Robert Says,
I agree that values discussion that is not grounded in real concrete
issues puts off a good number of people. There are some techniques that
can be used to "test" values" for their applicability. Discussions of
values, I think, need to address the limits of each "value"in real life,
and the very practical issues that arise when values clash in real life.
For example, if we value survival, and we value honesty, do we refuse to
do something (foregoing the money), if we feel we cannot help our
customer/client? I've found that people are very interested in discussing
the dilemna, but not so much in discussing the abstract point.
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I find that discussion of values for most people tends to be less relevant
than how our actions reflect our values. In other words, there are the
values we espouse, and then there are the values-in-action -- the values
discernible from our actions. Frequently these are not the same.
I now spend a lot less time talking about values to people who "work for
me" so to speak, and a lot more time assessing my actions against my
values to see if they align or not. Do I act as if I care what people
feel? Do I ask? What do I do when someone tells me? Do I build in ways
to make work enjoyable and fun? Do I create opportunities for people to
take risks? How do I respond when they fail?
The important thing is our values-in-action. These are what people will
judge us on, not what we say.
This becomes particularly important when we come to the trade-offs that
Robert refers to. When values clash, which one takes precedence? At this
point, discussion is a good idea. If one does a good job with their
values-in-action most of the time, then when a clash occurs, people are
genuinely interested to understand why one path was chosen over another.
If, on the other hand, the values-in-action normally bear little relation
to the espoused values, then there is little interest in the apparent
conflict, because people expect no relationship, and are unsurprised by
hypocritical the behavior.
--Rol Fessenden LL Bean, Inc. 76234.3636@compuserve.com
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>