The challenge lies not in motivating people, but in building an environment in which motivated people are willing to make a maximum contribution.
Deborah Stephens

However they’re expressed, values carry the message of shared purpose, standards and conceptions of what is worth living and striving for.
John Gardner

Everywhere people ask: “What can I actually do about the world?” The answer is as simple as it is disconcerting: we can, each of us, work to put our own inner house in order.
E.F. Schumacher

A conventional bank defined a new story and value system so coherent and compelling that in five short years it moved from close to the bottom of the market to become market leader and boasted a waiting list of thousands who want to work there. That’s not a tall tale. It’s a true story.
dya | the culture challenge

If you removed all of your corporate branding - livery, logos, advertising, uniforms - how would the world recognise your organisation and your service? What sets you apart?
dya | the culture challenge

The things people say!

"This work on values is pushing us to clarify our own personal purpose statement and translate our values into behaviours."

"The core values are for me, the source of energy and direction for living into our purpose statement. The process to name them really challenged us to get to the heart of what is important for us at this time."

"We return to the values we chose and incorporate them into what we’re doing, and they allow us to call each other to account. To have a set behaviours flowing from the values leaves nothing at the aspirational level."

culturework

organisation renewal
...with attitude

Changing the
pattern of behaviour

Culture Mapping

Culture is the tip of the iceberg - the visible outcome of the underlying values and beliefs that shape decisions and behaviour. In organisations this internal territory is just as important as the external market, and just as full of surprises.

But how can you measure this intangible asset? How do you know what cultural strengths are available to build on, or what weaknesses are blocking progress? Where are the time-bombs? What needs to change? The only way to begin is to find out where you’re starting from.

Culture Mapping makes the intangible dimensions of culture tangible, by mapping human values in a practical and insightful way and presenting a clear agenda for change and a firm context for meaningful action. read more

Leadership, Values and Consciousness

The institutional collapses and breakdown in governance seen in recent times, are consequences of a leadership deficit that, over time, facilitated a gradual erosion of the moral base on which the institutions were founded.

New and unprecedented conditions ahead of us, call for a different kind of leadership. Those who head the institutions we depend on will need to operate with an expanded consciousness and a wider spectrum of values than has characterised the recent past. read more

Values are what we value. What is uppermost in our consciousness in the moment of choice and decision. Our values shape our attitudes and beliefs and colour our perception of the world. We interpret Life through the lens of our values.

There are many reasons to pay attention to values at work. Values define the workplace culture, and everything organisations say they need is made possible or impossible by the nature and quality of their culture.

If people are to respond intelligently and consistently in the constantly shifting business environment, core values are needed more than rules and regulations. Regulation imposes limits on behaviour, while values support self-organisation and responsible freedom. When values are clearly articulated and defined, widely shared, and hard-wired into structures and processes at every level, the foundation is laid for a truly coherent culture.

There’s also a link between human well-being and productivity. Given a choice, most people would prefer to work in an environment that reflects their own values. When this is the case, they are naturally more enthusiastic, creative and productive.

The importance of values and the behaviours they encourage isn’t confined to the internal landscape. A revolution is taking place right across the world in the relationship between society and its institutions. High profile failures in governance and responsibility together with a heightened awareness of the enormous challenges we face socially and environmentally is fuelling a public demand for change, and decisions to support companies and products are increasingly motivated by beliefs about the integrity of the production process, the social spirit embodied in the brand, and the values underpinning the company and its leadership.

Organisations of all kinds need to think more about the total contribution they make to the wider culture and adopt values that help to bring their operations into line with what the world needs now. The future will belong to organisations that demonstrate responsible stewardship and values that balance legitimate self-interest with the wider social good.

CultureWork: what we do

The CultureWork suite of processes is a unique resource designed to support the work of transition in organisations and in the community.

Just as the gardener prepares the soil for planting, our simple but powerful Culture Mapping process will help you to prepare the cultural ‘soil’, providing a framework and language for a new conversation about the values at work in your workplace and what may need to change. It will also open up a space for reflection about the values and consciousness of leadership - an essential part of cultural renewal.