Values

“A value is a basic perception of the desirability of a particular state, approach or result.” That’s how Wikipedia defines value. A person’s values come from within and have been built up during a long period of time and also have a long lifetime. They are are something that don’t easily change. The same is true of a company’s values (or core values as they are also called). They are not “determined” but can only be discovered and often come from the entrepreneurs who once founded the company. The company’s basic values do not change and they are often strongly linked to the vision and set standards for how the company will work and what’s worth exploring. Morality, ethics, ideals and principles are what define the values. These values lay the foundation of the business culture the company has and set the framework for the vision and mission, as well as guide the company and individual employees in the decisions that are made.
It’s a good idea to start with values and then decide on the vision and lastly the mission. Attempts to make your employees adjust to the values if they do not share them from the start is rarely effective. Value-driven companies instead look to employing people who share the essential values from the outset. To an increasing extent, both staff and customers choose companies that have values that they share and strive for. It is therefore a good idea to clearly express these in words and in actions.
One of the world’s most revered visionaries, Google, has a vision of “Changing the World”, but their value document, “10 things we believe in,” has spread more. The most famous of these is No. 6, “You can earn money without doing evil,” or in other words, “Don’t be evil”.