They’re written all over the office, on coffee mugs, and sometimes they’re the key to Wi-Fi. Its function for the business goes far beyond being decoration on the walls. To clarify everything and find the balance, we tell you what the values of a company are and why they matter so much.
What are company values?
The values of a company are the set of principles and beliefs that guide an organization so that it can achieve a specific objective.
One way to see and understand values is as a series of parameters that your company takes into account to act in the best possible way on its way to success, and that also distinguishes it from its competitors.
As an intangible asset, a company’s values (also known as corporate or core values) are not locked away in a safe or on the CEO’s computer.
The values, together with , are part of the foundations of the organizational culture or the philosophy of the company, which is all that thought which encompasses the reason for being and acting of an organization.
To make it clearer, let’s see the values of a company that you surely know, Rappi:
Company values allow Rappi to communicate the principles and beliefs (value diversity, have fun working together, think about the common good) that guide the organization (executing fast, prioritizing, thinking like owners, acting optimistically, dreaming big) towards its specific goal (serving its customers).
What are company values for?
The values of a company guide the purpose of your organization when seeking to fulfill an objective. Having well-defined values allows you to transmit in the best way what are the guidelines that everyone must follow to achieve said goal.
The objective of the values within a company can be related to:
- The evolution of the organization. If the goal of the company has to do with positioning itself as an innovative, historical benchmark or simply wants to transcend its business vertical.
- The achievement of growth milestones (economic, infrastructure or personnel). When the achievement is related to an investment that allows growth, opening a new factory in a foreign country or reaching the first thousand employees.
- The strengthening of the organizational culture. Align the values and philosophy of the company with the thoughts and actions of each and every one of the employees.
- The relationship with customers and users. This is when the goal considers some indicator of satisfaction for those who acquire their goods or services or the constant improvement of the interaction with consumers.
- All of the above. Which is basically the hamburger, fries and drink combo sought by companies that want to define their principles very well. It is going for everything and in a big way.
Why are values important in a company?
The values in a company matter because they serve as a compass for the way an organization acts. This allows them to always have an action guide on which they must be based so as not to deviate from the purpose for which it was created.
In addition, having well-defined values allows them to be communicated effectively to collaborators. Thus they can understand them and guide their actions and decisions attached to the thought and the .
of Officevibe revealed that 33% of employees feel that their company values do not align with their personal values. This is a critical point for strengthening the organizational culture.
We’re fans of how Roy, who was long on the board of directors of his uncle Walt’s small business, once put it:
It is not difficult to make decisions when you know well what your values are.” — Roy E Disney (1930-2009).
That little business.
What are the values of a company?
The values of a company arise from its purpose, which is its reason for existing, and are aligned with those that govern society as a whole. That is, the values of a company must coincide with the moral beliefs of the society of which it is a part.
So, they don’t come out of a magic trunk in the human resources department. They are actually a reflection of the values that already exist in society, but adapted to the function that each company fulfills within that community.
For example, if the value of “honesty” exists in society, a company that charges you for a product and never delivers it to you, has no place in it.
Moral values
The values of a company come, in essence, from the moral values that structure healthy coexistence and good customs within a society.
Depending on how old the source of your query is, the list of moral values can range from 10 to 200. And it’s not like every day a new value is discovered. More specific versions of the more general ones simply emerge and adapt to the current reality.
In alphabetical order and in case you were curious, here is a list of the most important examples of company values:
- Abnegation
- Altruism
- Ambition
- Learning
- Harmony
- Self-control
- Collaboration
- Compassion
- Comprehension
- Confidence
- Courage
- Courtesy
- Discernment
- Discipline
- Empathy
- Equity
- Fidelity
- Fortress
- Generosity
- Gratitude
- Honesty
- Honor
- Honesty
- industriousness
- Loyalty
- Freedom
- Magnanimity
- Modesty
- Objectivity
- Patience
- Perseverance
- Prudence
- Puntuality
- Respect
- Responsibility
- Solidarity
- Overcoming
- Tolerance
- Courage
- Will
The values most used by companies
According to a by MITSloan Management Review, in which the corporate values of nearly 700 organizations were analyzed, the 40 things that they value most and are aligned with their company principles are:
- Integrity
- Collaboration
- Client
- Respect
- Innovation
- Responsibility
- Social responsability
- Excellence
- Diversity
- People
- Performance
- Confidence
- Learning
- Quality
- Passion
- Transparency
- Watch out
- The others (as people)
- continuous improvement
- Creativity
- Honesty
- Security
- alliances
- financial return
- Gain
- Ambition/Audacity
- Agility
- Fun
- Leadership
- Speed
- Courage
- Service
- Execution
- Justice
- Modesty
- Perseverance
- Increase
- Entrepreneur
- Change
- Efficiency
What if one of the values that my company already has, or that I would like to use, does not appear in any of the lists? No problem: each business, project or undertaking can have its own principles, as long as they make sense with its mission, vision and context.
