 Have you ever taken a moment to assess your core values? I recently took a deep dive into my values, which got me thinking about their impact on motivation and engagement, especially in the workplace. While my core values have remained remarkably consistent over the years, how I prioritise them has evolved. And it all started with a conversation about the connection between financial rewards and motivation, sparked by Daniel Pink's book 'Drive.'' My boss referenced a concept from the book, and it struck a chord: Pay alone doesn't necessarily drive motivation unless it's significantly inadequate or unfair compared to similar roles. This got me thinking deeply about how our values influence staff engagement and motivation.
Now, I won't dive into the intricacies of motivation, as I've covered that before. Instead, let's focus on values. Many organisations have their own set of values that they expect employees to embrace. For years, I struggled with the idea of organisational values despite their importance. My concern was value congruence—what if an organisation's core values didn't align with mine? Or what if they did, but the organisation prioritised values that didn't resonate with my current life stage? These questions led me on a fascinating journey. Values can be broadly categorised into two types: normative values and personal values. Normative values are the rules and agreements that guide societal behaviour, reflecting accepted notions of right and wrong. On the other hand, personal values are your unique beliefs and ideals that motivate you to take action. They're the things that matter most to you and drive your decisions. Typically, organisational values are rooted in normative values, and that's okay. Normative values encourage positive behaviour, and research suggests that we tend to adopt normative values because of the positive expectations of others to do so. Essentially, we follow the social norms around us, striving to meet those expectations. Let me illustrate this with an example: think about community fundraising for a cause or gift. When many individuals contribute, you're more likely to ask, "How much are you giving?" Your contribution might be influenced by the amount others are giving. Why? Because we instinctively aim to meet our peers' positive expectations, we often take our cues from the prevailing social norms. But here's the challenging part—what if we could tap into the personal values of our staff to boost engagement and motivation? You might wonder how to pull this off, especially in larger organisations. The key players here are your line managers. It's not uncommon for subcultures to emerge within large organisations. That's why it's perfectly acceptable to have team values that align more closely with the team's specific goals rather than mirroring the organisation's values. It sounds a bit unconventional but hear me out. The first step is for managers to understand the personal values of their team members. I'm reading 'Motivational Interviewing' by Miller and Rollnick, which provides a set of values you can use freely. These values serve as a starting point for the conversation. Imagine this scenario: you gather your team and distribute a set of cards with values on them. You ask your team members to sort these values into categories like "Most Important," "Very Important," "Important," "Somewhat Important," and "Not Important." You even provide blank cards so they can add values that resonate with them but aren't on the list. Allocate about 15 minutes for this exercise. Here are a few examples from the list (the full list is provided at the end of the page):
After sorting, ask your team members to select their top five values and rank them from 1 to 5. Now, the magic begins. Encourage them to share a personal story explaining why these values are crucial to them. This exercise goes beyond teamwork; it forges personal connections and builds trust among team members. A coach recently said to me people can argue with your opinion but cannot argue with your story. Once everyone has shared their stories, it's time to collectively choose the top five values essential to the team members, its stakeholders, and their team goals. Encourage your team to think about the stories they want others to tell about them when they live out these agreed-upon values. As an added layer of insight, involve your stakeholders. Ask them to share stories of when the team performed at its best and the keywords, they'd use to describe your team. Incorporate these words into your team's discussions about values. Now comes the exciting part: integrating these team values into your team's culture and decision-making processes. Your values should be the guiding principles behind your choices, acting as a filter through which you view all options. For example, if one of your values is customer-centricity, evaluate each option based on its impact on the customer and choose the one that best serves their interests. Finally, watch for opportunities for your team members to put their personal and team values into action. As these values become ingrained in your team's routine, they'll transition from personal to normative values, reaping the benefits of both types of values. Achieving values congruence within your team results in stronger relationships, improved communication (particularly in challenging situations), authenticity, and enhanced performance. So, explore your values and help your team unlock the incredible potential of values congruence. It's a secret recipe for successful engagement. Lists of Values - Miller and Rollnick (2012)
Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change, 3rd Edition (3rd Edition Authors: Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. Publisher: The Guilford Press. Publication Date: 2012 Edition: 3rd
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AuthorJust me, 
a HR professional listening, learning and working towards an enhanced people experience at work
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