, who focus their people Managing is more than giving out instructions
and give them scope, treat their people as and deadlines. Explain how what is important
individuals and coach and stretch their to the organisation and you as a manager links
people. to the work of the team and how you do it
together. Understand how to meet the
Understand what is important to each different individual needs of your team
member of your team –what they need, what members within what is important to the
they aspire to, how they perform best organisation
There is employee voice throughout the Talk to your staff at every level and at every
organisations, for reinforcing and challenging opportunity, both through formal channels and
views, between functions and externally, informally, to find out what they think is
employees are seen as central to the solution. important and whether it is being met. Use
focus groups and other opportunities to engage
Show in your personal and organisation values staff in what values are important, how this is
and practices that staff are listened to and being demonstrated and what is getting in the
their views matter way. Use staff surveys and other feedback
mechanisms to find out if staff think the values
are being met. Follow up on negative feedback
and engage staff on ideas for improvement and
solutions
There is organisational integrity – the values Lead by example.
on the wall are reflected in day-to-day Behave in accordance with your values as a
behaviours. There is no ‘say –do’ gap. manager and an appropriate way that
promotes the values of the organisation.
Hold managers to account, not only for results Be visible
but how these are delivered Ask for personal feedback and act on it
Recognise and reward/promote examples of
behaviour which match the values you are
seeking
Act when you see behaviours that do not
reflect the values that are important to your
organisation and you as a manager in it
Be accountable

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Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

Current measures of staff engagement are still developing and are not consistent. In organisations,
staff surveys remain the most common form of assessing employee engagement. Many staff are
cynical about these and surveys are not very effective because often they are not followed up. They
are seen as ‘top down’ or done by HR, and do not always identify the things that are most important
to people.

Meaningful employee engagement needs to reflect the needs of staff and what is most
important to them, not just the organisation. Leaders and managers need to be seen to take this
seriously, and to measure and follow up in the same way as customer satisfaction surveys are.

By listening to what is most important to staff, i.e. their values, and the extent to which these are
met, action can then be focused on the areas that will make the biggest difference to individual and
organisation engagement, productivity and effectiveness.

Employee engagement – the evidence

Organisations with engagement scores in the top quartile

 have twice the annual net profit than those in

bottom quartile
 have revenue growth 2.5 times of those in the
bottom quartile
 have 18% higher productivity than those in the
bottom quartile
 average 12% higher customer advocacy
 59% of engaged employees say their job brings out
their most creative ideas (3% for least engaged)
 Companies with high level of engagement show
employee turnover of 40% lower than those with
low engagement
 Organisations with those in bottom quartile
engagement average 42% more accidents

UK productivity was 20% lower than rest of G7 in 2011

http://www.engageforsuccess.org

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Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

PART 3: PRACTICAL TOOLS, HINTS AND TIPS

3.1 How can I identify and work with my personal values?

This is the starting point for working with values. Self-awareness will not give you solutions
but will tell you what the key ingredients of the ‘right solution’ is for you

If you are in touch with your own values about what is important and why, then you can
make more informed choices about what you do in your work and beyond and how you do
it.

It will also help you to recognise and articulate the importance and role of values when
working with others – for yourself and for them, enhancing the decisions you take

Here's a useful to do list:

Exercise: Reflective questions you can ask to identify/connect with your own values

An easy way to identify what is important to you is to reflect on everyday actions, engaging
both your thoughts and feelings. Working with values starts with self-awareness. Below are
a few examples

Situation Reflective questions

After a good day….. What has been good about today?
What has given me energy?
What am I most pleased about/ why?
What am I going to do more of?
What am I going to do next and why?
Who has made me feel good to day?
Who have I made feel good today
After a bad day……. What has made today bad or difficult?
Why do I mind about this?
What has been missing?
Who has upset me or made me cross
today? Why do I mind?
Who could I have treated better today?
What have I avoided today?
What will I not repeat/do again?
Planning an evening, weekend or holiday? What is most important to me about this?
Why?
What do I want this to give me?
Who else needs to be part of this?
Responding to an opportunity? What will this give me that is important?
Who else will benefit?
What will I lose or do I need to give up to
do this? Am I willing to pay this price?
 Look for patterns

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Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

 Notice extreme feeling and reactions

 Do more of what feels good.
 Seek support in breaking out of what is not working for you

Using questionnaires and inventories

If you want to take your values exploration further you may choose to use an inventory. But
beware. Values are complex and powerful and poor information is worse than none

You can use a general list to select the 5 or 10 values that are most important to you, such
as those on page 12 of this guide. However there is a risk that you may select values which
you think should be important rather than the ones that actually are.

Some more sophisticated questionnaires may identify things we don’t like, don’t agree with
or don’t understand. Seek an appropriate tool and supplier

Choose carefully, and look for coaching support if you are serious about using your values to
make change

Example questionnaires

The Minessence Values framework consists of 128 discrete and universal values and
descriptions http://www.minessence.net. There is a powerful diagnostic tool which can only
be accessed through licenced practitioners and there are a range of report options. It
provides a dynamic view of your foundation, focus and vison values (see page 12) which
provides a very useful insight for making personal change

The Barrett inventory of values is also widely used internationally

(http://www.valuescentre.com)

There are a range of options, including a free on line questionnaire and more complex
versions for individual coaching, personal and organisation development

VIA Signature strengths (Seligman) is an easy to use, free self-assessment designed by some
of the greatest thinkers in the field of positive psychology. It gives an individual insight into
their personal 'strengths of character' each of which will have specific underpinning
personal values. While this tool doesn't give you a list of what you value per se it does help
you to focus on the ways in which you make a positive difference in work and at home.
http://www.viacharacter.org/www/The-Survey

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Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

3.2 Identifying and working with the personal values of other people

Effective managers use every day conversation as a catalyst for understanding the values of
people and motivating them.

