9 Responses

1. Company Values Exercise
   KS – what about giving them magazines, sheets of flipchart paper, scissors and glue and getting them to create a collage/poster/image, which they feel illustrates what the company values look like in practice?

   This type of exercise is fun, generates lots of laughter and can be very illuminating about how people see the company

   Julie

2. Company compass – Suggestion from Thiagi site

   I found this on Thiagi’s website. Basically teams create a compass based on the values. One team member is blindfolded and they trace a maze with their finger. The other teammates guide them by yelling directions from the compass. Then the debrief is around why they choose to represent the values as they did.

   The value is all in the debrief.

   http://www.thiagi.com/pfp/IE4H/february2009.html#GraphicsGame

   good luck. 

3. Company values exercise
   I agree with Julie’s exercise re- collages. I’ve done this exercise with new starters and the visual messages are very powerful. Why not invite a senior manager to give feedback on each poster and award a prize to the authors of the most accurate / creative / informative.
   Happy Days!
   Bryan
   http://www.abctrainingsolutions,biz

4. Core Values
   We have found that a good and REALISTIC approach is to present the menu of company or core values – whatever the term – and then say to delegates. How does x core value relate to……

   Time Mgt
   Equality and Diversity
   Assertiveness

   whatever the topic under discussion.It stiops people fighting against what they see as “pink and fluffy” exercises.This is more concrete.Well,it works for us!

   Regards

   Dominic

   —
   QED Training
   qedworks.com

5. Map it..

   One idea I saw used at a values engagement conference was to get groups of up to 8 to do a mind map showing practical ways in which the values are being demonstrated in the workplace.

   Ask the group to identify the best three examples

   Share these in the wider group and highlight common themes.

    

6. Values Game
   I sell a game on my site specifically designed around values – you can design the game to specifically address company values. I have used it with a team very successfully – learned a lot.

   If of interest, drop me a line – trying not to be too advertorial on here!

   Carolyn

7. Company Values

    A small but possibly relevant point to consider, in addition to the type of activity used, is whose and what values are you wanting to identify?

   For example, are they the values which people feel the company or the department should have as a policy, are they the actual values which the people feel they have themselves or would like to have, are they the values which they feel the customers and clients would like them to have, or are they the things which the people value about the company, department or team?

   Or are they a combination of these?

   There may be a difference between doing an interesting and fun activity on values which is theoretical but not actually relevant practically, and one that people have a feel for, are committed to because they can identify with the results and can make use of them in a way that helps them, their colleagues, and their customers.

   Just a thought based on experience!

   With good wishes,

   John Teire

   john.teire@virgin.net

    

    

    

    

    

8. Word association

   How about getting each participant to list the first 6 words that come to mind when they think of each Value – then provoke a discussion about how everyone has different interpretations of the word, so "this is what it means here…"

9. Making It Real
   I guess that one of the problems with “values” is that they are a bit abstract. My suggestion would be to look at each of the values and decide how someone would be behaving if they were demonstrating these values, in other words what it would look like.
   The magic question is “how”. Once they have answered that correctly you will have an observable behaviour or set of behaviours that demonstrate the value.
   Don’t let them get away with more abstractions, the “how” question should bore right down to the root behaviours!

   You can run this as a big group discussion or as smaller groups focussing on one value and feeding back with discussion.

   Good luck