Balancing values and value

Organisational values and ethics are increasingly becoming board room agenda items and are being used by employees and investors while making key decisions. 

The value framework of any organisation informs its identity and what the organisation stands for. As much as individuals’ personal values define the individual, organisational values mean the same for corporate identity. The difference being organisational values are in the hands of thousands of trusted employees. Organisational values are no longer guardrails but a business enabler; organisational values generate commercial value. However, leaders must establish the importance of being an ambassador of organisational values while delivering sustainable commercial results. 

It requires the breadth of leadership to reflect, be intentional, reiterate this balance and demonstrate teams how they can do the same. It also requires the commercial savviness to identify opportunities and deliver sustainable results. Leaders must be explicit about the focus on performance and drive the self-belief in teams about winning in the market the right way. This capability can be built by studying organisational values to the point of being able to be explicit about them. Organisational values provide the scaffolding to build a strong commercial strategy that holds the entire business together. It’s not a surprise that in the digital era customers are not only attracted to products; they care about the ‘higher purpose’ of the organisation which is rooted in its values. It’s becoming an integral part of customer value proposition making a strong tie to commercial outcomes.

One way of achieving this is to link the commercial wins in the market with specific values as appropriate. These stories can then be scaled across the organisation to drive a tangible understanding of delivering commercial success while living the organisation values. Leverage diagnostic reports like value assurance surveys or pulse to check how aligned employees are to living the articulated values of the organisation. Engage in storytelling to share how commercial success ties up with enterprise values. Embed values in your overall narrative and messages to the wider organisation. 

It can also be useful for leaders to highlight the price to be paid when there are deviations. Examples of the adverse effects to the reputation in such cases must be reinforced to build compliance.

The leaders must walk the talk on values. It is their behaviour that decides the direction of the organisation. Actions speak louder than words. Employees need to experience how decisions are being taken by leaders at the critical junctures demonstrating the right balance between values and commercial value. Owning up to your part in the failure engenders you with humility and vulnerability – key attributes of a trust building leader. Acknowledging the fact that it’s a learning curve and it puts everyone in difficult positions to make decisions when it’s grey, sends a message to the team to be more conscious and confident in decision making.

Set values as the jury in individual decision making 

Corporates can’t afford to let values to be compromised at individual level at any cost. In corporate decision making, an individual’s mind must act as both the prosecutor and defendant. Let them both table arguments, facts, and emotional appeals before the jury. Set corporate values as the jury. Make sure not to rush into anything before you are getting an undivided vote from the jury. Having even one juror on the other side of the decision means that there is uncertainty. That’s why it is important to have a unanimous vote. 

In summary, among other tensions in any organisation, balancing values and value is one critical tension for leadership. However, leaders mature by living with this tension and the good news is the skills and capabilities on this space are learnable and an enabler of better decision making. Most importantly your ability as a leader to articulate your values as a business enabler, not only puts your organisation in a strong position to balance the tension, but also build future proof leadership value proposition. 

(Sunder Ramachandran is the Country Manager and Madusanka Prasad is a Brand Manager at GSK Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Sri Lanka)