Business Values are used to clearly state what an organization must do to be successful, and must stay in BALANCE with the people values of the organization. An example of a business value would be "Anticipate and Exceed Customer Expectations." When an employee explicitly knows that this is the direction their organization is committed to, their daily behaviors can more easily become aligned with this goal.
How are they created?
The purpose of these business values is to direct the organization towards success in an inspirational way, therefore it makes sense that the entire organization is involved in the creation of these precepts. A rough draft of these values is created by the managers during a brainstorming exercise at the beginning of Module I and is then presented to the organization as a whole for review. Once these values are approved by the entire organization, they will live - not only in a plaque on the walls, but in the halls of the organization with the people who created them.
In our experience these values tend to fall into the following six categories, but are by no means constrained to these areas:
| Examples of Business Values Created by Shared Values Organizations |
|
| Customers "WOW the Customer" "Reputation For Quality - Deliver quality in everything we do, everytime we do it" |
People "Culture - Insist on honesty, openness and respect." "Communication - Listen first then share information in an open and courteous way. Don't assume others know what you're thinking" |
| Efficiencies "Constant Improvement - Challenge what we do and why we do it. Dare to be different." "Operations - Success depends on everyone striving to exceed expectations in quality, creativity, reliability and service" |
Technological "Explore and develop new products, processes and services. Imagine the possibilities." "Develop and deliver products and services that provide value to our customers" |
| Financial "Maintain a mutually profitable and growing enterprise" "Make the best of your time and assets" |
Vision "Set the Goals - Conquer the IMPOSSIBLE - Be Great, Not Average" "Let's be number one!" |
Why The BALANCE Between Business Values And People Values Is The Key!
The purpose of focusing on a balance between the People Values and the Business Values is so that the needs of the people AND the needs of the business are met. It is not enough to just have one side of that scale be taken care of to the detriment of the other.
