In my previous post, I demonstrated how you could use design mapping techniques to comprehend how the various components of your culture interact. I’ll now demonstrate how you can expand on the mapping exercise to better visualize a more specific aspect of your culture: your core values.
Having a set of core values is crucial. Your team’s inability to describe how you live out your core values and your inability to visualize them could be preventing your culture from thriving. A group of people needs to share a common understanding of where they’re going, how they’re getting there, and how they will interact with one another along the way in order to work together effectively.
The simplest way to determine whether you have good values is to compare them to your willingness to suffer financial loss, refrain from hiring someone, or fire someone. A strong set of values that are frequently communicated can help decision-making at all levels of the organization, from the board of directors to the front line, become a set of operating principles that everyone understands are uncompromising. Above all else, the most successful organizational cultures are built on a solid foundation of values.
Why is a values exercise important for your team?
A values exercise can provide your staff with a number of advantages, such as:
What is a values exercise for teams?
A group exercise centered on your company’s values is called a values exercise for teams. Team members are frequently prompted to reflect critically on their beliefs, attitudes, and actions during values-based exercises, both individually and collectively. The exercise’s objective may be to develop, consider, change, or reinforce values. These values could be your teams, departments or entire companys.
12 values exercises for teams
Here are 12 exercises you might want to use with your team to develop, reinforce, or update your team’s or company’s values:
1. Merge personal values
Provide each of your team members with multiple index cards. Each individual should put one personal value on each notecard. You can decide in advance how many values each person should write, or you can let them write as many as they can in a certain amount of time.
Next, depending on the size of your team, divide team members into subgroups of two to five. Ask each small group to discuss their personal values and work together to create a list of group values. You can then compare the exercise’s values to your team’s actual values and decide collectively if any of your current values should change if your team or organization already has values. This exercise can also be used to develop shared values for a new group or organization.
2. Perform musical exercises
Your team can complete this task in pairs or collectively. Start by tapping out a musical beat with your hands on the floor, your knees, or your desk. One of your team members should try to mimic your rhythm as closely as possible. Then, that team member might either demonstrate a rhythm for you to imitate or ask another team member to do so. The value of actively listening to one another and contributing to the group can be emphasized to staff members using this values exercise.
3. Explore different understandings of company values
On a whiteboard, corkboard, or other sizable visualization tool, write down your team’s or organization’s values. Provide everyone with notecards or scrap pieces of paper. Request that each team member describe each company value in their own words on a separate piece of paper. Have each team member write down their understanding of each value and place it next to the value on the whiteboard. Next, request that team members come up with examples of how they apply each value within your company. Write these examples down and post them on the board next to the pertinent value.
Now evaluate your board as a group. Find instances where the groups’ understandings of or examples of company values appear to differ. Talk about how you can develop a more unified or thorough understanding of your values and how employees should uphold them. This might entail changing the wording or significance of some of your company’s current values.
4. Paint a picture as a team
Divide your team into small groups. Give each group a canvas or large piece of paper, along with art supplies like brushes and other painting or drawing tools. Tell everyone on your team to draw a single image without considering what the other groups produce. The next step is for your teams’ small groups to decide on efficient ways to share their designs with one another. This activity highlights the significance of creating effective strategies that advance a shared objective, even when working on various projects or using various methodologies.
5. Trade stories about company values
Invite team members to share personal experiences of times they applied company values to their work. You could also request that staff members share stories about how other staff members have incorporated team or company values into their tasks or procedures. This exercise is more conversational in nature and less structured.
6. Create an interactive values tool
Create a collaborative, interactive values board for the team. Team members may display images of one another, notes of appreciation for coworkers, productivity charts, or other items that represent your team’s or business’ values. You might want to make a separate visual display for each of your values depending on the size of your team and the number of values you have.
You can use a digital tool in place of a visual board, such as an email chain or a virtual message board. You could automate notifications for team members to check or update the board using a digital interactive tool.
7. Hold an open conversation about company values
Give your staff the chance to talk about and inquire about the company’s values. Allow the conversation to develop naturally, but be prepared with some thoughtful questions to help it continue as necessary, such as:
Team members are more free to express their ideas or opinions because this values exercise is less structured.