Managers manage people in the here and now. To get the best from people a good manager
recognises that everyone's values are different and what is motivational and meaningful for
one person will be different for another. Whatever is going on, a manager needs be able to
help individuals to be the most effective they can be at work.

Questions you can ask to connect with the values of others

Day-to-day people management and managing effective relationships requires

conversations which include what is important to others - through questions and listening to
what is said (or is not said)

For example, when recognising/acknowledging achievements:

 Ask what was particularly satisfying about their work/that task

 Why are they pleased with certain achievements?
 What did they take away from it?
 What could have made the task easier, quicker?
 What additional support would be useful?
 What else would they like to do in that area of work?

When things haven’t gone so well:

 Ask how they feel about it

 What would they like to be different next time
 How can you support them?
 What have they learned?

Just asking about weekends and holidays will give you more information about what is
important to people. Equally, notice when someone withdraws his or her effort, gets easily
upset, angry with a colleague etc. Never assume it will blow over. With others notice where
their energy is. When does their mood change or lift?

Observe behaviour but don’t jump to conclusions as to why. Use simple questions to
feedback what you have noticed. Leave the other person to choose what they tell you. It may
be about work or something else and people will choose what they share
Once you start observing and talking to people in this way you will spot what is important to
people, which gives you more choice about how to respond and get the best from them.

Once you know more about what is important to an individual and why, you will have more
choices about how to help that person meet that need. If the need cannot be met you can
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have a more honest an authentic conversation about why. If the individual is also made
more aware of what is important to them this will also empower them to make subsequent
decisions.

3.3 Using values to help teams work better together

Harnessing individual values for team performance

Awareness of other people's values helps us understand what motivates them and causes
them to act as they do. They enable us to make choices about how we relate to others and
what we expect of them. And how we can help others to be their best. Understanding
different values of individuals in teams can bring benefits of diversity and help us use the
particular interests or passion of others to get things done.

Meredith Belbin has identified nine different roles which are necessary for team success
www.belbin.com. Each preferred role is likely to be underpinned by different values.
Enabling people to work in line with their values will create happier individuals and teams,
improving results and performance

Team role What individual brings to the team Potential Underlying value
IMPLEMENTERS Getting the task done Loyalty
Practical solutions Accountability
Organisation Responsibly
TEAM WORKERS Harmony Belonging
Social orientation Caring
Team spirit Cooperation
MONITOR EVALUATORS Analysis Quality
Judgement Efficiency
Objectivity Control
COMPLETER FINISHERS Detail Perseverance
Getting the job finished Patience
Reliability
PLANTS New ideas Creativity
Solutions Freedom
Knowledge Innovation
RESOURCE INVESTIGATORS Finding useful people and resources Connection
Problem solving Resourcefulness
Energy Positivity
CO-ORDINATORS Listening Efficiency
Focus on objectives Fairness
Order Stability
SHAPERS Dynamism Sense of purpose
Results Achievement
Challenge Courage
SPECIALIST Technical/ functional expertise Professionalism
Competence
Knowledge

Team building exercise – use Belbin’s questionnaire/ team roles, or another tool such as
Insights or MBTI, with appropriate training or support. Individuals identify their preferred type
or style, and then share these in their team, explaining why this is important for them and
what they need from others. Work as a group to understand how to get the best from each
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Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

team member, how to fill in gaps and how to remove obstacles or behaviour which is getting
in the way

Identifying shared values within a team or across teams

People work in teams. While each individual in a team will have their own values, there will be
values that are common to each person in that team. Understanding these, and working in a
way which harnesses these, will increase the commitment and performance of each
individual. It will also enhance the performance of the team, especially when aligned to the
purpose and objectives of the team/ organisation

It will also help you to identify where different teams have different values which may be in
conflict. This may be because of the specific purpose or objectives of that team or because of
the nature of the specific individuals in the team. Making this difference explicit will help team
members understand reasons for the conflict and to remove obstacles where necessary.
Teams may also see where they have overlapping values and purpose, and how to use this to
mutual advantage.

Exercise 1 – using cards

Either buy or create cards defining different values. You can select these from your chosen
values inventory, including the ones in this guide.

Ask team members to select a card which is essential to them for delivering the work of their
team. Ask then talk about the card (s) they have chosen and why.

Group the ones that are similar and different

Facilitate discussion in whole group or smaller groups about the implications for joint
teamwork or collaboration

Exercise 2 – using a questionnaire (this requires more time)

1) Ask individual team members to select from the table below (or similar) the 5 values that
are most important to them personally. You may want to use a questionnaire/ inventory such
as the VIA strengths finder (www.viastrenghts.org.) or an alternative. From these summarise
the 10 top shared values by team

2) Ask individual team members to select from the same table below (or chosen inventory/
questionnaire) the 5 values that are most important to their team or organisation in delivering
their work. From these summarise the top 10 shared values by team

3) Using the lists of shared personal and team/ organisation values, agree the top 5 values for
each team. Where appropriate agree values (3-5) which are shard across teams.

