Fifteen years ago I had problems to persuade my Professor (Middlesex University) to agree that my Master’s thesis should be focussed on Personal Values as the main driver for Continuous Personal High-Performance in business organizations. I had the same problem, a few years later, when I had to choose the focus of a PhD thesis (Da Vinci Institute) on Corporate Values as the significant factor for Business Sustainability and Impact.
In the early 2000’s “Purpose-Driven, Values-Based Organizations” were few in number and both Purpose and Values for Organizations, and definitely Academia, were regarded as “Soft” and a waste of effort and time for both researching and then applying in the harsh arena of corporate life.
But today “Putting values at the centre of everything an organization does is the starting point to creating a strong and authentic brand. Simon Sinek explains that it is not ‘WHAT’ people do that inspires them. Instead, it is the ‘WHY’ (Purpose) and ‘HOW’ (Values) that achieve emotional engagement”, writes Alan Williams, a Founding Faculty Member of Culture University and a Founder of the Global Values Alliance.
Williams quotes PwC’s CEO Survey of 1400 CEO’s in approximately 80 countries which revealed that 75% of CEO’s are changing their values and code of conduct to respond to stakeholder expectations in an environment of unprecedented change. The survey reports that “values can provide a guidepost for creating internal cohesion to support achievement of organizational aims and assist in strategy execution”.
In 2018 The Financial Reporting Council tore up its previous code and replaced it with a radically rewritten version for consultation that stresses long-term success and proposes a new requirement for businesses to test their values across the business, from top to bottom. The new revised text is as follows:
“Directors should embody and promote the desired culture of the company. The board should monitor and assess the culture to satisfy itself that behaviour throughout the business is aligned with the company’s values. Where it finds misalignment, it should take corrective action. The annual report should explain the board’s activities and any action taken”.
Williams concludes his article stating:
“Values are now mainstream; it is no longer about a framed plague on the wall. Values are the organization’s guiding compass and are most effective when they inform everything else an organization does”.
I attach Alan Williams’ article for you to read – it really is worthwhile and I endorse it 100%
How-to-Avoid-the-4-Mistakes-Values-Driven-Organizations-MakePlease click on the bottom LH side of the page to turn to the following page
