Organization values are the beliefs and principles that drive a business forward. These abstract ideas guide the way people within an organization think and act in everything they do and may even inspire the company’s creation.
Managers may also consider their organization’s values before deciding how their company or department should operate and develop. As organizational values shape corporate culture, hiring managers look for people who share their company’s values. They also expect employees will act according to the organization’s values to achieve the company’s goals and maintain the company culture.
Benefits:
- Setting an example for employees: Understanding organization values helps employees know how they should behave when they’re representing the business.
- Providing a framework for decision-making: Understanding the organization’s values can help people throughout the business make decisions that align with what the company stands for.
- Attracting talent: People look for companies whose values align with their own when searching for work, so promoting organizational values can be a great recruitment technique.
- Differentiating businesses from competitors: Organization values help employees and consumers understand how a business differs from others in the same industry.
- Attracting business partners: Just like employees, businesses want to work with other organizations that share their values.
- Increasing sales: Consumers often support businesses with values that align with their own, so promoting organizational values can be a powerful sales technique.
Purposes:
- Ethically ambitious: Our ethical commitments are continuous and tangible. We strive to be a company that raises the bar and makes its people proud.
- Trust: We trust by default. This means assuming best intentions and giving people space and freedom from day one, not asking them to earn it.
- Human first: We consider the whole human, beyond any one goal or moment. Doing so helps us support each other, and our customers, more meaningfully.
- Outwit and outgrit: To create serious change, we have to dig deeper and think smarter. Grit, resilience and creativity are the hallmarks of the underestimated.
- Selfishly diverse: Embracing diversity is a moral duty, but it’s also smart. We want the full spectrum of talent in our team. Every perspective strengthens us.
Financial values
Financial values concern the way businesses manage their money. These values help companies please stakeholders by boosting profits and making sure they stay economically viable. Some examples of financial values include:
- Financial stability
- Results-oriented
- Constant improvement
- Organization
- Corporate giving
Team values
Team values concern the way employees work and interact. Often people outside the business are unaware of these values, but they play a key part in defining a business’s corporate culture. Some examples of team values include:
- Learning
- Passion
- Fun
- Balance
- Collaboration
Market values
Market values help businesses satisfy their customers’ wants and needs. These values concern the way they sell and promote their products and services. Examples of market values may include:
- Customer experience
- Inclusivity and representation
- Quality
- Honesty
- Accountability
Corporate stewardship values
Corporate stewardship values show a commitment to the responsible use of resources. These values aim to make the world a better place by making decisions that show respect for the planet and its people. Examples of corporate stewardship values may include:
- Respect
- Sustainability
- Integrity
- Ethics
- Good citizenship
Upholding these values may lead companies to take the following actions:
- Paying all employees and contractors fair wages.
- Ensuring all employees and contractors work in safe conditions.
- Working with a designer to reduce carbon footprint in all offices.
- Replacing single-use plastic straws in branches with biodegradable paper alternatives.
- Introducing volunteer leave so employees can work regularly with nonprofit partners.
Artistic values
Artistic values are beliefs surrounding original thinking. Upholding these beliefs helps businesses differentiate themselves and move forward uniquely. Some examples of artistic values include:
- Creativity
- Innovation
- Boldness
- Expression
- Curiosity
Upholding these values may lead to companies taking the following actions:
- Assigning group projects so that different employees can work together in finding creative solutions.
- Empowering all of its employees to share their views at meetings.
- Holding annual think tanks where its employees can work in teams on new projects that can bring value to the business.
- Enrolling employees in seminars and conferences so that they can learn new perspectives and ways of doing things.
- Encouraging employees to accept and learn from failure, so they feel more comfortable taking risks that could lead to innovation.