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4) For each of the chosen shared values discuss and identify the individual and team
behaviours which support the achievement of that value

4) Facilitate discussion in whole group or smaller groups about the implications for joint
teamwork or collaboration and how to encourage the required behaviours

Acceptance Decency Independence Recognition

Accountability Dependability Inner strength Reliability
Achievement Development Innovation Resourcefulness
Adaptability Diversity Integrity Respect
Appreciation Dignity Information Responsibility
Authenticity Duty sharing Results orientation
Balance Efficiency Kindness Safety
Being valued Empathy Knowledge Security
Being the best Empowerment Learning Sense of Purpose
Belonging Enthusiasm Listening Service
Calmness Environmental awareness Love Sharing
Caring Equality Loyalty Simplicity
Caution Excellence Making a Spirituality
Challenge Fairness difference Stability
Cleanliness Financial stability Openness Success
Collaboration Forgiveness Order Support
Commitment Freedom Partnership Team
Community Friendship Patience Tolerance
Compassion Fun Peace Trust
Competence Goal orientation Perseverance Truth
Connection Gratitude Positivity Variety
Continuous improvement Growth Pride Well being
Control Harmony Productivity Wisdom
Contribution Helpfulness Professional
Cooperation Honesty Protection
Courage Humility Quality
Creativity
Customer satisfaction

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3.4 For organisations: Identifying/refreshing organisation values

How to design/refresh values for my organisation/team?

Values are always personal but some organisations chose to define ‘corporate values’ which
describe the sort of organisation they are, what the organisation stands for and how people
will behave collectively.

For organisation values to be meaningful they need to be ‘core’ i.e. the foundation of the
organisations identity and decision making. Employees and customers will be able to
describe the sort of behaviour which demonstrate the organisation values (and those that
don’t). The values will describe the organisations most important, persistent priorities - the
ones that always come first when there is a decision to make.

Your staff and your customers have their own values which will influence their behaviour.
The greater the alignment between their personal and your organisational values, and the
greater the alignment between people's values with one another, the greater the rapport,
loyalty and commitment people will have to your organisation and its success.

Organisations spend a lot of effort and money in defining and updating their corporate
brand, usually using consultants, stakeholder surveys and focus groups –always using their
customers to tell them what is most important to them. Organisations aim to describe in
their brand what is unique to them, and is therefore better or more attractive than their
competitors.

In contrast, while some organisations also spend a lot of time and effort creating their
written organisation values, for many this is a token exercise, created round a board room
table or by the HR team.

The result can be very bland values. Every organisation wants and needs ‘integrity’, ‘respect
for people’, ‘quality’ and ‘customer satisfaction’. How can you select values which provide
meaning and engagement for your staff, so you will attract the best people to join you and
create the loyalty and commitment which is critical to your organisation’s success?

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Below are some golden rules

Some golden rules in creating corporate values

1) Be clear from the top about why you need clear organisation values, how they will fit with
your business identity, purpose and objectives, and how your values will be used
2) Distil your values into what is really important, which represent the essence of the
organisation and you can’t do without
3) Engage your employees and your customers. However you do it, ask them what is most
important to them in the organisation and the work they do/ service they receive – what
people do and how they do it
4) Actively listen and use the language your employees and customers use to describe what
is important and why it is important. Explain each value in a straightforward sentence
explaining what this value means that people understand
5) Translate the chosen values into behaviours. Describe what this value look like in action
and role model the behaviour at all levels, starting from the top (see section 3.5)
6) Embed the values in your corporate processes, systems and measures (see section 3.6)
7) Refine the process. Culture and behaviour never stands still. Values must live, breathe and
evolve in the same way people and organisations do to survive, develop and thrive

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A sample process to create organisation values

Depending on the size of your organisation, you can use the same process as creating
shared values for teams (see section 3.3). The best way to do this is to start at the top with
the Board/executive and then to cascade the process thorough each level of your
organisation.

You can also do this in ‘diagonal’ slices, using representatives from different levels, teams
and roles

Or if it fits with your desired corporate culture, you may decide to start at the ‘ground floor’
of the organisation and work upwards.

Identifying shared values across teams

Exercise 1 – using metaphor

This can work well in some organisation cultures and teams. It has the advantage of engaging
imagination and a range of senses. It can be fun and engage a wide range of people and styles
if facilitated well with willing participants. It can be quick and simple, or cascaded to a whole
organisation and visually captured.

Ask team members to choose a metaphor to represent the organisation e.g. a car, a place, an
animal. Ask team members what sort of ‘x’ (car, place, animal etc.)the organisation is and
why. Then get them to describe the key characteristics of their choice. You can do this verbally
or get them to describe their ideas visually.

Some organisations do this by providing magazines to enable participants to choose pictures

and words that they feel are appropriate

Use facilitation to draw out the common themes and shared images that describe what is best
about the organisation, and essential to its future.

Exercise 2 – using cards

Either buy or create cards defining different values. You can select these from your chosen
values inventory, including the ones in this guide.

Ask team members to select a card which is essential to them for delivering the work of their
team. Ask then talk about the card (s) they have chosen and why.

Group the ones that are similar and different

Facilitate discussion in whole group or smaller groups to agree and define the ones that are
core to the organisation.

