I would like to make a text-to-self reference from the Harvard Business Review article “Personal Values and Corporate Strategy.” The article states, “For our purposes a value can be viewed as a conception, explicit or implicit, of what an individual or a group regards as desirable, and in terms of which he or they select, from among alternative available modes, the means and ends of action.” I see this explanation of a value play out in the workplace. I work for a nonprofit and we have core values that I deeply understand and pursue on a daily basis. The group, in this case, are the employees that work for the company. The group desires the 16 core values because they lead to the desirable actions that will help the company accomplish their goals/mission.
Another quote from the same article states, “Values may be identified by noting differences between individuals or groups in dealing with similar problems.” I think this speaks to conflict resolution in the workplace. Even though different employees have different roles with the company, each person has the company’s core values in common. As conflict is addressed, employees must remember the values that they must uphold as they are in partnership with the company. Another example is from my personal experience. As a part of a team, there will be times where I want to approach something with my individual interest as a priority. I must remember our core values of the company calls to humbly step into compassion. I take on the challenge of those core values by redirecting my actions to be more of a team player for the betterment of the mission and to lower myself to serve others.