Abraham Maslow is renowned for identifying the hierarchy of needs that humans have: physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, self-actualization. The satisfaction of lower needs generally precede and must occur before higher needs can be addressed.
What if corporate values are the same way? What if the development of certain values are more foundational and generally precede other values for a company to be most effective?
If I were responsible for the training of new employees, I would spend the whole first year indoctrinating them into the value of accountability. We must begin with the foundation that if you see something that needs fixing or doing, you are responsible. You own the success, not just of yourself but of the company.
Year two would be dedicated to truth telling. If we cannot be honest with one another about the company and our behavior we are doomed.
Year three would focus on compassion. It would be nice to put this in year one, but without accountability, compassion would fail. Without truth, compassion stifles needed discussion.
That’s my hierarchy of corporate values. How would you arrange yours?
Be the Hero Book Website
Chip Conley’s book, Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow is a great read and includes many practical ideas about connecting employees, clients and investors to the hierarchy. You can also find Chip at http://www.ted.com
I especially liked how he stressed that even during tough economic times, companies still need to take care of their employees; and, how important informal recognition is to an employee’s well-being and commitment to the organization.
Carol, terrific reference. And yes, tough times are THE times to pay attention to your employees. It’s easy to keep people happy during good times. In bad times companies think they can ignore retention because there aren’t a lot of jobs out there. But talented employees will still either leave anyway or make the decision and lay the groundwork to leave when the economy improves.