Organizational values are the acceptable standards in any organization that governs the behaviour of the employees in day-to-day activities. It is very important to transmit these values in all the employees so that they will also behave in the same way. If these are not there every employee will behave according to his/her individual behaviour and that will conflict with other employees in the organization.
Every big organization tries to have a formal code of conduct, charter, code of ethics etc that governs the individuals’ behaviour inside the organizations. But apart from this there is much other informal behaviour that gets developed in the organizations. In the smaller organizations where there are smaller groups, employees can challenge each other for unacceptable behaviour and sort out the issues but when the organization become bigger and there is no one to monitor every employees behaviour, employees develop and behave according the organizations values. These values can be anything from a large set of identified values (ambition, competency, individuality, equality, integrity, service, responsibility, accuracy, respect, dedication, diversity, improvement, enjoyment/fun, loyalty, credibility, honesty, innovativeness, teamwork, excellence, accountability, empowerment, quality, efficiency, dignity, collaboration, stewardship, empathy, accomplishment, courage, wisdom, independence, security, challenge, influence, learning, compassion, friendliness, discipline/order, generosity, persistency, optimism, dependability, flexibility). It is important for the organizations to identify their core values and promote them.
To ensure that these values are transmitted properly to the new employees and existing employees are following them, organizations can do following
1. Communicate the Values Constantly. Communication is the key for successfully passing the organizational values to the employees. Values should fit with the organizations' communication, both internally and externally. If we say that we're fun, team-oriented where everyone counts, then having a traditional style with a photo of the CEO may challenge this. Refer frequently to the values in talks and sermons, in articles in internal/parish magazines. Acknowledge and thank those people who have achieved something which particularly emphasises the values. Values should become the part of everyday life in the organization and not something written on the company website only.
2. Enroll New Folk. The values should be explicitly available as new members join an organization. If your organization is a business, this can be a part of the selection process, if a church, then explicitly stating the values of the church creates an expectation in the minds of newcomers. The church then needs to deliver on that! This is very important task because employees who will not be able to fit with the organizational values will leave the organization one day. This is good in long term because they will rarely be able to perform better than those who values the value of the organization.
3. Revisit and Refresh the Values. Organizational values changes with time and evolving nature of the business, revisit your values periodically - allowing members to update them. This has the power of enrolling those who have joined the organization recently, and avoids the stated values no longer reflecting the business culture.
4. Confront Contradictory Behaviour. Ensuring that we give feedback to those who don't live out the values of the organization. If people are allowed to live out contradictory values, then over time there is a clear danger that these will usurp the desired values, particularly if it is the more dynamic, dominant individuals who are espousing the contradictory values.
5. Periodically Check out with Feedback. Ask people what they think are the values of the organization - not only members, who may be influenced by the stated values, but outsiders - observers, customers, former members. Organizational values should be a super set of all the values shares by larger community so that they can be valued by almost everyone in the organization and it will be so if they see that their values are also part of the organizational's value system.
Every big organization tries to have a formal code of conduct, charter, code of ethics etc that governs the individuals’ behaviour inside the organizations. But apart from this there is much other informal behaviour that gets developed in the organizations. In the smaller organizations where there are smaller groups, employees can challenge each other for unacceptable behaviour and sort out the issues but when the organization become bigger and there is no one to monitor every employees behaviour, employees develop and behave according the organizations values. These values can be anything from a large set of identified values (ambition, competency, individuality, equality, integrity, service, responsibility, accuracy, respect, dedication, diversity, improvement, enjoyment/fun, loyalty, credibility, honesty, innovativeness, teamwork, excellence, accountability, empowerment, quality, efficiency, dignity, collaboration, stewardship, empathy, accomplishment, courage, wisdom, independence, security, challenge, influence, learning, compassion, friendliness, discipline/order, generosity, persistency, optimism, dependability, flexibility). It is important for the organizations to identify their core values and promote them.
To ensure that these values are transmitted properly to the new employees and existing employees are following them, organizations can do following
1. Communicate the Values Constantly. Communication is the key for successfully passing the organizational values to the employees. Values should fit with the organizations' communication, both internally and externally. If we say that we're fun, team-oriented where everyone counts, then having a traditional style with a photo of the CEO may challenge this. Refer frequently to the values in talks and sermons, in articles in internal/parish magazines. Acknowledge and thank those people who have achieved something which particularly emphasises the values. Values should become the part of everyday life in the organization and not something written on the company website only.
2. Enroll New Folk. The values should be explicitly available as new members join an organization. If your organization is a business, this can be a part of the selection process, if a church, then explicitly stating the values of the church creates an expectation in the minds of newcomers. The church then needs to deliver on that! This is very important task because employees who will not be able to fit with the organizational values will leave the organization one day. This is good in long term because they will rarely be able to perform better than those who values the value of the organization.
3. Revisit and Refresh the Values. Organizational values changes with time and evolving nature of the business, revisit your values periodically - allowing members to update them. This has the power of enrolling those who have joined the organization recently, and avoids the stated values no longer reflecting the business culture.
4. Confront Contradictory Behaviour. Ensuring that we give feedback to those who don't live out the values of the organization. If people are allowed to live out contradictory values, then over time there is a clear danger that these will usurp the desired values, particularly if it is the more dynamic, dominant individuals who are espousing the contradictory values.
5. Periodically Check out with Feedback. Ask people what they think are the values of the organization - not only members, who may be influenced by the stated values, but outsiders - observers, customers, former members. Organizational values should be a super set of all the values shares by larger community so that they can be valued by almost everyone in the organization and it will be so if they see that their values are also part of the organizational's value system.
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