In the latest HCI Webinar, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Dr. Donte Vaughn about reassessing your organizational values at work. Below is a summary of the main points from their conversation! Check out the full episode and let us know what you think!
Watch the episode here:
Quick Recap
The discussion between Jonathan and Dr. Dante Vaughn revolved around the importance of understanding and sharing values in successful organizations, the need for intentional culture creation, and the challenges of managing multiple subcultures within an organization. The conversation also highlighted the role of strong leadership culture and the importance of measuring and discussing the embodiment of core values with employees.
Evolution of Dr. Vaughn's Career
Jonathan and Dr. Dante Vaughn discussed the evolution of Dr. Vaughn's professional role. Dr. Vaughn shared that he had transitioned from being the CEO of Culture Works, a company focused on culture performance management, to founding and leading Light Point Advisors, a consulting practice specializing in workforce management and organizational development. The conversation was set to explore the topic of reassessing organizational values at work.
Values and Trust in Organizations
Jonathan and Dr discussed the importance of understanding and sharing values in successful organizations. Jonathan emphasized the need for clarity on values to build trust and meaningful relationships, and highlighted the challenges of developing this skill in a busy work environment. Dr agreed, explaining that recognizing an organization's core values is essential for fulfilling its purpose, vision, and mission. They also discussed the importance of making these values actionable by establishing systems and processes to hold individuals accountable. The conversation concluded with Dr emphasizing the need to understand an organization's purpose and vision before setting out to realize them.
Identifying Essential Behaviors for Organizational Success
The doctor emphasized the importance of identifying behavioral, standard, and expectations that are essential for an organization to realize its purpose, vision, and mission. The doctor suggested starting from the end in mind to identify successful behaviors and classify them. The doctor also highlighted the need for integrity in these values and the importance of aligning these values with the organization's ideological ones. Jonathan agreed with the points raised by the doctor.
Core Values and Intentional Culture Creation
Jonathan emphasized the importance of aligning core values and mission in a team or organization. He warned that misalignment can lead to wasted resources and even a need for a pivot or shift in values. Jonathan also highlighted the importance of intentional culture creation, especially as a team grows, suggesting that systems must be put in place to prevent negative consequences. He ended with a call for purposefulness in driving the type of culture that the team or organization wants.
Leadership Culture and Value Importance
The discussion focused on the importance of a strong leadership culture and the role of values in it. The speaker emphasized that values should not be treated as an afterthought or initiative, but as a requirement for business operation. The speaker also highlighted the need for measuring and discussing the embodiment of core values with employees, and the willingness to have difficult conversations about misalignment with these values. The speaker also touched upon the role of senior leaders in driving ownership and accountability around these values. The conversation concluded with the importance of honesty, commitment, and integrity in upholding these values.
Organizational Culture and Behavior Change
The conversation focused on the intricacies of organizational culture and behavioral change. Dr. Donte explained the challenges of managing multiple subcultures within an organization and aligning them around a core culture. He highlighted the need to change human behavior at individual and team levels. Jonathan encouraged the audience to connect with Dr. Donte and his team for more insights. The discussion concluded with Dr. Donte emphasizing the importance of having deeper conversations within organizations about their essential values.
Listen to the webinar here:
