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Values That Create A Strong Company Culture

Forbes Technology Council

Founder & CEO at Pranos Inc. Building car window display systems.

Values and principles form the basis of our moral compass. An integral part of any system, they define the workplace atmosphere and how any new employee coming into your company is treated.

Weak morals can lead to vague company policies, which not only show weak leadership and ward off potential employees but can also leave you open to many legal liabilities in the future.

No matter where you're located or the service you provide, a strong, well-defined set of company values can attract more employees, keep your current workers happy and increase overall workplace productivity.

Declining efficiency and, in turn, company profits can be attributed in large part to inter-workplace conflicts. Strong leadership that allows company values instead of preaching them can help resolve these issues with minimal effort and loss.

What are core values?  

A company's core values are a set of guiding principles put in place by its founding members as to what they believe all their workers should follow regularly. These fundamental beliefs dictate policies drawn up regarding all aspects of the workplace.

Although core values can vary from business to business, they usually aim to help create unity and synchronicity within workers toward a common goal. Some common core values are:

• Transparency. Vagueness and dishonesty can lead to friction between the management and employees. When employees don't feel they can trust their higher-ups, they tend to take matters into their own hands and form unions or quit, either of which could be harmful to the company.

Transparency encourages honest, two-way communication between the management and worker body. As a result, it can increase trust and communication, and it can generate greater employee engagement.

• Integrity. A working body usually has a diverse set of people in it. Since everyone holds personal beliefs, sticking to your company's core values is very important. That's where integrity comes in — doing the right thing under any circumstance.

The words and actions of the administration should remain unhindered throughout so employees and business partners can see their commitment isn't limited to just marketing. Still, it can be applied practically within the workplace.

A lack of integrity can make the management seem untrustworthy, and its practices may be seen as unethical in many cases. Potential investors or business partners may also reconsider associating themselves with swindling names. 

• Compassion. Compassion is seen as a vital part of any company culture, and there's no mystery behind it. Fostering a healthy, caring and empathetic workplace environment is a standard principle from top to bottom in the hierarchy. Encompassing every member of your company, it fosters mutual respect and kindness toward one another.

Why are they important?

As companies start to grow and establish their foundations, they often forget their roots and go off-track. This can lead to animosity between newer and older management as their goals differ, rendering them divided and disconnected.

Hanging on to core values not only bridges gaps between management and employees, but can also help show a unified front to competitors and investors. Integrity and transparency make employees realize they can trust their higher-ups to look out for them, while compassion helps team-building and everyone gets along.

Other values such as accountability and simplicity create accessibility between you and your customers while also showing humbleness. Customers and employees both can rest assured their concerns will be heard and that no one's voice will be stifled.

Leadership And Its Role In Implying These Values

We often hear of people complaining about their managers or administration not caring enough about them to put in their full effort. However, good leadership is necessary if you want your team members to be happy and keep your customers satisfied.

Workplace leaders are role models for everyone under them and a representation of the company's ideals. They show team members how they should expect to be treated by the company and how to treat those in positions of lesser power. If they are not proper embodiments of the core values, you can bet those values won't be followed anywhere else.

Defining An Ethical Guide For Everyone To Follow

If your company has defined its core values and intends to follow them, it has formed guidelines on how to do various things around the company. From dealing with customers to negotiating business deals or even discussing prospects for leaving employees, these guidelines give you a general ethical guide for every company-related decision you make.

More often than not, they will help you make better decisions compared to just making them on autopilot. In addition, they can attract customers, potential business partners and create workplace harmony.

The Takeaway

From everything we've read, we can determine how important detailing your fundamental beliefs are and sticking to them throughout.

With changes in leadership and the employee base, there are always variations in policies. However, relying on basic guidelines can help smooth those out and reach compromises, which can often be the determining factor between companies that make it and those that don't.


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