Prestasjon og kultur • 7 MIN LESING
Company Values: Making Them Real Rather Than Just Words on a Wall
MAY 24, 2026
Most organisations have company values. Few embed them in the decisions and behaviours that shape the day-to-day employee experience. Here is how to close that gap.
The values-behaviour gap
Gapet mellom uttalte selskapsverdier og den levde organisatoriske virkeligheten er en av de viktigste driverne for ansattes kynisme og avkobling. Når en organisasjon hevder å verdsette «integritet», men ignorerer etiske bekymringer reist av ansatte, eller hevder å verdsette «mennesker først», men tar beslutninger som tydelig prioriterer kostnad over trivsel, får ansatte et klart budskap: verdiene er markedsføring, ikke forpliktelser. Gjentatt eksponering for dette gapet skaper en kynisme som er svært vanskelig å reversere.
Embedding values in systems
Values become real when they are embedded in the systems that govern how people are selected, developed, rewarded, and held accountable. Including values-based competencies in the hiring process selects for people who are likely to demonstrate them. Incorporating values into performance reviews creates accountability for living them. Recognising employees specifically for demonstrating values, with a named example, reinforces the behaviours the values are intended to promote. And holding leaders visibly accountable when their behaviour contradicts the values, rather than looking the other way, is the single most powerful signal that the values are genuine.
