From beige to brave: discover the hidden ROI of creative company values
When it comes to company values, there are many examples of beige buzzwords adorning office walls or being published in employee handbooks. From “Integrity” to “honesty” to “teamwork”, the words rarely move beyond hygiene factors or lofty aspirations. Who wants to work with “dishonest” colleagues I wonder? And will “innovation” flashing up on my screensaver inspire fresh thinking or high-performing behaviour? Probably not. These words often feel bland, foreign, and meaningless; typically leading to them being largely ignored and rarely lived.
But what if your company’s values could be more than just wall art? What if you could break free from bland beige values and instead create authentic ownable company commitments that resonate with your people, encourage productive behaviours, and ultimately boost your bottom line?
Uncovering creative values that drive ROI
Get your values right and they can be powerful catalysts for organisational success. But to engage and excite your team values need to be authentic, ownable, and palpable across all aspects of your business. They should fuel the way you do business, inspire fresh thinking, and align your team efforts with a shared purpose.
By creating your values in partnership with your people, and crafting something unique to your business, you’ll find they engage both current and future colleagues. You’ll gain a powerful tool for attracting like-minded people. Those who are looking for rewarding work, and more than just a paycheck at the end of the month.
Clients and customers also buy into a genuine values-driven culture. According to the recently published SAP Emarsys Global Customer Loyalty Index 2024, true loyalty, driven by emotional connections rather than incentives, has grown by 26% between 2021 and 2024, reaching 34% in 2024. This rise is driven by personalised experiences and brands aligning with their customer values.
Company values are no longer a nice-to-have, they’re an integral part of your business strategy, driving competitiveness, and propelling your company from average to extraordinary when designed and delivered well.
Creating values that inspire and delight your people
At Purplefish, we’re proud to have helped many companies articulate creative values that resonate with their people and their customers.
Through a blend of insight and creative thinking, we develop values that inspire, excite and engage colleagues and customers alike.
Learn more about how we supported Kerr Office Group to create the Kerr Promises.
Learn more about how we supported Kerr Office Group to create the Kerr Promises
Bringing your leaders with you
Whether you’re starting your values creation for the first time, or you recognise it’s time for a refresh, it’s critical to engage your leaders with the development of your values. Without their commitment, you’ll struggle to activate your values across your colleague experience when the time comes to launch and embed them.
We recommend starting with a leadership workshop to understand their current aspirations and concerns regarding the company culture. This can be a great way to open up discussion regarding the opportunity to evolve current colleague behaviours in order to improve company culture and performance. These early leadership conversations will provide valuable perceptions to test during your colleague research activity.
Book a values exploration springboard with our MD
Why now?
Businesses worldwide have had to change and evolve their ways of working since the pandemic, with colleague and customer expectations changing dramatically. If your business and ways of working have changed, it’s likely your values should too. It may well be time to get creative, be bolder, and create ownable values that drive happier employees, more productivity, and better business performance.
Stay tuned throughout October for more insights and best practice to help you bring your company values to life:
Crafting company values to drive excitement and excellence
Book a values springboard with our resident employee experience expert, Lucy
