Banging on

Of the many diseases that can afflict a company, one of the most overlooked is values misalignment. At first glance, this may not seem like much of a problem:

“So what if Corporate bang on about believing in the words stencilled on the wall in the lobby?”

“It’s a value statement – or maybe it’s a mission, wasn’t paying attention.”

“What does it matter if I believe it or not? It’s just a job.”

“They’re just abstract words.”

But a misalignment of values is one of those insidious diseases which wreaks far more havoc than it appears.

Why’s it such a big issue?

Because it is the rot from which all other ills stem, including:

  1. Decreased Employee Engagement: When employees' personal values and beliefs do not align with the company's values, they may feel disconnected from their work and disengaged. This means reduced motivation and lower productivity.
  2. High Turnover: Employees who feel that their values clash with those of the company may be more likely to leave for organizations that better align with their beliefs. High turnover is costly in terms of recruitment, training, and lost institutional knowledge.
  3. Cultural Tension: A misalignment of values can create tension and conflict within the workplace. This tension can lead to a less harmonious work environment.
  4. Ethical Issues: It can lead to ethical dilemmas if employees are asked to engage in actions that conflict with their personal values. This can damage the company's reputation and lead to legal and compliance problems.
  5. Poor Decision-Making: It can be challenging to make collective decisions that reflect the best interests of the company. Differing values can lead to indecision or disagreements over strategic choices.
  6. Communication Problems: Misalignment of values can result in miscommunication and misunderstandings. Employees may interpret messages or instructions differently based on their personal values, leading to confusion and inefficiency.
  7. Client Relations: Clients will notice when a company's actions do not align with its stated values. This can erode trust and lead to a loss of business.
  8. Difficulty in Leadership: Leaders may struggle to inspire and motivate their teams when there is a values gap. Effective leadership often depends on a shared vision and values that guide decision-making and inspire trust.

TLDR (or “The above, sir, was Too Long, and so I Didn’t Read it, please be so good as to provide a summary”)

Low productivity. High staff turnover. Poor work environment. Reputational damage. Poor strategic choices. Miscommunications. Lost clients. Low trust.

The list reads like an all-in-one corporate diseaseopedia.

Old news?

Thing is, none of that’s news to anyone, really.

What might be news to you, however, is how we propose you deal with it.

We have a solution called Discover.

Discovering Discover

A fundamental part of the solution is the data analytics that we perform on the gap between leadership and employees. We undertake this analysis by surveying the whole company about the company. Specifically, we ask for company strengths and growth opportunities; and then we ask what each employee would like the character of the company to be in future.

We collate the leaders’ responses separately from the employee responses, and compare them in a gap analysis, looking for where the vision for the company is shared, and where it is not.

From this we create a potential roadmap towards building a culture that is lived through behaviours that everyone buys into. These behaviours are defined as Character Qualities in terms everyone can understand – not in the abstract terminology of pretty fonts on foyer walls.

The Discover solution also contains consultancy sessions. It is during these sessions that we help leadership to see the richness of data collected in this research into their company. It is this data that offers a route to creating a truly shared vision of their company as it becomes a Company of Character.

Corporation, heal thyself!

Values misalignment is a corporate disease that can wreak havoc on a company’s health and success. But there is a solution: Discover, which addresses value misalignment through a comprehensive gap analysis between leadership and employees.

Don't let values misalignment undermine your company's health. Choose Discover and embark on a journey toward a more harmonious, engaged, and successful company.

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