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Exercise 3 – using a questionnaire (this requires more time)

Stage 1: Ask individual team members to select from the table in section 3.3 (or similar) the 5
values that are most important to them personally. From these summarise the top 10 shared
values by the group. This can also be cumulated for the whole organisation if required

Stage 2: Ask individual team members to select from the table below (or similar) the 5 values
that they believe are most important to the organisation. From these summarise the top 10
shared values by team. This can also be cumulated across the organisation

Stage 3: (optional) Ask individual team members to select from the table below (or similar) the
5 values that they believe are most important for colleagues to demonstrate. From these
summarise the top 10 shared values by team. This can also be cumulated across the
organisation

Stage 4: From the three lists of 10 values, select 5-6 values that are shared across all three lists

Stage 5: Once the five shared values are agreed (by group or across the organisation), use
focus groups or further team events to come up with strong organisation statements which
describe what the value means in the context of your organisation and the individual and
team behaviours which support the achievement of that value

Stage 6: You may want to include other stakeholders, including service users or customers in
the process, particularly at stage 5

Acceptance Decency Independence Recognition

Accountability Dependability Inner strength Reliability
Achievement Development Innovation Resourcefulness
Adaptability Diversity Integrity Respect
Appreciation Dignity Information Responsibility
Authenticity Duty sharing Results orientation
Balance Efficiency Kindness Safety
Being valued Empathy Knowledge Security
Being the best Empowerment Learning Sense of Purpose
Belonging Enthusiasm Listening Service
Calmness Environmental awareness Love Sharing
Caring Equality Loyalty Simplicity
Caution Excellence Making a Spirituality
Challenge Fairness difference Stability
Cleanliness Financial stability Openness Success
Collaboration Forgiveness Order Support
Commitment Freedom Partnership Team
Community Friendship Patience Tolerance
Compassion Fun Peace Trust
Competence Goal orientation Perseverance Truth
Connection Organisation growth Positivity Variety
Continuous improvement Gratitude Pride Well being
Control Growth Productivity Wisdom
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Contribution Harmony Professional

Cooperation Helpfulness Profit
Courage Honesty Protection
Creativity Humility Quality
Contribution to society
Customer satisfaction
(http://www.valuesalliance.net)

Beware of using/including the values in italics. These are common to most organisations and
you will have other measures of these. Include organisation values which can also be personal
values to get maximum alignment.

If you include values such as ‘Contribution to Society’ or ‘Customer Satisfaction’ in your

inventory and they are selected, use stage 5 and stage 6 to find strong values statements
which describes what is unique to your organisation .e.g. the contribution it makes to society,
or what it is that makes your satisfied

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Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

Some examples of organisation values John Lewis

that define organisation culture and
The John Lewis Partnership's principles define how we run our
brand
business. They are as relevant today as they were when they
were set out by our founder, John Spedan Lewis, in our
Johnson and Johnson’s
constitution
Johnson and Johnson’s credo has
Power
been around since 1943 Our Partners are able to influence their business at all levels of
the Partnership through the democratic structure and the
Our Credo has been the moral representative bodies which are defined in our constitution.
compass for our business since 1943.
It guides the decisions we make, the Profit
emphasis we place on our The Partnership aims to make sufficient profit from its trading
stakeholders, and the way we operations to sustain its commercial vitality and finance its
conduct business” continued development, to enable it to undertake other
activities consistent with its ultimate purpose and to distribute a
This includes share of those profits each year to its members.

Knowledge
‘Support good works and
charities’ We provide our Partners with the knowledge they need to carry
out their responsibilities effectively as co-owners of the
‘bear our fair share of taxes’ Partnership.

‘Maintain in good order the Members

The Partnership aims to employ people of ability and integrity
property we are privileged to use’
who are committed to working together and to supporting its
Principles. Relationships are based on mutual respect and
Etsy (Etsy is a peer-to-peer e- courtesy, with as much equality between its members as
commerce website focused on differences of responsibility permit. The Partnership aims to
handmade or vintage items and recognise their individual contributions and reward them fairly.
supplies, as well as unique factory-
manufactured items under Etsy's new Customers
guidelines, released in October The Partnership aims to deal honestly with its customers and
secure their loyalty and trust by providing outstanding choice,
2013.)
value and service.
The Etsy mission is guided by these
Business relationships
principles
The Partnership aims to conduct all its business relationships
with integrity and courtesy and to honour scrupulously every
 We are a mindful,
business agreement.
transparent and humane
business. The community
 We plan and build for the The Partnership aims to obey the spirit as well as the letter of
long term the law and to contribute to the wellbeing of the communities
 We value craftsmanship in where it operates.
all we make
 We believe fun should be
part of everything we do In business since 1916, Harley Davidsons’s core values are
 We keep it real, always straight forward:

(ETSY progress report 2013) 1. Tell the truth

2. Be fair
3. Keep your promises
4. Respect the individual
5. Encourage intellectual curiosity 27
Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

5.4 What values look like in action - behaviours?

ORGANISATION
PURPOSE &
DESIRED VALUES

Feedback on
performance and Leaders
reputation

Behaviours: what we
say & what we do

Customers/Service
Managers
users experience

Individuals

Leaders and managers indicate to staff and customers what is important by what they
actually say and what they do - not what is written on the wall or in corporate literature.

Whether they are written down or not, values define your brand and reputation. They need
to be translated into the behaviours which you need to be effective as a business, and lived
out in everyday practice and experience.

The words and deeds of all staff will be seen by others as an example of the culture of the
organisation in practice.

To make values live and stick they need to be practiced and visible in everything you say and
do - formal and informal.

Clear organisation values will include a description of the sort of behaviour that is expected,
which then needs to be practised. Only then will the values be truly experienced by
employees and customers, and people (including senior managers) rewarded or held to
account accordingly.

Many organisations describe these in standards of behaviour or competencies

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Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

Values and behaviours in the NHS

Post the damming Francis Report into the failings at Mid Staffs hospital, NHS Trusts are now
required to adapt interviews and selection processes to gauge whether candidates personal
and professional values align with the NHS ( see section 3.6 Embedding values in
recruitment) In October 2014 the NHS Health Education England launched the national
Values Based Recruitment framework http://hee.nhs.uk/work-programmes/values-based-
recruitment/national-vbr-framework to ensure all students and staff entering the NHS not
only have the right skills, but the right values to care for patients. From autumn 2015 all
applicants for health care courses will be assessed against these, which are contained within
the NHS constitution.

