Are core values really valued?

Integrity, Respect, Consistency, quality and so on… Are these the same set of core values adapted by your company? Really!! What a coincidence! Millions of companies have the similar ones.

And even then #Entrepreneurs do not dig out time to evaluate to know what the actual core values of their organization are.
 It’s kind of “In Vogue” to set values in company, so they all do it without realizing its worth, impact on culture and implementation.

Very often we get confused between the goals, culture and core values in an organization, there is an organization where one of the Core value was "Swiftness” and everyone accept the top Management actually was adhering to the values. But it didn't work that ways for too long, how could it? 

Core values are top to down approach (I read one article, where the author mentioned that in many Fortune companies, CEO’s one of the responsibility is to teach or coach on Values to their employees) or at least some walking the talk should have been there. Demands from team on Speedy results, but when it comes to Decisions/communications from Top Management everything used to get jammed.

 This is precisely why it started confusing all other employees also and they actually stopped believing in their CORE VALUES, as they saw that the implementation of these so called values is not there at all or its just conditional use of values - to corner an employee Management start singing the saga of Core Values, but when leadership team has to show, then response comes promptly – “Oh! We have so many things to take care of, why can’t we bend it “little” for ourselves”

And then this story is of another company where everything was totally centralized (as in every decision was taken by or with the involvement of the MD, who ideally should be involved in making only important and not day to day decisions).

One of their core values was ‘Ownership’  and this word was given a perspective for the company  “taking their own decisions and stand by it”. Such was the hypocrisy and how do you think employees working in such companies would ever respect their core values leave aside travel value along them?

One of my Mentor used to say, “to breathe the core values of the companies” and believe me we all used to do the same. The values became an integral part of our daily work that we hardly could get rid of them even after leaving that organisation. 

It is not just by designing the Mugs or diaries with the core values but also taking ownership of each decision or action taken keeping in mind the core value of the organisation. No matter how thorny the path may look initially but once foundation is laid by believing in them, they can bring back success and more success, and that’s how he started getting it done, by collaborative leadership and preparing the leadership team by walking the talk.

If we have to make the values successful then we have to take some real time actions, such as:

Define: what one word or a statement means for company needs to be defined, and let each person owns the definition by virtue of its implementation.

Be true: Yes, to have a set of intelligent core values the company has to be true to itself  or even if it is an “Aspiration Value” they can actually imbibe them in their culture by making it clear to the employees the difference between the two, so that their trust can be held and they also believe in the similar authentic set of values.

Just avoid situations where senior management says something else and the core values goes a separate way; All have to be persistent for their values.

Own it: Serious trouble starts in companies when the senior management or leaders of the companies do not own these set of core values. They pass it on as the work of employee relation or HR department, which is not true. HR can only help in proper communication, awareness, and ideas for implementation etc but the ownership of such things remains with the leadership Team/Core team only. 

They cannot pass the buck by saying that HR is responsible for maintenance and adherence to the core values. No, it’s completely unrealistic and so the authenticity of such values is just not on HR alone. In such cases its better not to have any core values for the companies than to have the wrong ones.

Breathe them: live them, read them, believe in them and as one of my Mentor used to say breathe them, which is what makes them successful. Do not compromise on the core values no matter what. Lead by example, if as a leader you own them and start showing each one of them in all the areas of work, your team members will surely do the same. If you have a core value such as “PROFESSIONALISM” make sure you show such an outlook in everything you do, no conciliation allowed which may mean decent attire, no gossips, no nonsense.

Measurement: Include it as a measurement tool: Though it may look very subjective to some, but categorizing Values as one of the parameters of performance assessment will surely make it.

If “INNOVATION” is your Core value adapt it everywhere, give incentives for any new innovation or creativity, and distribute rewards in order to build the trust of your people in these values. Do not cheat or deceive in the name of Values. If creating a learning culture is a belief, then open all doors for mentoring and coaching.

So go ahead, find out your core values and let your company be the proud owner of some Intelligent Core values.

more at http://www.citeman.com/14433-are-core-values-really-valued-in-companies.html#ixzz2kpAlqIFR

Cultural Misfit – Are You the One?

You may be able to do the job well. But if you are perceived to be a person who can’t get along with others at work, you just might be dismissed on account of being a cultural misfit.

Who is a misfit?

Whatever the interpretation may be, it is one of the crucial reasons why out of two similarly qualified or talented people, one might be selected and the other rejected at an interview.

Many Organisations are realising that merely hiring a person who can do the task may not be a bright idea because of a variety of reasons. One of the obvious reasons is when a person is joining an organisation, he/she is also joining its employees to further the cause of achieving the organisation’s goals, and it is hence imperative that the person is able to blend in with his/her peers and their way of functioning, to ensure smoother operations.

