CORE values at the heart of IBSIBS has identified four core values for conducting its activities and consistently performing to the highest standards. IBS recently completed the first phase of the IBS Corporate Culture project to determine and solidify the company’s core values of Customer Focus, Openness, Respect and Excellence. As an international company, with many different cultures and customers, IBS believes in having a common cultural platform to treat customers and other stakeholders in a uniform way and work as one company across borders.
Camilla Moore, director of Competence Management and project manager for the Corporate Culture project, says all of the company’s 2,000 employees had a hand in selecting the four core values. “It feels that we have core values that are important for everyone in the organization and that we can all live by,” she says.
After extensive surveys, workshops and interviews, these four values were selected as representative of the IBS culture. A set of behaviors was attached to each value. “Value Ambassadors” have been assigned at local IBS units to ensure that each employee has a thorough understanding of the values and can live according to them in his or her daily work, Moore says.
Local adjustment
When it comes to implementation, she says it is good to adjust to what works for people at a local level. “Yet, despite cultural differences, everyone can still share common values and stand on the same platform,” she adds. Establishing and implementing core values is a challenge, especially in an international company. Moore says IBS welcomed external help and support, including a cross-cultural management expert, and she recommends this type of input for other companies embarking on a similar process.
With the core values established and under way in the organization, the project’s focus will now turn to building and developing a complete brand platform based on the values. Among other things, the core values work will be the foundation for all internal and external brand building and an important element for employee training “the IBS way.” “For us IBS employees,” she says, “living our core values is an active and ongoing process, not just a static set of words.”Contact IBS for more information. » | 
