Values play a defining role in motivation. An organization that has identified and examined the values, by which employees want to live, is a workplace with motivation potential. Values such as integrity, empowerment, perseverance, equality, discipline and accountability, when truly integrated in the culture of the organization, are powerful motivators.
They become the compass that the organization uses to select staff members, reward and recognize employee performance, and guide interaction among staff members. If you work in an organization that values empowerment, for example, you are unafraid to take thoughtful risks. You are likely to identify and solve problems. You are comfortable making decisions without a supervisor looking over your shoulder.
The downside to identifying values occurs when an organization's leaders claim certain values and then behave in ways that are contradictory to their stated values. In these workplaces, values deflate motivation because employees don’t trust their leaders’ word. Never underestimate the power of values in creating a motivating work environment - or not.