The framework is designed around 6 core requirements which have been developed on the
basis for evidence and extensive engagement with stakeholders. Al NHS organisations will
be required to adapt their recruitment and other processes in line with these.

Many NHS organisations have already been adopting these values –see example below. An
example of this is below, where each value is described in terms of what is expected.

Teams can then work out together how they will deliver these in practice, objectives can be
and measures can be set accordingly, and performance evaluated using feedback and other
evidence examples. The VBR framework incudes tools to assist organisations to do this.

NHS Health Education England 15 year Strategy

“The workforce will have the skills, values, behaviours and support to provide safe, high-
quality care wherever and whenever the patient is, at all times and in all settings”

“Delivering the NHS Constitution ‘will be able to bring to bring the highest levels of
knowledge and skill at times of basic human need when care compassion are what matter
most.’

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Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

These were introduced at the start of the new Trust in October 2013.

NHS Value Core (NHS Constitution and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust
VBR framework behaviours
Respect and Dignity  Respect our patients and our
“We value every person – whether colleagues
patient, their families or carers, or  Actively engage patients, carers and
staff – as an individual, respect their staff in decision making at every
aspirations and commitments in life, level
and seek to understand their priorities,
needs, abilities and limits.”
Commitment to quality of care  Provide high quality, safe and
“We earn the trust placed in us by effective care
insisting on quality and striving to get  Effective use of resources to deliver
the basics of quality of care – safety, excellent patient experience
effectiveness and patient experience –  Be open and transparent in terms of
right every time.” our performance
Compassion  Put patients, their families and
“We ensure that compassion is central to carers at the heart of everything we
the care we provide and respond with do
humanity and kindness to each person’s  Listen and respond to feedback
pain, distress, anxiety or need.” from patients, GPs and other
stakeholders
Improving Lives  Deliver the right care, at the right
“We strive to improve health place, at the right time
and well-being and people’s  Encourage innovation in all we do
experiences of the NHS.”

Working together for patients  Work creatively with local partners

“Patients come first in everything we do” to secure benefits for local people
 Support our staff to ensure they
have access to the education,
training and development
opportunities they need to do their
job well
Everyone counts  Respectful of everyone’s view
“We maximise our resources for the  Open –minded and willing to change
benefit of the whole community, and do things differently
and make sure nobody is excluded,
discriminated against or left behind.”

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Zappos has placed its culture and behaviours at the heart of its success in becoming one of
the Fortune 100s best places to work and holds everyone accountable for their behaviour
http://www.zapposinsights.com/

Core value and Questions to ask yourself / your staff – how do you
explanation demonstrate this (examples)

Deliver WOW Through Service  What are things you can improve upon in your work or
At Zappos, anything worth doing is worth attitude to WOW more people?
doing with WOW  Have you WOWed at least one person today?
Embrace and Drive Change  How do you encourage more change to be driven from
Part of being in a growing company is that the bottom up?
change is constant  Are you empowering your direct reports to drive
change?
Create Fun and A Little Weirdness  How much fun do you have in your job, and what can
At Zappos, we encourage you to be fun and you do to make it more fun?
be a little unconventional  What do you do to make your co-workers’ jobs fun as
well?
Be Adventurous, Creative and Open-  Do you push yourself outside of your comfort zone?
Minded  Is there a sense of adventure and creativity in the work
We encourage you to take risks that you do?

Pursue Growth and Learning  How do you get your co-workers and direct reports to
At Zappos, it’s important to constantly grow personally and professionally?
challenge and stretch yourself  Are you learning something everyday?
 Are you doing everything you can to promote company
growth?
Build Open and Honest Relationships With  How much do people enjoy working with you?
Communication  How can you make your relationships more open and
At Zappos, be a good listener as well as a honest?
good communicators.  How can you do a better job of communicating with
everyone?
Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit  How do you encourage more teamwork?
We are more than just a team though -- we  What can you do with your team members so that you
are a family feel both like a family and a team?
 Do you exemplify a positive team spirit?
Do More With Less  How can you do what you’re doing more efficiently?
There is always room for improvement in  How can your department become more efficient?
everything we do  How can you personally help Zappos become more
efficient?
Be Passionate and Determined  Do you love what you do and who you work with?
We value passion, determination,  Do you believe in what we are doing and where we are
perseverance, and the sense of urgency going?
 Is this the place for you?
Be Humble  Are you humble when talking about your
Humility is the quality of being humble: accomplishments?
modest, not proud, doing something  Are you humble when talking about Zappos’
out of the goodness of your heart, not for accomplishments?
yourself.  Do you treat both large and small vendors with the
same amount of respect that they treat you?

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Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

Exercise1: Identifying behaviours to support values

In a team, ask the following questions for each value and capture example

 How do I/ we demonstrate this value well in my/our work to customers?

 How do I/ we demonstrate this value well in my/our work with colleagues?
 How do I/ we demonstrate this value well to my/our staff
 Give an example of how you would like your manager to demonstrate this value
 Give an example of how you expect your people to demonstrate that value
 Think of someone who demonstrate this value well. What do they say/ do?
 How would you expect all mangers to demonstrate this value
 What could I/ we do better to demonstrate this value?

