The Client:
Our client, a local organisation, was reinventing itself following a CEO change.
The Challenge:
The new CEO was concerned that employees were not living the Corporate Values. These values were recorded on post-it slips, induction brochures and on the company website. However, the important questions remained - how to give life to these values in the organisation and what could be done to embed them in day-to-day activities?
The Solution:
Our premise:
We believe that embedding values within an organisation requires a multifaceted approach. Firstly, employees must grasp the significance of these values and comprehend how they can actively exhibit them in their daily activities. Secondly, the organisation must ensure its policies and procedures are structured to uphold and reinforce these values consistently. Finally, leaders play a pivotal role by exemplifying the desired values through their behaviours and actions, effectively serving as role models for others to emulate. Through these concerted efforts, values become ingrained within the organisation's fabric.
What we did:
Tier 1: Developing a common language
We conducted interviews and workshops to establish a common language for the organisation's values. These sessions were instrumental in developing a shared vocabulary to describe the values in action, ensuring clarity and understanding for all participants. We collaboratively agreed upon guideline behaviours to effectively demonstrate these values in practice. This process aimed to foster clarity and ensure that everyone within the organisation had a unified understanding of the values, thus promoting alignment and coherence in our actions and interactions.
Tier 2: Cascading the values
To cascade the values, we conducted workshops for employees across the hierarchy. This helped reinforce the connection between business goals and values. Throughout these sessions, participants engaged in discussions regarding the importance of values in their daily work routines. They articulated specific ways in which they could actively demonstrate these values in their day-to-day tasks. Additionally, operational challenges that impeded the demonstration of these values were identified and discussed collaboratively. By addressing these challenges, employees got a deeper understanding of the values. The workshops aimed to empower employees to integrate the values into their work effectively
Tier 3: Aligning organisation policies and processes
We suggested changes to align policies and work processes with the values, aiming for coherence and consistency. Additionally, we established a 'Value Champions' forum to discuss and address operational challenges, facilitating collaboration and problem-solving within the organisation.
The Result:
The outcomes of our efforts were significant: a shared understanding of the values was achieved across the organisation. We successfully identified and refined misaligned policies and processes, ensuring greater alignment with our values. Moreover, senior management gained clarity regarding their responsibility to exemplify these values as role models. Concurrently, employees acknowledged and embraced their responsibility to embody the values in their daily actions and decisions.
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