Corporate values are often introduced with great fanfare, but then not put into practice. After a few years at the latest, they are either forgotten or have turned into a joke. Why do corporate values not have the intended effect?

Corporate values are interchangeable

Core values need no external justification. They are what defines the company, its DNA so to speak. Generic characteristics such as customer focus, integrity and quality can be practiced and written down in instructions or SOPs. However, they do not have to be anchored in the company as core values. Core values should only be those values that make up the essence of a particular company.
Problem: Even if these values are introduced, they do not ignite. They do not trigger a sense of identification, pride or belonging and cannot become effective.

Company values are deficit-oriented

With a new culture, the transformation should succeed and the company should remain successful. Everyone sees what is not going well and what needs to be changed. To do this, new values are introduced that are aimed at eliminating the old ones with new behaviors.
Problem: These values often remain empty words. A company does not become agile by being anchored in a core value. The introduction of ambitious development values often leads to a feeling of resignation rather than identification.

This is how it can work: Authentic corporate values

Corporate values have a magical effect when they represent what makes the company unique. When employees find the essence of the company. When they know what is meant and what it means to them. When it gets to the heart of why it is this company and no other.

Our recommendation for shaping corporate values: Take a look at the history of the company and its DNA. Talk to the people who stand out in the company. The question of uniqueness.