8. Encourage coworker recognition
Create a regular activity that motivates team members to compliment each other when they exhibit company values. For instance, you could create a rewards scheme that awards team members points for both recognizing coworkers and receiving it.
9. Update your mission statement
Your values help you achieve your company or departmental mission. Your mission statement may need to change as your team’s or organization’s values change. Write your mission statement on a whiteboard or a piece of paper to hang on a corkboard to start this exercise. Put your current values or the values you came up with during a previous exercise around the mission statement.
Ask staff members to consider how these values and your mission statement are related, as well as any areas where they find it difficult to see the connections. See if you can strengthen the connections by making any changes to your mission statement, values, or both. On your whiteboard, note the connections as well as suggestions for making the connections stronger.
10. Build values while preparing a meal
Depending on the size of your team, divide your team into small groups of two to five individuals. Give each team a special sandwich, salad, or other dish that is reasonably simple to make. Just some of the ingredients and cooking equipment needed for each team to prepare their meal should be provided. In order to redistribute their resources and enable everyone to prepare their own meals, the smaller groups then establish trade agreements with one another. This activity serves to emphasize the value of cooperation between people or departments even when working on different projects.
This activity can be used to improve the marketing and sales skills of your team. After the meal is prepared, have each team sample their creation and develop a marketing plan. Then, teams attempt to persuade other teams to buy their food by making sales pitches to one another. In this exercise, purchases could include exchanging fictitious money or different meals.
11. Create a values card game
Create a deck of index cards with one value written on each to use for this exercise. These values may be specific to your team or company. The principles can also be universal principles like loyalty, honesty, or kindness. You might want to make more than one set of notecards if your team is larger.
Place the cards in the middle of the space or the table, face down. Inquire of one team member about a typical work challenge they have faced, such as a challenging task or a pressing deadline. Then ask the teammate to their left to choose a notecard and to provide a response to their coworker’s problem that corresponds to the value on their chosen index card. Allow other team members to offer additional or different approaches to the problem at work, as long as those approaches are related to the value of the notecards.
12. Think about company aspirations
As each team member completes a notecard, ask them to describe what they see as the company’s or team’s core values. Core values define who your team or company are. All the index cards should be spread out on the floor or a corkboard. Group together notecards that your team agrees are similar.
Now, ask each team member to fill out a new set of notecards with the values of their wishes. Wish values specify the ideals that your group or business aspires to. Distribute these index cards among your team members and combine previous notecards. Discuss methods or ideas for reducing the gaps between your core values and desired values. This might entail altering some of your values or how you put them into practice, like through work habits.
Tips for running values exercises for teams
Here are some suggestions for selecting and leading values-based activities with your team:
Group Exercises – Values *74
FAQ
What are values in teams?
Core values are people’s firmly held beliefs that direct their actions and behaviors. What are they, why are they important? Individual experiences, wants, and perspectives on the world will all have an impact on a person’s values. “Values help guide actions, behaviors, and create team norms.
What are some core values in teamwork?
- It’s all about people. …
- We are challengers. …
- Growth and learning is in our DNA. …
- We are passionate about our work. …
- We envision BIG and start small. …
- We are generous givers, not self-serving takers. …
- By working more efficiently and quickly, we can accomplish much more.
- We will laugh hard, loud, and often.
What are the 5 core values?
- INTEGRITY. Know and do what is right. Learn more.
- RESPECT. Treating others the way you want to be treated. Learn more.
- RESPONSIBILITY. Embrace opportunities to contribute. Learn more.
- SPORTSMANSHIP. Bring your best to all competition. Learn more.
- SERVANT LEADERSHIP. Serve the common good. Learn more.
How do you run a team values workshop?
- Physical. If you’re together physically, you’ll need: …
- Remote. You must set up an online tool if your team members are working remotely.
- Scheduling the session. …
- Acknowledge country (20 seconds) …
- Brainstorm ideas (5 minutes) …
- Group ideas (5 minutes) …
- Vote on ideas (5 minutes) …
- Refine into sentences (10 minutes)
