Business values are fundamental to shaping a company’s culture, guiding decision-making, and distinguishing it from competitors. However, to be effective, values must be more than words; they require genuine commitment from leadership and integration into all aspects of the business.

This blog explores the importance of values in organisations, the challenges of maintaining alignment between espoused and real values and the crucial role HR professionals play in reinforcing these values through collaborative efforts, consistent communication, and integration into performance metrics. Ultimately, it highlights that when organisational values are genuinely lived and aligned with strategy, they can significantly enhance employee engagement, motivation, and overall organisational success.

Building the Foundation: Why Organisational Values Matter for SMEs

For SMEs in Northern Ireland, organisational values are more than just words on a wall—they are the foundation upon which your company culture and long-term success are built. These values serve as a moral compass, guiding your decisions and shaping your workforce’s daily behaviours. They also provide a framework that differentiates your business from competitors. As highlighted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM, 2018), strong values drive the right behaviours, helping to achieve your company’s goals while reflecting its unique character. In an SME context, where tight-knit teams and local reputations matter, these values are essential for aligning your people and business.

Values have fascinated thinkers for centuries, and they remain critical to modern business. Alvin Toffler (1970) pointed out that values, though central to motivation, can be elusive and complex. Understanding how they govern behaviour is crucial, especially for small businesses that rely on close teamwork and trust. Milton Rokeach (1969) defined values as core beliefs that shape how we behave, and Schwartz (1992) went further by identifying ten fundamental personal values that motivate individuals. This is why it’s so important for SMEs to not only define their values clearly but to make sure they resonate with employees at all levels. These values should reflect the ethos of your business and provide direction in every decision you make, whether you’re leading five people or fifty.

However, establishing strong organisational values isn’t just about writing them down—it’s about making them come alive in your everyday operations. Patrick Lencioni (2002) emphasised that values help clarify a company’s identity and act as a rallying point for employees. But for SMEs, where every team member is crucial, it’s even more important to embed these values deeply in the culture. Without genuine buy-in, they risk being just another corporate buzzword. Leaders must lead by example, actively demonstrating these values in how they run the business. As we’ve seen with high-profile failures like Enron, where “Integrity” was a core value, a disconnect between stated values and actual behaviour can have devastating effects, even for smaller enterprises.

The Risk of Disconnect: When Espoused and Real Values Diverge

For SMEs in Northern Ireland, the challenge is often ensuring that espoused values—the ones officially declared—match the real values that are observed on a daily basis. Bourne and Jenkins (2013) distinguish between these espoused values and real values. If your stated values feel like top-down mandates, they won’t have the desired impact. Instead, they need to inspire and influence real actions that align with your business strategy. This is especially true in small and medium-sized companies, where there is often less bureaucracy and more opportunity to shape the business culture directly.

Leadership’s Role in Embedding Values at Every Level

As an SME leader, you play a critical role in embedding these values into every aspect of your company. One effective way to do this is through collaboration with your team. Regular feedback from employees, gathered through informal conversations or structured focus groups, can provide key insights into whether your values resonate with them. In fact, many SMEs have found that synthesising feedback with senior leadership ensures that their values align with both day-to-day operations and long-term strategy. This collaborative approach helps create a sense of ownership, ensuring that your values aren’t just something you dictate, but something that everyone in the company can believe in.

The next step is reinforcing these values consistently. As an SME leader, you should lead the charge. Regular communication—through team meetings, workshops, or company-wide updates—should highlight how these values tie into your business’s goals. Training programs, competency frameworks, and even new hire orientations should all reflect your core values. For example, when making hiring decisions, ensuring candidates are aligned with your values will set the tone for future team dynamics. SMEs can also link values to performance management processes, such as using them as criteria in annual reviews or bonuses, to keep values at the forefront of everyone’s mind.

In conclusion, while defining and reinforcing organisational values may seem like a big task for smaller enterprises, it’s a critical part of growing a sustainable and successful business. Strong values that are consistently communicated and embedded into your operations can set you apart, drive better employee engagement, and help you achieve your business goals. For Northern Ireland’s SMEs, where relationships, community, and reputation matter, making values a living part of your company’s culture can be a powerful differentiator.