Bridging the Values Gap Business has a values problem. It's not just spectacular public scandals like Enron (which, incidentally, had a great corporate values statement). Many companies fail to live up to the standards they set for themselves, alienating the public and leaving employees cynical and disengaged--resulting in lower productivity, less innovation, and sometimes outright corruption.
The reason, argue top scholars and consultants Edward Freeman and Ellen Auster, is that all too often values are handed down from on high, with little employee input, discussion, or connection to the challenges and opportunities facing the organization. Although the words may be well-intentioned, they aren't reflected in the everyday practices, policies, and processes of the organization. This practically invites disconnects between intention and reality.
To bridge this gap between the "talk" and the "walk", Freeman and Auster provide a process through which organizations can collectively surface deeply held values that truly resonate with everyone, from top to bottom. Their Values Through Conversation (VTC) process focuses on four key types of values conversations: introspective (reflecting on ourselves and how we do things in the organization), historical (exploring our understanding of our past and how it impacts us), connectedness (creating a strong community where we work well together), and aspirational (sharing our hopes and dreams).
By developing values through discussions--casual or formal, one-on-one or in groups--VTC ensures that values are dynamic and evolving, not static words on a wall or a website. Freeman and Auster offer advice, real-world examples, and sample questions to help you create values that are authentic and embraced because they are rooted in the lived experience of the organization.
Ellen Auster, is Director of the Schulich Centre for Teaching Excellence (SCTE) at York University, a multiple teaching award winner, and a Professor of Strategic Management. She earned her BA from Colgate University and her MA and Ph.D from Cornell University. She has been on the faculty at the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University. In addition to her teaching, she is a consultant to a number of companies including Procter and Gamble and Price Waterhouse Coopers. She has published in a number of leading business journals including: The Academy of Management Review, Management Science, Sloan Management Review, Human Resource Management, Research in Organizational Behavior, The Journal of International Management, Sociological Inquiry, Advances in Strategic Management, and The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science. Ellen created the Schulich Centre for Teaching Excellence in 1992 to support Schulich’s strategy to become a leading global business school. The SCTE has a wide range of initiatives including a just-in-time classroom feedback process, annual teaching awards, teaching grants, ongoing workshops and seminars, an interactive training web-site and other outreach programs. Since its inception, hundreds of new and part-time faculty, as well as more experienced faculty have been trained and coached by the SCTE.
