“We are taught that corporations have a soul, which is the most terrifying news in the world. In his 1990 article “Postscript on the Societies of Control,” Gilles Deleuze vigorously denounced the discourse proclaiming the end of Fordism and the advent of horizontal, democratic organizations controlled by the actors themselves.
Du point de vue de la communication, cette citation du philosophe français est révélatrice d’une tendance de fond : celle de l’avènement de l’âge identitaire. Un phénomène qui touche maintenant depuis de nombreuses années les entreprises, où la question de la définition d’une identité propre et différenciante est devenue majeure.
From a communication point of view, this quote from the French philosopher is indicative of a fundamental trend: the advent of the identity age. It’s a phenomenon that has been affecting companies for many years, where the question of defining a distinctive and differentiating identity has become a major issue.
Pulling together in the same direction
If there is such a thing as an organization’s “soul,” it is the sum of the behaviors of its members. From the CEO to the receptionist, everyone plays a role in shaping the image – and therefore the identity – of the organization in the eyes of its internal and external stakeholders. Ideally, an institution’s communications department would simply draw on this field of behavior – which extends to all of the company’s internal and external interactions, from the manufacture of a product, to relations with suppliers, to relations between the hierarchy and employees – to “create” a strong brand.
These behaviors are governed by legal standards, supplemented by corporate policies and, in the best cases, a code of ethics. These different rules stem from an organization’s desire to define a clear framework of behavior for its employees. Once a certain level of homogeneity has been achieved, this is one of the ways in which a group can become a real collective force. In short, everyone in the company pulls in the same direction, making it even stronger in increasingly competitive markets.
A subject often taken lightly
These internal ” Tables of the Law” have an even greater impact on employees when they are accompanied by strong corporate values. A true compass within an organization, it is on this basis that all the rules of conduct established by an organization take on their full meaning and can become “corporate culture”. It also makes it easier to attract customers or talent, whose need to identify with all dimensions of a company’s identity is becoming increasingly urgent.
But it’s in the definition phase that things often get complicated. For lack of time or a real strategic vision, this issue is sometimes not addressed in depth. The result is empty phrases that bear little relation to the way employees see the company. We call these “ineffective” values. In most cases, their neutral, even banal, nature means that they are neither a behavioral anchor for employees nor a sufficiently attractive aura for prospects or potential employees.
First Define What a Value Is
This problem often arises because the meaning of the word “value” has been lost. For this reason, any consideration of the subject must begin with the very definition of this word: “That which is considered true, beautiful, good, from a personal point of view or according to the criteria of a society, and which is given as an ideal to be attained, as something to be defended.
In short, it’s a matter of striving for a behavioral ideal that employees can recognize and be proud of. Depending on how they are adapted for corporate communication, customers and talent can also benefit.
Avoid platitudes, unite your employees
In this sense, “professionalism”, “trust” and “excellence” are three typical examples of ineffective values. If we take the case of professionalism, we can consider that it has very little impact. Behaving professionally at work is part of the duty of care that every employee is required to observe by law.
In other words, it doesn’t make sense to set a mandatory or self-evident behavior as a cardinal value. Perseverance, for example, might have been preferred. This term provides a deeper insight into what is expected of an employee. Not “giving up”, wanting to make a difference every day, is a real ideal to achieve. An ideal that can also help reassure customers about the quality of our services or attract professionals who see themselves in such a value.
Another important point is that, as mentioned above, all members of a company must be able to identify with these values. Talking about open-mindedness when your institution is built around a highly hierarchical vertical structure is bound to be contradictory and therefore counter-productive. That’s why it’s a good idea to involve all employees in the development of corporate values. In this way, it will be possible to encourage the process of adherence to these values.