There is a conscious evaluation whether a candidate can fit into the organisation or not, especially in an environment such and where the structure is very flat and there is efficient internal as well as external communication, which is very important.

So to agree that the wavelength must be in sync. Also, a good cultural fit with a company can bring better opportunities for promotion, increased responsibility, and more income. Not fitting into a corporate culture can stall or derail a promising career. And a cultural misfit hurts the organisation as it shows up in employee performance and retention issues that affect productivity. ‘Hire attitude; teach skills’ is the simple rule company’s have started to follow. Skills can be taught, but an attitude (the kind we seek) is something that is inherent. That is why focusing only on whether a person can do a job well is not quite enough.

MUST BE MADE TO FIT

Culture attributes vary and are usually described with adjectives such as: tough, aggressive, lean, competitive, bureaucratic, rule bound, fun, playful, demanding, egalitarian, laidback, introverted, quixotic, unfocused, impulsive or risk-averse. Like people, corporate cultures are not the same, which enables all of us to find the best personal and organisational fit by ensuring that people are in tune with the organisation’s culture. Additionally, when a person is gelled with the overall organisational culture, he is very unlikely to quit; hence this could serve as a brilliant retention tool. When we keep hiring 'Right' cultural fits, we build an organisation where all the people are aligned with goals, mission, vision and values. It is the kind of organisation where coming to work every morning is a pleasure, something the employees look forward to, and hence stay for longer.

CULTURE DEFINES IT ALL

How do things get done? What is the decision making style? How do they act on decisions? These answers can show cultural variations across different companies. The culture that is followed by an organisation directs the overall functioning of the firm, which is why companies in the same type of industry have similar cultures due to the product/service, market and regulatory demands. Managers look for people who can be a part of it, without attempting to alter it or feeling lost. A fairly easy, open, hierarchy free organisation where how well you do your job is respected more than what your level is. That kind of culture demands people who are a lot more secure about themselves.

Does the company accord preferential treatment to those at higher levels? Does it recognise and reward people? Is everyone included or do some groups and levels absorb a greater share of attention? These are important indicators of cultural progress (or stagnation) in an organisation.

MORAL OF THE STORY

The culture that is observed in any organisation is the basic fabric of that organisation and hiring an employee means weaving him/her into its way of life/work. A sheer mismatch of a candidate’s personality with that of the organisations’ could not only result in rejection but also make the hired feel lost and isolated, further pushing the importance for hiring cultural fits.

Every organisation has a set of unsaid rules. For example, the employment guide of a prominent Fortune 500 high-tech company touts flexible work hours and telecommuting as benefits to employees. What is not stated is that this is a driven culture with 12+ hour days and no time for vacations.

A CULTURAL FIT IS REFLECTED FROM THE FOLLOWING:

Your mode of dressing

Your way of speaking

Your attitude and behaviour

Your ability to work within the structure and get along with others

Your involvement in your organisation’s activities

Your willingness to go the extra mile..

And you do it all and still don't fit...Ha ha! Change the job... its sheer bad luck Darling.

more at http://www.citeman.com/12501-cultural-misfit-%e2%80%93-are-you-the-one.html#ixzz2kpSTdIwr

Performers are all rounder

Being good at one thing doesn't qualify us for HIPO, it’s a gradual process of being good at multiple things that matters for any organization.  The options of just being great at one’s area of work or getting expertise in that area and still be known as the performer are less.

Think about it, after years of experience in particular field we get knack of the things, but will it work if Integrity is missing…or we won’t respect our peers, subordinates…Yes that’s the point!! And how will we know how to find out the HIPOs , this is where HR can help.

Designing effective policies, creating efficient redressal systems, beginning with the steps for forming a culture, Setting values, Change agent..Give this any name or cal it any HRD, HRM or Human capital department, but facts remain its more to do with managing humans as rhythms. Every key making a different sound, yet have to perform similar function - Composition of great Music!

Evaluate a performer on the basis of what they are doing for organization over all, not just for one function/department…You would say how naive, we know all this..but where are we showing it in our Performance Management system? Are we? We conclude with appraisal letters being sent out…but what happened to the gaps that came out..Training calendar created? If someone lacks in discipline but shows results in say sales figures – did we make it a point to justify his/her ratings on these parameters where he/she lags behind…

Will leave you all thinking here…with an interesting example of what happened with Phaneesh Murthy during his Infosys days, a bright, apple of the eye, performer (in his own areas) got the company to shell out Huge amount for a scandal.. Is that a definition of HIPO? IGate gave another opportunity, but then again history repeated itself with him…and the end result, well you all know what happened there.

Living by values of organization/institution, Integrity, respect, implementation of policies and code of conduct may sound very Subjective – but are the true value generator! 

Practice it to believe it! Or keep calling your “Functional Heroes” as performers…