What do US companies, Zappos, Ben and Jerry’s, and Southwest Airlines have
in common? They are all financially successful, values-driven companies.
A lot of companies claim to be values-driven. They publish
their values and use them in marketing messages. However, this does not
necessarily mean their values guide decision-making and behaviours company-wide
on a day-by-day basis.
To know for certain, you can investigate whether leadership
practices and company policies are aligned with their published vision and
values. But there’s a simpler and quicker way to tell: pay attention to your
own experience as a customer.
Here are five quick ways you can tell if an organisation is
really values-driven.
1. Employees remember
what the company’s values are.
Ask three employees what the values of the company are.
Can they quickly recall them?
Do they repeat the same values?
2. Employees can
describe specific activities and behaviours that demonstrate what the values
look like in action.
Ask the employees to give you examples of how the values
they listed are lived in the company –what behaviours or actions do they see
that exemplify each of the values?
It’s not enough to just have a list of values. The same
words can mean different things to different people.
Values like “teamwork”
“innovation” or “ownership” need to be clearly defined so they are understood
by all and can be implemented consistently.
3. The company’s
values are visibly integrated into how they do business and are not just
something extra they do on the side.
It is common knowledge that since its inception, Ben and
Jerry’s has built a reputation for caring more about people than profit,
providing leadership in social and environmental responsibility. And although
the company was sold to Unilever in 2000, CEO Jostein Solheim recently provided
reassurance that the essence has not changed, stating:
“The world needs
dramatic change to address the social and environmental challenges we are
facing. Values led businesses can play a
critical role in driving that positive change. We need to lead by example,
and prove to the world that this is the best way to run a business.
Historically, this company has been and must continue to be a pioneer to
continually challenge how business can be a force for good and address
inequities inherent in global business.”
4. The company’s
public message matches your own experience as a customer.
Our advice to companies is Don’t make a claim and then miss
the mark, consistently. We consumers resent it and you actually lose
credibility.
5. Use your own
personal experience to identify the real company values.
Anyone who has flown on Southwest Airlines can tell you
without reading their ads that having fun is one of their core values. And
indeed, on the careers page of their Website, Southwest Airlines recruits
specifically for people who “want the freedom to be creative, dress casually,
and have fun on the job.”
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