Creating Your Company Values

Values: they might sound warm and fuzzy, but they are actually an integral piece of creating a strong corporate culture.

Whether you are a well-established organization or a brand new start-up, here are some tips for creating company ethics to help propel you into the future….

Starting with a Vision

Crafting a company vision is something that happens in the earliest stages. But as your business grows, these implicit goals will need to be verbalized and taught to new and old employees as the organization grows and evolves.

In an article for Ivey Business Journal, the CEO of IKEA Anders Dahlvig points out that while it is simple “to write a strong vision,” there is a greater challenge of making the vision credible. And this, Dahlvig writes, “is only possible if it is embedded and reflected in the company’s decision-making, strategy and behavior.”

Stating Your Ethos

Once you begin to formulate a real vision that can guide the company’s behavior, it is time to translate this governing idea into a statement of values. Turning the vision into clear values can shape the direction of the business and guide employees, from the executives to the new hire.

Tim Cadogan, CEO at OpenX, explains his philosophy that “Values are one of those things that can sound soft and squishy, especially in the context of a company. The reality—I have found—is actually quite the opposite. They form the most solid bedrock of any group or organization and really matter to the individuals.”

For Cadogan, getting your values down in writing is a process which he navigated by meeting with everyone in the company in groups of 8-10 at a time. He writes, “The CEO needs to lead but cannot dictate. The process also never ends. We are imperfect and there is always more we can do to make our values more top-of-mind and live by them even more deeply and effectively.”

Dahlvig also comments that company should not make the common mistake of making their value statement sound “too business-driven.” Instead, define “values that speak to very basic human needs…needs like respect, recognition, a feeling of togetherness and the possibility to grow and develop. Satisfying basic needs like these is the way to create true motivation ad loyalty, which in turn will deliver the business results.”

A Value Driven Culture

Once your ethics are clearly defined, they can begin to shape the culture of your business and guide company decisions. Company values “must be integrated in all-important HR processes like recruitment, management review, training programs and promotions. Only then do you stand a chance of anchoring the values deeply and profoundly in the company,” says Anders Dahlvig.

There are many practical ways to integrate values deeply in your corporation. Make your ethics the centerpiece of new-hire training as well as the basis for evaluating potential candidates in the first place. Within the organization discuss the vision and engage in an ongoing dialog about your values and how well they are being met.

Developing strong core values can be an involved process, but one that will definitely pay off in the long term.

Starting with a vision, crafting an ethos statement and creating a value focused environment will ultimately foster a thriving business.