Company values ​​are marketing products

Catalogs of values ​​for companies are in vogue. But half of all employees do not notice their employer’s resolutions and simply do not know what the company stands for. This was the result of a study by the management consultancy Rochus Mummert. The values ​​often come from advertising or PR agencies that sell them to companies several times. Compliance with real specific values ​​could motivate employees and bind them to the company.

Only every second employee in Germany knows what values ​​their company stands for. It is true that company bosses like to write buzzwords such as customer orientation, fairness, modesty or the fulfillment of duties on the flags. But 50 percent of employees and executives do not know or notice anything about it. These are the results of the study “Leadership in Top Management in German Companies”, for which Rochus Mummert surveyed employees and managers of large and medium-sized companies.

Values ​​are often just PR phrases

“Germany’s managers apparently did not understand that values ​​should not just be pretty empty phrases that can be found somewhere on the homepage,” says Dr. Hans Schlipat, Managing Partner of the Rochus Mummert Group. In fact, these corporate values ​​mostly come off the peg, from a PR or advertising agency that sells them dozen of times to their customers. They are therefore often not specifically tailored to the company and do not meet the expectations and needs of employees and business partners. “The sense of common principles is that managers and employees work towards a common goal. This is the only way for a company to be successful, ”adds study director Dr. Peter Euringer.

A spicy detail: without exception, all of the top managers surveyed say that their company has defined models that are known to the employees. In stark contrast, only 53 percent of senior executives and 47 percent of employees agree. In addition, only 17 percent of those surveyed think that their bosses also exemplify the self-defined principles. “Values ​​are the basis for acting together,” says Hans Schlipat. “Managers have to inspire their employees and set a good example.”

Catalogs of values ​​can be worthwhile

This is worthwhile, as the study further shows. Because there is a connection between value culture and success. In companies with well above-average growth, 71 percent say that values ​​have been agreed that are also known internally. In companies with below-average or well below-average growth, only 17 percent of employees agree with the same statement. A culture of values ​​also contributes to greater satisfaction: 70 percent of those surveyed who are very satisfied at their workplace also know the guiding principles that their company stands for.

The culture of values ​​is one of the success factors described in the so-called 8K model on which the study is based. The model names eight forces that Rochus Mummert has identified as success factors in global corporate management: trust, responsibility, creativity, values, credibility, consistency, communication and courage. “Common values ​​help everyone pull together – provided that the management embodies them in a credible way,” says study director Peter Euringer. “This not only means that employees can better identify with their employer. It also has a more convincing effect on customers and business partners. ” (ak)

The results of the study: http://rochusmummert.com/