Prior to the values identification and alignment sessions, each leader must do the following.
- Share any written materials as well as the spirit and context of the executives’ values discussion with every individual in your reporting group.
- Promote the rationale for, need for, and desired organizational impact of the process.
- Make certain your reporting staff members understand the importance of their participation in the process.
- Assure that every member of your reporting group is signed up for and attends a session.
- Answer questions and provide feedback about any staff concerns to the rest of the executive or cross-functional group leading the process.
Values Identification Workshop Overview
The facilitator begins the sessions with a brief overview, since the rationale and process have already been communicated by organization leaders. Key concepts include the following.
- Each person brings his or her own set of values to the workplace.
- Sharing similar or agreed upon values at work helps clarify:
--expected behavior and actions to each other and customers,
--how decisions are made, and
--exactly what is important in the organization.
Steps in Workplace Values Identification
During the workplace values identification session, participants begin by identifying their own individual values. These are the five-ten most important values they hold as individuals and bring to the workplace every day. It is the melding of all of the values of the members of your workforce that creates your current work environment.
I have found this process most effective when participants work from the list of possible values I provided in my prior article: Build an Organization Based on Values. People voluntarily post the values that each person has identified as their most important. Then, everyone in the session walks around to look at the various lists.
This is a learning opportunity and can provide great insight into the beliefs and needs of coworkers. You can ask people to verbally talk about their list of values with another individual in a mutual sharing.
Participants then work with a small group of people, from across the organization, to identify which of their personal values are the most important for creating the environment the group wants to “live in” at work. Participants in the small groups then prioritize these identified values into a list of five-six they most want to see expressed at work.
When the small groups have completed their task, they share their prioritized lists with all session participants. Generally, some of the values appear on each small group list.
In a larger organization, these prioritized lists are tallied across all sessions for frequency and meaning. In a small organization, in which everyone is participating simultaneously, prioritize and reach agreement on the most important values.
Value Statements
During this session, or in an additional session, participants discuss how and whether these values are currently operational in your workplace.People then define each value by describing what they will see in behaviors and actions when the value is truly incorporated into the organization belief system and culture. The more graphic you can make these statements, the better for producing shared meaning. Several examples of these value statements follow.
Integrity: We maintain credibility by making certain our actions always match our words.
Respect: We respect each patient's right to be involved, to the greatest extent possible or desired, in making informed decisions about his or her health and plan of care.
Accountability: We accept personal responsibility to efficiently use organization resources, improve our systems, and help others improve their effectiveness.
Now that you know how to identify workplace values and value statements read about how to finalize your values identification process, with examples of values, too.
