How Can I Effectively Promote Company Values in a Diverse Team Across Multiple Locations?

Dear seniors,

My management has given me a project of driving the company values among staff members. Ours is a small company where 25-50 members work in various branches in Chennai, Bangalore, and Coimbatore. Can you give me some creative ideas to achieve this? Management expects an output of fostering a common value and attitude towards the job and organization. Importantly, 60% of our staff members are not highly educated. Please help.

Thank you.

Regards

While the idea is good, can you please elaborate on what exactly the company means by 'company values'? Please note that the definition could vary significantly from individual to individual and from company to company—fortunately or unfortunately.

Mutual Trust: A Foundation for Shared Values

First and foremost, for any two parties (be they individuals or companies/entities) to share something (values are on a much higher pedestal), there has to be 'mutual trust'. Does this exist between the employees and the company? If yes, your job is much easier. If not, you have a very tough task on your hands, as you first need to create mutual trust.

Management's Role in Understanding the Situation

Looking at your query from another angle, since you used the words 'Management is expecting', was any attempt made by the management or HR to find out the reasons for such a situation cropping up in the first place? Unless one knows the reasons, how can anyone suggest, let alone implement any suggestions? This brings us back to the point I mentioned above—MUTUAL TRUST. Unless this exists, any attempt to find the reasons would most likely hit a stone wall, meaning none of the employees would come out openly and transparently. I hope you get my point.

Understanding the Workforce: An Advantage

Regarding the fact you mentioned—"...60% of our staff members are not so educated...", actually, I think this is more of a blessing than a limitation. Somehow, education tends to stratify/harden the opinion-forming mechanism (mentally and emotionally) among people. The category of people who form a major chunk of your company would take time to get convinced/handled, but once convinced, they rarely change their stance/stand (unlike the educated lot)—basic human psychology, which our politicians use (or should we say, manipulate/exploit) to great advantage, if you have noticed. Another aspect of such a category is: they tend to think more often through the 'heart' than with the 'head' (which I guess is the prerogative of the educated). So, any idea that you wish to implement essentially and invariably has to consider this factor.

I hope I have not confused you further—do let me know.

Regards,
TS

Management always expects the best from every employee. Nevertheless, HR is a little on a higher note, which says that the expectation is to be delivered as intended by the management/organization alone. To drive the company values, the company that you referred to has to communicate what they want you to do in order to deliver values to the employees. Ask your employer FAQs before you decide on your own because there is a point you have to remember: the company is expecting something from you, and that "something" should be understood before you act on it. All the best!

Cheers...

Let me elaborate on my question. My project is about motivating and molding my team members to match my organization's culture. We expect a "Yes Attitude," taking ownership, and more. The reason I mentioned education is that they lack diplomatic language and tend to be too direct. One approach I found effective is storytelling—creating narratives that lead to a specific point and motivate them accordingly. Another method is asking thought-provoking questions that encourage self-reflection.

I would appreciate your suggestions on how I can effectively communicate with and motivate them.

It is easier to say "No" than to be affirmative. A "Yes Attitude" will be stronger if the career vocabulary is well-established. When discussing how to motivate, a PowerPoint presentation with analysis providing data/examples, a questionnaire on Motivation and Attitude, giving them group activities, and asking them to strategize based on their observations could be effective.

For instance, if there is a situation that requires a "Yes" attitude but is wrongly pursued by an individual who doesn't take ownership of the situation, what could happen? Such scenarios actually help in constructing, building, and shaping thoughts on the importance of language learning and fostering optimism.

Regards.