Exercise 2: Experiencing values in practice

Stage 1 (Individual) Imagine someone is demonstrating this value to you as a customer or

colleague. Write down everything that you hear them they saying or see them doing? How
does it make you feel?

Stage 2 (In Pairs or groups) Share your ideas and come up with a list of the behaviours that
have most impact

Exercise 3: Living values

Decide which value you/ your team want to practise/ develop

Identify some practical examples of things you can do to practise this in the next week/
month and write these down as commitments

Record an example of each time you do this in practice and the result. Add examples of other
things you do or experience (or see/ hear others do)

At the end of the week/month review these examples with your team members

Value How I will demonstrate Examples/ Evidence Impact/ What I will

this do as a result
Day 1
or Week 1

Day 2
Or Week 2

Day 3 or
Week 3

Day 4 or
Week 4
Repeat……..
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3.6 Embedding values and making them live – hints and tips

How to embed values into corporate processes and communications?

Embedding values is about ensuring that your values are embedded in all your corporate processes
and communications. Below is a table with some starter thoughts and tips

Corporate process

Setting Targets/Objectives
Do your organisation, team and individual objectives and measures describe ‘how’ each target should be
met as well as what?
Do you have objectives and measures about values that are important to your organisation?
 Engage your Board and senior team in setting direction and identifying what is most important –
don’t delegate it to ‘business planning’
 Describe organisation objectives in terms of ‘why’, and ‘how’ not just ‘what’
 Include objectives and measures which explicitly relate to your organisation values
 Include objectives which focus on improving behaviour and process not just end results
 Ensure you know how each objective will be measured
 Include measures which related to customer and staff feedback, and what people are saying and
doing as a result. Be clear about the standards of behaviour expected
 Cascade organisation objectives to departments and teams – engage them in translating
cooperate objectives into the contribution their team can make – including ‘why’ this is important
and how they will implement it, linked to what is important and is felt to matter
 Engage every part of the business so they understand their contribution and can include objectives
and measures which are relevant to them
 Encourage staff to come up with objectives and development actions which link to their personal
values – they will be more motived to achieve them
 Feedback and communicate results at every level in a way which explains the difference meeting
(or failing to meet) the objective has made, linked to your purpose and values

Performance Appraisals
Does the appraisal system allow managers and individuals to measure behaviour in both quantitative and
qualitative ways? Is appraisal seen to matter/make a difference?
 If behaviour linked to values matters, it needs to sit at the heart of your team and individual
performance management and review process
 Everyone needs to be appraised – From board members through senior Executives to causal or
temporary staff using the same standards of behaviour
 Performance measurement/ ratings needs to reflect not just the achievement of results but how
they were achieved
 Include feedback from others about behaviour. This can be through a formal or informal 360
feedback process; asking the views of others; encouraging staff to bring their own examples of
feedback received
 If your are a manager, ask for feedback for your staff and others about your behaviour and
encourage your staff to do the same
 If measurement against competencies are included in the appraisal process, seek actual example
of how the competency has been met or exceeded – or not met. Be specific about the behaviour
and its impact (avoid ticking boxes)
 Consider a separate section of the appraisal on how staff have demonstrated their commitment to
the values of the organisation, and ensure this importance in overall rating
 Encourage staff to come up with development actions which link to their personal values

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 Show how you do appraisals what is important to you. Carry out appraisal discussions in a way
which reflects what is important to each individual (not one size fits all). What do they need and
value from you to give their best?
 Remember appraisal is a continual process, not just once a year. Be consistent, and use informal
feedback and review on a regular basis

Recognition
Is good behaviour in terms of corporate values recognised, if so how. Is 'bad' behaviour in terms of
organisational values penalised or ignored
 Champion tangible examples of individual and team behaviours which demonstrate the values of
your organisation and the difference this has made. Be explicit about this
 Informal recognition is as important as formal recognition. This can be a ‘thank you’ or ‘well done’
whenever it has been done in a way which aligns with your corporate values. This way positive
behaviour is reinforced
 The opposite is equally true. Ignoring behaviour which goes against your corporate or personal
values sanctions the poor behaviour and says it is ok
 Whatever forms of formal recognition you adopt, ensure these fit with the values of the
organisation. For example, if you have a value which is to ‘celebrate success’, celebrate it in a way
which is meaningful.
 Structure your rewards to reflect what is important to your organisation. If big bonuses are paid to
people who clearly don’t display the values you are seeking, this will breed cynicism, demotivation
and lack of trust. The same is true if people are promoted despite their behaviour, or receive other
perceived ‘rewards; such as training and other opportunities
 Give recognition in a way which is authentic to your values and in way which relates to the needs
of the individual. This could be public or private praise or giving someone extra time off for
something important to them. ‘Different folks need different strokes’
 Remember we show our behaviour what is important to us. Make sure this fits with what others
expect

Recruitment
Does your recruitment process attract and select the people who will demonstrate your values and be
motivated by them?
 Review your website and recruitment literature. What culture and values does it demonstrate?
 Review your role profiles and person specs. Do they describe why the job is important, and the
personal styles or behaviours that will make a difference?
 Ensure your selection process assess values as well as knowledge and skills
 Consider using appropriate motivation questionnaires or personality questionnaires, which
highlight preference and choices
 Ask for examples of why the candidate did something, not just what they did
 Build in an exercise or a presentation which asks them to consider and demonstrate the
organisation values and how they can deliver them in their role
 Ensure all people involved in the process and the process itself demonstrate your
organisation values (e.g. ‘open and transparent’, ‘respect’, ‘listening’, ‘efficiency’ etc.)

