Imagine, if you will, a cat.
Have you got a cat in mind? Excellent. Now, keeping that cat in mind, I want you to imagine it is playing with a ball of string. A cat playing with a ball of string.
What colour is the cat?
How about the ball of string?
When I think of a cat playing with a ball of string, the image that arises in my mind, is that of a black and white kitten playing with a ball of yarn. Asking my colleagues, some imagined a ginger cat, others black, and the balls of string ranged from black to red to blue.
The concept of a cat playing with a ball of sting is quite simple. It is easy to imagine. We all understand what a cat is, and also a ball of string. Yet, we don’t all imagine the details the same. Not only do the colours of the cat and string differ, you likely placed the cat and string in a different environment. Maybe the cat imagined was inside a home, perhaps outside in a yard. For some it may be a real-life pet they imagined, for others it may have been more cartoon like.
So what? What does this demonstrate?
If we all imagine tangible, simple concepts like ‘cat’ and ‘string’ differently; how can we possibly expect any consistency or uniformity when we imagine intangible and complex concepts such as ‘courage’, ‘respect’, ‘integrity’, ‘family’, and ‘honesty’? Whilst we all have an idea of what these concepts mean; in action, we may have quite differing views as to how they are demonstrated – especially when it comes to our working environments.
Not only is it important for organisations to set values, but to regularly discuss what these values mean.
Group discussions are highly effective in developing mutual understanding of what our values mean, and how these values are demonstrated and honoured in everyday behaviour. Moreover, involving people in developing key indicators of what behaviours meet organisational values, encourages ownership.
The Guild encourages all teams to discuss the meaning of values, to devise key indicators that demonstrate members are adhering to the values, and to also think about what behaviours are being rewarded. As the saying goes, ‘what gets rewarded, gets repeated’. If your organisation values team work, yet only individual performance is rewarded, individuals are going to strive to be above the rest, rather than work with the rest. Team work, in reality, becomes less valued. Holding a group discussion enables teams and organisations to understand if stated values align with rewarded values.
Lastly, once values and key behaviours have been identified, they need to be displayed. For some individuals, visual reminders are a necessity; but they also stand as a point of pride, showing outsiders what the team and organisation stands for.
The Warrior-Womxn's Guild 