When businesses bring up the term "organisational values" as a way of describing what they stand for, it is often dismissed as a nebulous slogan or PR exercise. For some companies, though, it is a much more serious undertaking that directly influences how their organisations are run.
For Jenny Duvalier, executive vice president for people at the global technology firm, ARM, the advantages of cultivating a "collaborative" corporate culture where both employees and customers feel they are valued is crucial. "Everyone talks about values but we really do something about it," Duvalier says referring to how the company, which employs around 1,300 people in the UK, operates. "Ours is a complex business and we have highly skilled, exceptional people. Our whole [approach] recognises this so we encourage first and foremost a climate where ideas are shared openly, not merely top-down."
Duvalier explains how the company has increasingly harnessed its internal intranet to enable staff across the globe to innovate and "stay connected" through both formal and informal online forums such as "lunch and learn" which mean staff can "meet up" in groups regularly online. The semiconductor firm has its own internal television station too, so that ideas, new product launches and business successes can be disseminated quickly and openly. In a "highly competitive" fast-changing sector, it directly bolsters business, Duvalier believes. "It's called an 'open door' policy. We really mean it when we say anybody can contribute ideas – and we get the feedback to show it works."
An ethical code
At the professional services firm Bureau Veritas, another global business with around 1,300 UK employees, the complexity and variety of its operations require nothing less than the highest standards according to its HR director Helen Cunningham. The company – which among other things inspects and tests products in sectors ranging from food production to jet engines working with companies including Volvo and Rolls-Royce – prizes its corporate "code of ethics", Cunningham says. "Everyone is trained and tested in our code of ethics and it's a given that employees comply," she says arguing that a major difference with many other companies is that the code is reviewed and updated annually and that staff are incentivised on issues like health and safety, including an annual internal awards scheme.
Talking about how transparency and even whistleblowing is valued, Cunningham adds: "We operate in very important areas to do with safety. For example, I might be observing an inspection of an engine going into an aeroplane I might fly on. I want to know it's safe." Values and ethics are enforced and "are far from a dry subject," she stresses. "We audit other [companies] so it's only right that we audit ourselves effectively. All of this helps with the business in the longer term."
