To be effective, organisations need to have a clear sense of direction and a strategy for improving performance. An organisation with meaningful values provides direction for its employees, both in the behaviours that it wants to promote and the goals that it wants to reach.

You may need to look at how your organisation has established its:

• Purpose: Why the organisation exists and what its business is.
• Vision: Where the organisation seeks to be in the future.
• Values: The principles the organisation has for how it and its people work - including addressing barriers to improvement.
• Strategy: The way the organisation aims to achieve its vision in accordance with its values.
• Key performance indicators: The specific measures the organisation uses to monitor, understand, predict and improve its performance.

Remember to involve your people in the process of developing and reviewing your organisation’s purpose and vision. If you do this, they are more likely to share the principles that emerge and support the organisation’s strategy. They will apply them more naturally to their role and as part of a team, with the organisation’s customers and with stakeholders.

For more information on how Investors in People can help you develop a culture, vision and values that improve your organisation, register for Interactive here.

Interactive is a free online advice tool which features a simple diagnostic, plus a wide range of case studies, good practice downloads and hints and tips.