Values-based Corporate Culture Development. Empowering the Conscientious Altruist movement in the workplace.
Success in life and business is more than the accumulation of wealth and profits. True success comes from connecting with people, growing trusting relationships and creating, purposeful, life-affirming organizational cultures.
Values Matter
After pouring over decades of work done in the field of personal relationships we found that the common threads running through all the research were the concepts of “shared values” and “trust.” Further, we discovered that at the root of all successful relationships are five values dimensions that we call the 5Cs.
Competence.
Competence measures the ability to deliver on what you say. From a corporate perspective, can your company achieve what it promises to its employees and customers? Are employees trained and capable of providing what customers expect? It may seem like a given but there are plenty examples of companies with big dreams who struggle at this basic level. Without competence it is impossible to wade into the deeper waters of meaningful relationship building.
Consistency.
Consistency answers the question, “am I dependable?” You can’t measure trust episodically. If you, or a co-worker is inconsistent, those around you tend to withdraw from the relationship rather than draw closer. In many corporate environments, competent employees’ performance can be stymied, by an ineffective structure. Antiquated customer relationship tools or outdated IT systems can directly contradict well-meaning, competent employees.
Candor.
Are you honest? Are your communications transparent? From a brand perspective, candor is the measure of how the public perceives the genuineness and openness of an organization. A lack of communication creates uneasiness between leaders and employees. Authenticity is now a demand among a discerning public. Inauthentic brands, much like inauthentic people find themselves on the outside of relationships looking in.
Concern.
Concern is a measure of how you demonstrate that you care. It’s one thing to be competent and consistent in your performance, but if you don’t take time to show you care about others you’ll fall short in cementing meaningful relationships. By clearly focusing on relationships and human needs more than the bottom line, a business has the opportunity to leverage its values in new and meaningful ways.
Connection.
The potent combination of rational and emotive trust factors build up to the one dimension of self-actualization which requires the participation of both parties in a relationship. It is the measure of how well you, as an individual or your company identifies with the relationships you value most. If your employees feel deeply connected to your organization, they will remain loyal over time. The same applies to your customers as well. The most potent relationships are those that are authentically built on a foundation of shared common values aligned so tightly that they become indistinguishable from one another.
Cultivating values-driven culture.
The Higher Ground Consultancy works within corporate organizations to discover, assess, align and activate values-driven culture. Of course, the most vital aspect of building culture is practicing culture on a daily basis. It’s one thing to profess our values but quite another to live them out within the organizational community.
We have developed a powerful, scalable digital platform that virtually connects people throughout organizations via desktop and phone and encourages individuals to develop the cultural “muscles” necessary to support corporate vision, mission and values.
Our CULTI-VATE learning system invites individuals to take daily actions to support their organizations and grow values-based behavior. Their journeys are chronicled and shared with the broader community of their peers to create excitement and participation company wide.
The program brings the principles of gamification and eduction together in the form of ongoing values “challenges” that creates healthy competition and makes traditional, often mundane, training fun and personally rewarding.