Ask Fred > Career/Work > How do you help organizations change their actual values?

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Dear Fred

Our organization will say one thing but do another because our values are not appropriate. How do you help organizations change their actual values?

Fred's Response

I understand why you are concerned about values in your organization. As you know, organizational values must come from the top to have authority. Think of the Tylenol situation in 1982 and the way that the CEO of Johnson and Johnson handled it. He was prepared because the prior 18 months were spent establishing organizational values. Without written values decisions are made according to self-interest in the moment. In a private conversation, at the right time, you could ask why organization doesn't have written values ( if you think that is the case). If there are stated values, ask if they are biblically based and why decisions are made that are not consistent with stated values. Values that have no consistency have no value. So long as the decisions do not involve personal immorality those under another's authority will be required to go along with leadership's decisions.