(Caution – remember there are no good or bad values. The role of selection is to assess best fit
between what is important to an individual and what is important to the role/organisation –
and then seek evidence of behaviour which demonstrates this)

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Corporate Communications
Does your corporate brand demonstrate your values? Do your internal and external communications to
customers, staff and other stakeholders reflect your values?
 Your brand values help you to ensure that everything that you do, whether written
communications, design or photography expresses the unique identity of your business and helps
differentiate you from competitors.
 Don’t only describe your values, demonstrate them in what you say and how you say it. So if you
say you are ‘human focused’ or ‘customer friendly’ use a tone which is open, friendly and
approachable
 If you have value which is ‘open’ make sure information is open, honest, transparent and available
 If you have a value which is about ‘listening’ or ‘people’s views matter’ ensure all your
communications are two way and allow for feedback. Communicate face to face at all levels
 Ensure all reflect a consistent tone whether internal or external, formal or informal
 Ensure verbal communications reflect your written communications
 Train staff so they understand the style and tone your organisation requires to reflect its values –
whether telephone, email, letter brochures, social media
 Reflect what is important in eh endearment – what your reception looks like, the capture on the
wall, the colour’s you use, the office lay out, how people dress

Remember customers see your values not just in what you communicate but
how you communicate it - that is you everyone why works in your organisation.
Customers speak to customers and modern media has shrunk the world and
speed of communication. Manage and protect your reputation

ORGANISATION
PURPOSE & DESIRED
VALUES

Feedback on
performance and Leaders
reputation

Behaviours: what we say

& what we do

Customers/Service
Managers
users experience

Individuals

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 Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

3.7 Measuring Values and their impact – some final ideas

Measurement
Do you measure performance against your corporate values, if so how? How is it reported and to whom?
What happens as a result?
 When setting your corporate objectives decide what indicators of success you will in line with your
values and how you will measure these (see setting targets above). Do this for team and individual
performance targets as well (see above)
 Include measures that will be reported quarterly to the Board/ Executive e.g. using a balanced
scorecard, related to customers, staff and community. Whatever measures you decide to use,
make sure they are meaningful and demonstrate their importance by reporting them to all your
stakeholders.
 Include ‘quantities’ such as staff turnover; sickness and unplanned absence;
Number of grievances; productivity; safety; customer satisfaction; customer loyalty. These are all
known to be affected by the level of employee engagement (Gallup) Employee engagement in
turn is related to the degree to which people’s values are met ( see section 2.3) Set targets in
terms of each of these. Also include ‘qualitative’ measures related to customer and staff feedback.
Make managers accountable for these
 Consider that other metrics you can use which are relevant related to your business and reflect
your values (e.g. NPS – Net promoter Score which is of customer satisfaction and is now used
within the NHS – ‘would you recommend this hospital to your friends and family’…..)
 Consider using a direct employee engagement measure such as OCR and decide how you will use/
monitor this (see section 2.3)
 Consider using a quarterly ‘pulse’ survey which asks directly ‘to what extent does the organisation/
senior management/ my manager is living the organisation’s values’. Publish results by team
 Consider other external measures or accreditation which may reflect your values e.g. Times 100
Top Companies; Investors in People; Investors in Diversity; European Quality Model (EFQM.) Chose
an accreditation which will be valued by your staff and customers
 Discuss, agree and share what action you will be taking based on the measurement to focus on the
things that matter most to your organisation staff and customers – to develop your strengths and
addressing what you want improve. Demonstrate your values in the actions you commit to and
show results

“What gets measured

97% of the UKs ‘best workplaces’ cite their business
gets done”? values as a critical contributing factor to their success
Focus on measuring Great Places to Work ‘Trust Index’ compares
what matters statements that assess employee’s opinions on their
organisations’ values-led behaviour e.g.
Measure it in a way
which aligns with your ‘Management actions match its words’ and
values ‘Management delivers on its promises’.

Demonstrate your These correlate directly with high positions in the listing
www.greatplacetowork.co.uk
values in what you do
with the results
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Juliet Hancock: The value of values – a manager’s guide

4.0 Further reading and resources

Websites and tools

UK Values Alliance www.valuesalliance.net. ‘Putting values at the heart of society

The UK Values Alliance is a collaborative group that is seeking to promote values in society. We
formed as a result of the recent UK National Values Survey, which demonstrated a large gap
between the personal values of UK residents and the values they see at a national level. We are a
hub for individuals and organisations active or interested in the field of values. Our belief is that by
acting together, we can make a bigger difference than we can by acting alone. Our stated purpose is
to build a better UK society by helping individuals and organisations be more aware of, understand
and live their values.

This website provides information, resources and access to an open network of individuals and
organisations who care about values in their work and society

Engage for Success www.engageforsuccess.org

Engage for Success is a movement committed to the idea that there is a better way to work, a better
way to enable personal growth, organisational growth and productivity for the UK. The web site
provides tools, resources and events linked to employee engagement

Barrett Values Centre www.valuescentre.com

This website provides access to the Barrett Values assessment framework/ questionnaire and a
wealth of tools, resources and case studies to help you understand, implement and develop personal
and organisation values

Minessence http://www.minessence.net

This website provides access to the Minessence values assessment framework/ questionnaire and
resources/ case studies for working with values

Magmaeffect www.magmaeffect.com

This website provides access to the Minessence Values Questionnaire in the UK and further
information and resources about values

VIA Strengths Finder www.viastregths.org

VIA Character develops character strengths and signature strengths for individuals seeking personal
growth. Includes a free questionnaire and other resources

31 Practices http://www.servicebrandglobal.com/31-practices/31-practices-for-organisations/

31Practices® is a trademarked tool which helps employees bring the brand of their organisation to
life through their day to day behaviour. The process translates organisational values into practical
behaviours so that everybody in an organisation can live these on a day to day basis. A network of
licensed 31Practices Practitioners is being developed to promote the concept and deliver 31Practices
projects around the world.