Remember that values arise in response to the needs of the reality that society lives, in addition to identifying you and distinguishing you from your competitors. So stepping out of the mold a bit, in this case, can be a good thing for your business.
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Values of a company: examples
To give you examples of a company’s values, we are going to group them into two segments, according to the way they are used to convey their messages. These are: one-word values and values with storytelling.
It is important to point out that there is no better way than the other, they are simply different ways of communicating the elements that guide the company.
values of a word
This is perhaps the most traditional and effective way of transmitting the principles that guide your organization. It simply uses a short list of values, each represented by a word (or a pair of words, maximum).
Although it might be thought that this practice is more common in companies that have been around for more years, the reality is that organizations of all ages use this format.
Spotify
- innovators
- Collaborative
- sincere
- passionate
- playful
💥 The fact: the company calls its corporate identity The Manifesto of the Band, because there are no soloists, they are all part of a group that plays in sync.
microsoft
- Respect
- Integrity
- Responsibility
💥 The fact: With the arrival of the pandemic, this technology company added a new one to its traditional values on its global site that involves fighting the spread of COVID-19.
slack
- 💗 Empathy
- 💁🏿♀️ Courtesy
- 🌻 Spirit of overcoming
- 🔨 Occupation
- 🙆🏼♂️ Joviality
- 🙌🏼 Solidarity
💥 Fact: that’s right, as part of its “jovial” value, Slack’s values include an emoji to distinguish itself from the competition.
Samsung
- People
- Excellence
- Change
- Integrity
- joint prosperity
💥 The fact: this is one of many examples in which people are considered a fundamental value within the company’s structure.
Netflix
- Criterion
- Communication
- Curiosity
- Courage
- Passion
- Generosity
- Innovation
- Inclusion
- Integrity
- Impact
💥 The fact: if there is a company that has been in charge of adding values to its list over time, that is Netflix. Let us remember that it emerged in 1997, as a DVD rental service.
Values with storytelling
As part of an exercise to generate empathy and align beliefs with employees, investors and users in general, many companies resort to .
This method consists of turning the values into a narrative exercise with a story, anecdote or story as a base, which becomes a common thread to explain the organization’s reason for existence.
storecloud
- We put the customer at the center of our decisions
- We take the reins; we are deeply committed
- We say what we think; we debate; we advance
- we think big
- We execute with excellence: we prioritize, test, measure, iterate
- We stay humble; we learn and build trust
- We work as a team; we empower each other
💥 The data: thinking about our purpose and how we managed to transform entrepreneurs’ dreams into stories that transcend, in 2021 we developed our tagline:
Show the world what you are capable of doing.
Cougar
- Be brave
- trust you
- do it with determination
- enjoy it
💥 The data: the values of this company are based on the characteristics that any athlete must have to be successful.
RiotGames
- Player experience comes first
- dare to dream
- Grow up together
- aspire to excellence
- ambitious but humble
💥 The fact: the company asked a group of employees to renew their values, thinking not about what they are today, but about what they want to be tomorrow.
clips
- we obsessed
- We learn
- We share
- we adapt
- Our services are
- we are reliable
💥 The fact: the values written in English start from the same construction, putting the “we” (“we”) before each concept to reflect team thinking.
ByteDance (TikTok)
- always like day 1
- Keep your feet on the ground and be brave
- aim for the highest
- be candid and clear
- Be open and humble
💥 The data: the first value speaks of how the company always works as if it were the first day of this startup, so the effort is constant in all its actions.
airbnb
- fight for the mission
- be a host
- embrace the adventure
- Be a…
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