The magic of commitment to core values

I am just back from a family vacation at Disney World in Orlando, FL. Despite my aching feet from walking miles across theme parks, each with different flavor of attractions and shows, I can still feel the Disney magic. Every experience Disney creates is just a notch above the rest. With the masses of people everywhere, things work out smoothly; it’s all meticulously planned and practiced. No matter what you ask, the cast members, as they call their employees, are happy to fulfill your request. Nothing is done grudgingly. You get a wave with a smile, a hug, a high five, and for a moment, even a grown up can feel like a school kid again.

Disney’s values are innovation, quality, community, storytelling, optimism and decency. What differentiates Disney from most other companies is the pervasiveness of these values in their organization. When Disney talks about quality, they invest in additional people to make sure that there are no glitches in the guest experience. The rest rooms shine and traffic flows, even with millions of visitors. Our friend asked a cast member where he could find extra napkins, and she offered to run downstairs to get some. In other companies, this would be considered above and beyond performance; at Disney, it is a basic expectation.

Disney spends a great effort in selecting the right people that fit their culture. They are clear about their expectations from the start. Once the cast member is in, they invest in their training and development through proven programs. A survey on management effectiveness in administered on an on-going basis, to make sure that the values are upheld at all levels.

What differentiates the best from the rest is the fanatical commitment to the vision, mission and values of the company. The magic will follow.

###

If you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing to Forte Consulting RSS Feed. Copyright 2010 Liisa Pursiheimo-Marcks, all rights reserved. SVPGMGDX8TEC

True core values: Seeing through the spin

We all have read company websites that list their company values. The most common are financial goals, ethics and integrity, teamwork, customer focus, safety, quality and innovation. In employee orientation, we further hear how these values are so important to the success of the organization. And then, after the first couple of days, we start seeing and hearing “how things really work around here”. We start getting the sense what the true priorities are. In successful companies, the management and the workforce walk the talk. The stated cultural values match the real organizational values. In other places, it doesn’t take long to see the disconnect. Sometimes, even good companies lose their True North, a good recent example being Toyota.

Usually, true values shine through when push comes to shove. In final decision making, the most important values determine the outcome.

If quality is a true core value, is the company willing to pay millions of dollars to recall vehicles as early as the defect is detected? Or, in a software release, which core value will win, if the product still has significant bugs, but the product is late? It doesn’t matter how much e-learning is given on integrity and respect, if company executives behind closed doors use four-letter words. Everybody knows.

You can also detect core values through resource allocation. If the company touts how diversity is one of its core values, but cuts its diversity training budget among the first items, the walk does not match the talk. If a company advertises how it is customer focused and then proceeds to lay off its customer support personnel before other functions, the actions talk louder than the words.

Employees choose their actions based on logic. Once they figure out what leads to positive or negative consequences in their work environment, they adjust accordingly. They have been assimilated. This reinforcement comes from leadership, management and their peers. They seek approval of their superiors and coworkers. Start time of meetings is a good example. Ask any employee and they will tell you with 5-minute accuracy how much early or late you can arrive. A scary thing is that in many organizations, bad behavior is tolerated and this is noticed. Perhaps a verbally abusive manager who produces financial results gets promoted. The message sent about the priority of core values could not be clearer. Often, high tech companies have big award ceremonies after a painful release and death march. What they don’t realize is that although it feels so fair to recognize the extra effort, they also elevate the core value of a hero culture, often a result of lack of planning and under resourcing a project.

Every action and decision reflects the culture. Every organization has a culture. The first step is to know your culture, the second step is to manage it.

###

If you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing to Forte Consulting RSS Feed.

Copyright 2010 Liisa Pursiheimo-Marcks, all rights reserved.
SVPGMGDX8TEC

How to determine the true cultural values of your organization
	Not our values	May be our values	Our true values
Stated		uWritten on company website uShared in employee orientation uShared in customer presentations	uCome up as priorities in team meetings uUsed as guideline in crisis meetings uStated behind closed doors
Resourced	uDon’t get budget/resources	uGet budget/resources in good times	uGet budget/resources in tough times
Reinforced	uNot tolerated uLead to negative consequences uLead to disciplinary action uLower social ranking at work	uTolerated, no consequences uRecognized	uLead to positive consequences uLead to rewards, promotions uIncrease social ranking at work
Copyright: Liisa Pursiheimo-Marcks – All Rights Reserved