My 31 Practices http://www.my31practices.com/

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My 31 Practices is a personal development tool helping people to release the power of their
personal values every day. The online application provides the daily discipline to behave in line with
core values.

Values Coach
Provides a range of opportunities, resources and information about values, values coaching and
values products and services. http://valuescoach.co.uk/

Great Places to Work

Great Place to Work® Institute’s Trust Index© employee survey is the starting point for organisations
committed to building a better workplace. Great Place to Work analysts precisely measure
the underlying level of trust within your organisation, while making targeted recommendations on
how to improve your workplace.www.greatplacetowork.co.uk

Further reading and resources

Cultures at work blog – Michael Henderson http://www.culturesatwork.com/blog

This website provides useful articles and resources about implementing a values based culture at
work

Values mentors http://valuementors.com/client-resources/articles-white-papers/

This website provides useful articles on living values and also access to AVI values tools

Leader Values www.leader-values.com

Leader Values was founded in 1997 to provide students, researchers and practitioners with the best
resources on leadership, innovation, organisation design, change, coaching, team-building and value
systems. Everything we do is designed to help better achieve your leadership goals. One of the
widest collections of free resources available on the web to browse and study:

Books

Liberating the corporate soul, Richard Barrett

Barrett’s seminal work, introducing his concept of the “Seven levels of values” and the “Cultural
Transformation Tools” widely used around the world to measure organisational and national
cultures

The Values Driven Organisation, Richard Barrett

Barrett’s updated work on organisational values and the management of effective culture change

Trust Inc: Strategies for building your company’s most valuable asset, Barbara Brooks Kimmel
More than 30 leading experts share their insights on the impact of trust on business success in this
handbook on organisational trust

Man’s search for meaning, Victor Frankel

Auschwitz survivor Frankl believes that man’s deepest desire is to search for meaning and purpose.

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Managing for stakeholders, R. Edward Freeman

This book addresses the question of how to create value for ALL stakeholders

Giving Voice to Values: How to Speak Your Mind When You Know What’s Right, Mary C. Gentile
How can you effectively stand up for your values when pressured by your boss, customers, or
shareholders to do the opposite?

"Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action" Simon Sinek
“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it” – Sinek explores the power of WHY.

"Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't" Simon Sinek
As in Start with Why, Sinek illustrates his ideas with fascinating true stories, from the military to
manufacturing, from government to investment banking. He shows that leaders who are willing to
eat last are rewarded with deeply loyal colleagues who will stop at nothing to advance their vision.
It's amazing how well it works.

Conscious Capitalism, Raj Sisodia and John Mackey

The definitive work on the theory and practice of Conscious Capitalism, including compelling
evidence of its commercial effectiveness

Firms of Endearment , Raj Sisodia, David Wolfe and Jag Sheth.

They argue that today’s greatest companies are fuelled by passion and purpose, not cash, and that
they earn large profits by helping all their stakeholders thrive. The book offers tips and information
on how to build a firm of endearment. Raj Sisodia has found that working cultures built on a
foundation of love and care rather than fear and stress are much more likely to have higher levels of
trust, both among employees and customers. A significantly revised second edition of the book was
published earlier this year

It’s not what you sell, it’s what you stand for, Roy Spence
Spence argues that purpose and values driven organisations, such as SouthWest Airlines, Wallmart
and BMW are hugely more successful than the average

The Happy Manifesto , Henry Stewart

Henry is the CEO of the Happy Company and has put into practice a series of management
approaches that challenge the norm and aim to ‘make your people feel good now’. The Company
has been rated by Business in the Community as the ‘Best for positive impact on Society’ of any
small UK business. Here there are many case studies and examples of putting values into action set
out in a practical but challenging way – www.happy.co.uk/manifesto

The 31 Practices, Alan Williams and Dr Alison Whybrow

This is a useful book about how to translate organizational values into practical employee
behaviour.

Leading Through Values - Henderson, Thompson and Henderson

Offering managers and organisations a practical programme to implement values-based leadership in

three significant ways: Support your organisation to become a leader in its chosen market. Link company
culture to the business strategy more effectively. Understand and be aware of the values framework
underlining and guiding specific leadership styles

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Drive – the surprising truth about what motivates us – Dan H Pink

As Daniel H. Pink explains in his paradigm-shattering book Drive, the secret to high performance
and satisfaction in today's world is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and
create new things, and to do better by ourselves and the world

Research reports

Valuing support: culture and practice in person centred organisation (Merseyside Disability
Federation) www.merseydisablity.co.uk)

Profiting from values? What can housing associations learn from independent, values led
businesses? Mark Lupton & Angela Lomax (Savills/ Affinity Sutton)

http://www.savills.co.uk/promotions/profiting-from-values/asresearchreport.pdf

You tube

Dan Pink – Drive (TED Talks) www.youtube.com/watch?v=nokBj14p4Mc

Simon Sinek – Start with Why (TED Talks)

http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action

Other professional resources

Chartered Management Institute (CMI) http://www.managers.org.uk/

 Corporate Values Checklist (262)

 Developing Trust (243)
 Understanding corporate culture (232)

Chartered Institute of personnel and development CIPD http://www.cipd.co.uk/

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