Five ways to establish values in a small team

A strong set of values defines an organisation and its culture, and contributes to its success, making it imperative for leaders heading small teams to articulate the company’s values as much as its vision and goals. Brinda Sarkar brings you tips from experts on how to establish values in a small team.

Drive Core Goals
Show respect for individual contributions. This helps build trust within a small team and tap into the potential of each employee. “Lead by articulating and demonstrating shared vision, values and goals. Focus on remaining agile, flexible and nimble to thrive in an evolving business environment,” said Deepak Visweswaraiah, managing director at NetApp India.

Start from Day One
Concentrate on inculcating values and culture right from the day of orientation of an employee, as it’s important to start at the beginning, said NetApp’s Visweswaraiah. “Don’t make the mistake of assuming that values that are being driven at the top are necessarily percolating down to a micro level. Team leaders need to be proactive about driving values for the people they manage,” saidRachna Mukherjee, chief human resources officer at Schneider Electric India.
Reinforce and Revamp
Small teams can sometimes resist the formality of establishing frameworks, but it is important to communicate values and reinforce them in action, said Gurpreet Bhatia, senior vicepresident of human resources at TalentSprint. “Leaders must change processes, systems and, if required, mindsets that may hinder the propagation of these values,” he said.

Have team discussions on what values are critical in the larger scheme of things and how these should reflect in the work of individual team members, said Biresh Ranjan Das, head of people strategy and excellence at Vikram Solar. “For small teams, open communication and informal discussions can go a long way in driving a strong set of values,” he said.

Reward and Appreciate
Recognising individual contributions and connecting them to larger organisational values is a key part of instilling values in a small team. “Be sure to recognise those who are driving the values. Various technological tools, many of which are used by companies today, can be instrumental in this purpose,” said Mukherjee.

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