Aligning personal values with organisational goals is not just beneficial but essential for fostering employee engagement and satisfaction. Harry Cooke, People Scientist at Hive, delves into how leaders can bridge the gap between individual and organisational values, enhance workplace culture, and drive success through authentic and values-driven practices. Discover practical strategies for leaders to support their teams, navigate challenges, and build a thriving, resilient organisation grounded in shared values.
Why values-driven leadership matters more than ever
“As the corporate world continues to transform at a rapid pace, the role of values-driven leadership is becoming increasingly essential. Our latest Q2 benchmarking underscores a pivotal shift in how we view leadership within organisations. It highlights that leadership behaviours, the quest for meaningful work, and the alignment of personal and organisational values are no longer just trends but fundamental components that significantly impact employee satisfaction, engagement, and organisational success.
This shift reveals a growing recognition that effective leadership goes beyond traditional management practices. It now encompasses the ability to inspire and align employees by connecting their personal values with the mission and goals of the organisation. This type of alignment not only enhances job satisfaction but also drives higher levels of engagement, which in turn fuels overall organisational success.
The data indicates that organisations that prioritise these elements are better positioned to thrive in a competitive landscape. Leaders who embrace and promote values-driven practices create a more cohesive, motivated workforce, ultimately leading to improved performance and long-term success. This evolving understanding of leadership highlights the need for a more nuanced approach that integrates personal values with organisational objectives to foster a more engaged and committed workforce.”
The human element in leadership
“A recent Gartner report underscores a stark reality: while 82% of employees believe it’s crucial for their organisation to see them as individuals, only 45% feel this is actually the case.
This gap represents a profound challenge for leaders, who must bridge the divide between corporate objectives and the personal values of their workforce.
As human beings, our values are the bedrock of our beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours. They evolve over time, shaped by our experiences and interactions. In the workplace, these values influence everything from job satisfaction to engagement and performance. Examples of personal values could be kindness, humility, integrity, honesty and reliability.
Leaders must bridge this gap by creating environments where personal values are acknowledged and integrated into organisational practices. Addressing this challenge is essential for enhancing employee engagement and driving overall success.”
Aligning values for organisational success
“Leadership plays a crucial role in aligning employees’ personal values with the organisation’s mission and goals. This alignment is key to enhancing work satisfaction and engagement.
Take Hive’s values, for example. They’re not just words on a wall—they’re woven into the very fabric of our culture. These values are designed to be relatable and practical, and they genuinely guide our day-to-day actions. When our team members live by these values, it’s not just about following rules; it’s about embracing principles that everyone truly believes in. This deep connection to our values contributes significantly to our organisational success, as it fosters a cohesive and motivated team that’s committed to our shared goals.
However, values are dynamic and must be continuously nurtured through ongoing dialogue between leaders and employees. This can be done in a number of ways, pulse surveys, having an always-on listening tool so that if or when something changes, you get to know, in person 1-2-1 meetings can also complement this feedback gathering.”
Organisational values, like personal values, should not be static. They need to be co-created with employees and adapted as the workforce evolves. This ongoing conversation ensures that values remain relevant and meaningful, fostering a culture where employees feel connected and engaged with the organisation’s mission. Leaders who effectively manage this alignment help build a more cohesive and motivated workforce.”
The role of leadership in values-driven organisations
“Leadership in a values-driven organisation extends beyond just rhetoric. It requires a commitment to clear communication, inclusive practices, and authentic engagement with employees. Leaders must actively link organisational values to the day-to-day work of their teams, ensuring that values are not just words on a wall but are lived experiences that guide decision-making and behaviour.”
Key strategies for leaders:
- Clear communication: Leaders must consistently communicate the organisation’s values and explicitly link them to its mission and goals. Values should be referenced in everyday work, reinforcing their importance.
- Encourage autonomy: Empower employees to work in ways that align with their personal values. Whether it’s through flexible work arrangements or autonomy in decision-making, employees should feel that their values are respected and supported.
- Embrace diversity and inclusion: Values are often closely tied to identity and personal experiences. By fostering an inclusive environment, leaders can ensure that all employees feel authentic in their roles, allowing them to express and live their values at work.
- Recognition and reinforcement: Recognising employees who embody organisational values reinforces those values and encourages others to follow suit. Tools like “Hive Fives” for peer-to-peer recognition can be powerful in this regard.
- Coaching and development: Leaders should coach employees on where their values intersect with their strengths, helping to build self-efficacy and confidence in values-driven behaviours.
- Adaptive values: Organisations must be willing to adapt their values to complement those of their employees. For instance, if employees prioritise honesty, organisational values like transparency should be emphasised.
Driving cultural change through values-based recognition
“If you have peer-to-peer recognition tools in your organisation, like Hive Fives. Integrating core values into your peer-to-peer recognition system can drive a cultural shift within your organisation. By tagging recognitions with these values, you reinforce desired behaviours and gain insight into how well these values are embedded in your culture.
Start by clearly defining your core values and configuring your recognition tool to include them as tags. Then communicate this system to employees, emphasising its role in promoting a positive work environment. And encourage leaders to model the behaviour and regularly use the tool to reinforce values.
You can track the impact by reviewing data on which values are most recognised and gathering employee feedback. This helps assess how well the system supports your values and improves workplace culture. Success is evident when there’s an increase in value-based recognition, stronger alignment with company values, and enhanced employee engagement.
Keep the system relevant by updating values and recognition criteria as the organisation evolves to stay aligned with your mission.”
When values and work are misaligned
“Leaders must also be attuned to the potential conflicts that arise when tasks or roles are incongruent with personal values. Misalignment can lead to internal conflict, disengagement, and even burnout. It’s crucial for leaders to recognise these signs and intervene early, whether through reassigning tasks, providing additional support, or facilitating open discussions about values alignment.
These signs can include:
- Increased disengagement if employees feel their work contradicts their values
- Lowered morale including negative attitudes towards work or colleagues
- Frequent complaints to express dissatisfaction about their tasks and environment
- Increased absenteeism can be a symptom of misaligned values
- Reduced performance can signal your people aren’t fully engaged or are struggling to reconcile their values with their job
- Feedback from surveys reveal misalignment and highlights areas where interventions may be needed
But early intervention by leaders can help address these signs, whether through reassigning tasks, providing additional support, or facilitating open discussions to realign values with organisational goals.
In roles where personal values are deeply entwined with work—such as in healthcare or education—leaders must ensure employees can detach and recover outside of work. This balance is essential for maintaining long-term engagement and preventing burnout.”
Building a values-driven culture
“The path to a truly values-driven organisation is ongoing, requiring commitment from both leaders and employees. It’s not about imposing values but creating an environment where values are discovered, nurtured, and aligned with the organisation’s mission. As values evolve, so too must the leadership approaches that support them. By fostering an authentic and inclusive culture, organisations can unlock higher levels of engagement, satisfaction, and overall success.
Values-driven leadership is not just a strategy; it’s a necessity in today’s complex and diverse work environment. By prioritising the alignment of values at all levels, leaders can create a thriving, resilient, and future-ready organisation.”
