The problem with organizational values and culture are that they are often assumed. They are assumed to exist, assumed to be clearly defined, assumed to be widely understood, and assumed to be accepted by most within the organization. These are false and risky assumptions.

Even in an organization that purports to advance a set of core values a survey of organization members may reveal the reality of widespread ignorance of these values. Even if they are known and recited it’s important to discern if they are understood in the context of the organization’s objectives. Values segregated from the real work and challenges of the organization are just nice words that have no meaning or impact. Finally all of this is of no value if these values, these Vital Tenets, are not applied by the organizations members in their daily work in the organizational setting. To reach that goal the values need to be embedded in each individual. They need to own the values and have real world experience with applying them to address organizational challenges on a daily basis.

Setting an enterprise-wide organizational objective of a fully embedded and actively growing set of organizational values may seem like a tall order. It appears to be asking a lot especially today in an increasingly cynical era. If done diligently, however, a properly mission-aligned set of values, applied consistently, and with a long-term commitment, will produce results. Meeting this lofty organizational objective will show itself to be a worthwhile investment that pays great benefits to the organization and the individual. It won’t matter what technology or processes are used to make the organization more efficient or productive. These can be changed to address deficiencies. Values and culture make the technology and processes work better by providing a shared philosophy and approach to business challenges. Everyone will be rowing in the same direction.

Ultimately it will be the organization’s values that make the difference in a market with many competitors. All other things being equal, those organizations with a positive values and culture program in place for new and veteran employees will have an edge. Those organizations that allow negative cultures to spread will see quality diminish and professionalism wane.