- Constant care
- Humbleness
- Uprightness
- Our employees
- Our name
The booklet is an example of
values education because it takes each core value and lists examples
of behaviours that will contribute. For example, under “humbleness”
you find behaviours such as showing trust, managing our ego, putting
“we” before “I”, being open and listening and sharing.
Under “Uprightness” is listed
honesty, openness about the good and the bad, personal courage,
integrity, high ethical standards, fairness, decency and reliability.
Cynical?
I’ve come across some people who
regard these corporate value statements as “window dressing” and just
saying all the right things but not believing them. I’ve been in
several Maersk buildings and worked with some colleagues there and the
display of the values in large size posters in various rooms and the
continual talk of “our core values” shows the Corporation is serious.
Indeed, in the introduction to
the booklet, Jess Soderberg states “Through 100 years they [core
values] have guided our daily interactions …” He also points to the
need for values education, “But as the company grows the need for
sharing the values and the understanding of them grows as well”.
For me, the most encouraging
remark by Soderberg is this: “It is important to us that our values
are more than just words on posters but that they are actually lived.
This is why a number of sessions have taken place during these last
years, ensuring that leaders fully understand the values and have an
opportunity to live by them”.
These sessions are values
education. Of course, the more the dialogue, the interaction and the
questioning the better the values education will be. The more concrete
examples are given of what is good and bad behaviour, the better the
values education will be and the better able people will be to live by
them.
Copyright © 2008 Values Education Ltd
Note to editors. Feel free to use this article as long as the
following details are retained. “A values education article from CAVE
www.valueseducation.co.uk
”
|
