The world of business is as diverse as it is complex, filled with a myriad of companies, each possessing a unique set of values, missions, and visions. These ideologies play a crucial role in defining a company's culture and influence its strategic decisions, business model, and the overall work environment.
To understand the prevalent corporate values that drive today's businesses, we embarked on a rigorous journey, analyzing over 8000 company HR portals, along with their values, vision, and mission pages. Our objective was to unveil the underpinning values that foster a positive work culture and drive businesses towards success.
Our methodology involved a detailed examination of a vast range of industries, from technology giants to niche startups, legacy manufacturers to service industries. We carefully reviewed each company's declared values, and the words and phrases they emphasized on their public-facing documents.
After extensive research, we identified more than 1000 distinct corporate values that businesses across the globe hold dear. This provided us with a rich dataset, reflecting the broad diversity of values that guide corporations.
The Top 10 Classes of Corporate Values
Recognizing that many of these values were related or complementary, we began the task of classifying and labeling them, eventually grouping them into 10 distinct categories:
Ethics and Integrity: Corporate values such as respect, accountability, ethical behavior, fairness, honesty, honor, integrity, justice, transparency, trust, and truth all revolve around a core focus on ethics and integrity.
Dedication and Perseverance: A firm's perseverance, pragmatism, reliability, dedication, determination, hard work, resilience, responsibility, commitment, loyalty, patience, self motivation, and self responsibility mirror its dedication and resolve.
Innovation and Creativity: Companies valuing innovation, originality, creativity, expertise, continuous improvement, excellence, learning, and modernity emphasize the significance of innovative thought processes and creative problem-solving.
Collaboration and Teamwork: Team-focused values such as collaboration, cooperation, coordination, family orientation, partnership, teamwork, belonging, and community underpin a commitment to collective effort and success.
Customer Service and Quality: Firms prioritizing attention to detail, customer-focus, service, quality, customer satisfaction, and craftsmanship place high importance on delivering superior customer service and products.
Leadership and Performance: Businesses valuing leadership, dominance, excellence, high performance, being a market leader, meritocracy, performance, results-orientation, and success emphasize the importance of strong leadership and high performance.
Inclusion and Diversity: Companies that prioritize inclusion, diversity, equality, tolerance, acceptance, respect for boundaries, accessibility, and individuality advocate for a diverse and inclusive work environment.
Positive Attitude and Wellness: Values such as optimism, positivity, work-life balance, fun, calm, comfort, peace, tranquility, and wellness demonstrate a commitment to fostering a positive and healthy work atmosphere.
Community Engagement and Social Responsibility: Firms valuing altruism, charity, community development, environmentalism, giving back, human rights, patriotism, philanthropy, social responsibility, stewardship, sustainability, civil disobedience, nurturing the next generation, and standing up for the underdog underscore a commitment to social responsibility and community engagement.
Growth and Development: Businesses that prioritize adaptability, agility, continuous improvement, entrepreneurial spirit, growth, learning, personal development, and shared prosperity underscore the importance of growth and development at both an individual and corporate level.
This classification represents a broad spectrum of corporate values that shape the culture, policies, and overall ethos of modern companies. Understanding these key categories provides insights into what drives companies in their day-to-day operations and strategic decision-making, and underscores the diversity of the corporate landscape.
Applied Examples of Corporate Values
Now, let's go for a deeper dive and see how each of the top classes of corporate value are manifested in company statements.
Ethics and Integrity
Microsoft: "We are committed to uncompromising integrity in all that we do and in the way in which we relate to each other and to people outside Microsoft."
Lockheed Martin: "We do what's right. Ethics and integrity are the foundation of our brand and the guiding principles for all we do."
Cisco: "Conducting business ethically is foundational to our success. We're committed to doing business with the highest levels of integrity."
Google: "Don’t be evil. Googlers generally apply those words to how we serve our users."
Dedication and Perseverance
Ford: "We go further to make our cars better, our employees happier and our planet a better place to be."
Coca-Cola: "We're a resilient organization and always find a way to evolve and succeed, no matter what."
Honda: "We are committed to making products that help improve people's lives."
Samsung: "We maintain a relentless focus on delivering the best products and services based on quality and performance."
Innovation and Creativity
Apple: "Innovation is in our DNA and we are always finding ways to simplify complex problems."
Amazon: "We seek out innovation and love to invent for our customers."
Tesla: "We relentlessly pursue innovation to make our vehicles the best."
3M: "We relentlessly pursue breakthrough ideas for innovations that create a better future."
Adobe: "We're passionate about creativity. We make innovative tools that inspire and enable creative expression."
Collaboration and Teamwork
Salesforce: "We harness the power of our collective genius and drive success through collaboration."
General Electric: "We believe in the limitless potential of a collaborative workforce."
Netflix: "Our core philosophy is people over process. Our culture has been instrumental to our success and has helped us attract and retain stunning colleagues."
LinkedIn: "We value teamwork, recognizing that the strength of our team comes from respecting each other’s individual talents, perspectives, and experiences."
Customer Service and Quality
BMW: "Our customers are at the heart of everything that we do. We promise to deliver joy through the highest standard of customer service."
Amazon: "Customer obsession rather than competitor focus."
Southwest Airlines: "We exist to provide the best service and create value for our customers."
Zappos: "We strive to deliver WOW through service."
Disney: "We seek to exceed guest expectations at every opportunity."
Leadership and Performance
IBM: "We strive to lead in every aspect of our business - through learning, innovation and personal leadership."
Nike: "We embrace the restless spirit of innovation to constantly exceed our consumers’ increasing expectations."
Intel: "We set high standards for ourselves and relentlessly strive to exceed them."
P&G: "We operate against high standards and stretch our abilities to better our best."
Inclusion and Diversity
Accenture: "We are stronger with diversity. Different backgrounds and perspectives lead to a variety of ideas, knowledge, and ways of doing things."
Dell: "We believe that diversity is power. It opens up a wealth of possibility and fuels innovation, problem-solving and creativity."
Spotify: "We are a band of diverse believers, belonging to something greater than ourselves, and committed to doing the best work of our lives."
Airbnb: "We value diversity and always treat all individuals with respect, no matter who they are or where they come from."
Starbucks: "With our partners, our coffee and our customers at our core, we live these values: Creating a culture of warmth and belonging, where everyone is welcome."
Positive Attitude and Wellness
Fitbit: "We prioritize health and wellness in everything we do."
Lululemon: "Our vision is to be the experiential brand that ignites a community of people living the sweatlife."
Nike: "Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world."
Reebok: "To empower people to be fit for life."
Headspace: "Our mission is to improve the health and happiness of the world."
Community Engagement and Social Responsibility
Ben & Jerry's: "We aim to make the best ice cream in the nicest possible way."
Patagonia: "Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis."
TOMS: "With every product you purchase, TOMS will help a person in need. One for One."
Ikea: "To create a better everyday life for the many people."
LEGO: "Inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow."
Growth and Development
Facebook: "Move fast. We are a culture of builders, the power of the individual to make great things."
Alibaba: "We aim to build the future infrastructure of commerce. We envision that our customers will meet, work and live at Alibaba."
Uber: "We’re building something people use every day. From how you get home from work, to how you eat meals, or how you move huge shipments of anything, the work we contribute moves the world a few steps forward."
Netflix: "We are shaping the future of global entertainment. We believe the work we do makes a real difference in people's lives."
This is not an exhaustive classification. Many organizations possess unique blends of values that might span multiple categories, or forge new categories altogether. As companies evolve, so too will the values that guide them. This exploration serves as a foundation to further study and appreciate the rich mosaic of values that define our corporate world.