Stanford Social Innovation Review : Ask An Expert : Can you suggest a process for developing a list of core values?

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Sharon L. Richmond on Mission/ Vision/ Values

We do not have stated, or even understood, core values. As a new leader in the organization, I am undertaking a process to develop core values. I expect that this is the start of long (perhaps endless) change management process to impact the organization's culture. I began the process by facilitating a brainstorming session with the whole staff (small groups, then as a whole) to get a scan of the staff, determine what the current values are, and come up with some themes for core values. The next step is a management retreat (10 managers) that will likely include a few board members. I hope to come out of that retreat with a draft of core values, and some vision for how we will use them. Can you suggest a process design to use for this retreat?

If I understand you correctly, you are asking how to help your group develop a solid draft list of core values, and a plan for how to use them. Without knowing more about your group, its history, and its underlying level of agreement on your vision/values, it's tricky to propose a generic meeting design. That said, here are a few ideas that you may be able to use to move the organization forward:

Tell the whole truth and nothing but. Only identify and list core values that the organization currently practices. These are values for which the organization has paid some sort of price. Why? Because nothing breeds cynicism faster than a list of core values that are contradicted on a daily basis. For example, if you say "honesty" is a core value, and your group regularly discusses how to spin things to the media, nobody will believe that honesty is a real value. On the other hand, if your organization owns up to its troubles, as Johnson & Johnson did during the 1982 Tylenol crisis, honesty would be considered a credible value.
Aspire to more. You may want to also create a list of Aspirational Values - those that you wish you lived up to, but don't currently. This can provide a good focal list for improvement efforts.
Talk them up and use them often. If the values aren't incorporated in the actual decision making processes (e.g., "How will that decision further our values?"; "Will that decision go against our core values?"), they won't have any teeth. Leaders and others must walk the talk of these values in visible ways every day.
Put your money where your mouth is. Make sure that rewards and recognition flow consistently with your published values.

Comment

We recently underwent this same process to revisit/renew/revitalize our core values after a major organizational change. We worked with a consultant and this was, to my view, key to the success of the process, both in terms of the techniques she brought to the table, but in terms of having someone there specifically to drive us to core values, and not into operational or strategic goals/mission/etc.

Happy to share more of what we did, or who we worked with. Email addy below, sort of.

Good luck,
Steve Gibson
COO
National Institute for Trial Advocacy

sgibson -at- NITA dot org

»» Posted by: sgibson on April 30, 2007 11:11 AM

Comment

A good starting point for the place your organization is at would be with the central tasks Peter Drucker assigns to all managers:

What is your business? Central to this question is how you define your customer, and what your customer considers value.

How do you define results?

What is your core competence?

The question of core values must be related to these questions. If you don’t define your objectives you may have excellent core values but will still not be an effective organization. Make sure these questions have been well-defined before venturing into values territory.

I absolutely agree with Sharon’s suggestion of both defining the core values that are present but un-named and creating values to aspire to--these can and should be tied directly to your objectives and how you hope to accomplish them.

»» Posted by: Joanna Balda on June 24, 2008 12:48 PM

Comment

A caution that I’d add to Ms. Richmond’s advice is to understand that all values imply choices and trade-offs. For example, an organization that I recently worked with wanted to include “timeliness” and “high quality” as two key values for its reports. Upon some discussion, we realized that “high quality” meant a document that is thoroughly vetted and without any errors. One can easily see how these two values may clash against each other--thoroughly vetting a document may make it a little less timely, and, conversely, you may need to leave some un-dotted i’s and uncrossed t’s in the interest of getting a document out quickly.
My point is not that the right balance cannot be struck between competing values, but that most often organizations are not even aware that a balance needs to be struck. A discussion of values is most practical and useful when it leads to acknowledgment of these trade-offs and guides how managers make everyday choices.

»» Posted by: Purnima Chawla on July 3, 2008 09:16 AM

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