Values are the beliefs and principles that drive the behaviour and conduct of a team. You’ll be very hard pushed to find a truly successful company that doesn’t have a clear set of values that are celebrated within their business and form the foundation on which they’ve built their culture.
Values are an important addition to any company strategy and can help keep everyone aligned, motivated and engaged with the purpose of your business and what you want to achieve in the world.
We’ve examined thousands of company values and pulled out a range of examples to help you begin to craft or refine your own.
Some are creative and inspiring, some are more standard and recognisable. Some companies here have opted for single words with immediate clarity, others have expanded and explained with emotive language and fuller sentences. Take a look through and get a feel for all the different approaches – when you find a set that really speaks to you, you’ve probably found your ideal style 🙌
BBC Company Values
The BBC is a global broadcasting house that has creativity at it’s heart, so no surprise, their values are focused around that creativity, along with delivery and their audience…
- Creativity is the lifeblood of our organisation
- Trust is the foundation of the BBC. We’re independent, impartial and honest
- We put audiences at the heart of everything we do
- We respect each other and celebrate our diversity
- We take pride in delivering quality and value for money
- We’re one BBC. Great things happen when we work together
Macmilian
A hugely important charity that improves the lives of those going through cancer. Their values focus on the emotional connection with their clients and team…
- We are open
- We are personal
- We are practical experts
- We demand better
- We inspire others
Raising Futures Kenya
The international development charity works on projects in Kenya with some support from the UK. Their values are focused around collaboration, compassion and inclusiveness.
- Collaborative
- Compassionate
- Inclusive
Deliveroo
Deliveroo have a lot of values! Perhaps too many? The food delivery company has become part of the UK vocabulary, particularly during the periods of lockdown. Their values focus on results and customers…
- We are customer obsessed
- We are frugal
- We are relentless
- We build trust
- We deliver results
- We embrace
- We get to the bottom of things
- We never say “it’s not my job”
- We simplify
- We succeed as a team
- We think big
UPS
A global delivery and logistics giant, UPS have traditional/common values for corporates around integrity, innovation and efficiency…
- Innovation
- Integrity
- Quality and Efficiency
- Safety
- Service
- Sustainability
- Teamwork
Harvard University
The famous educational institute focuses on the excellence and authority of their team…
- Accountability for actions and conduct in the workplace
- Conscientious pursuit of excellence in one’s work
- Honesty and integrity in all dealings
- Respect for the rights, differences, and dignity of others
University of Sussex
Set in the south of England, the University of Sussex have values that are people focused…
- Collaboration
- Courage
- Inclusion
- Integrity
- Kindness
University of Warwick
Similarly, the University of Warwick’s values are focused on their people and a safe environment. Unusually for values, they are written as negatives (“We do not…”) in some cases, rather than the positive version.
- “We” means all of us, students and staff alike
- We do not tolerate discrimination
- We do not tolerate sexual misconduct, violence or abuse
- We keep our campus and community safe
- We treat everyone with respect
Sony
The major entertainment company with operations in home gaming, film production and hardware, has fairly common values for corporations…but with Dreams & Curiosity standing out as a little different.
- Diversity
- Dreams & Curiosity
- Integrity & Sincerity
- Sustainability
American Express
Rivalling Deliveroo for number, American Express has a whole collection of values. Accountability and quality feature highly, and, in general, the values show a desire to be successful in a competitive market.
- A Will to Win
- Customer Commitment
- Good Citizenship
- Integrity
- Personal Accountability
- Quality
- Respect for People
- Teamwork
Google treat their values in a very interesting way, framing them as ‘Ten Things We Know to be True’. With this stance they can unite their people as ‘believers’ in a ‘truth’ – a powerful approach. They also offer a short paragraph of explanation on each, further bringing their values to life.
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- Focus on the user and all else will follow.
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- It’s best to do one thing really, really well.
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- Fast is better than slow.
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- Democracy on the web works.
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- You don’t need to be at your desk to need an answer.
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- You can make money without doing evil.
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- There’s always more information out there.
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- The need for information crosses all borders.
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- You can be serious without a suit.
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- Great just isn’t good enough.
Slack
The communication platform has ensured their brand voice comes through in their values with the use of emojis. We like this approach, but then…. we do like our emojis here too 👍
- Empathy
- Courtesy
- Thriving
- Craftsmanship
- Playfulness
- Solidarity
The Gym
As if lifting a heavy weight, The Gym values are ALL CAPS at time of writing. Heavily pulling on their industry, the values focus on people and the environment they operate within…
- CHALLENGE YOUR LIMITS.
- FRIENDLINESS.
- REALNESS.
- THE FIRST STEP.
Coca-Cola
As you may expect given their size, Coca-Cola corporate values are the classic ones that are well-meaning but almost cliched…
- Accountability
- Collaboration
- Diversity
- Integrity
- Leadership
- Passion
- Quality
Domino’s
Pizza company Domino’s has a series of values that focus on the community and their interaction…
- Embracing community
- Hard work
- Inspiring solutions
- Opportunity
- Uncommon honesty
- Winning together
Kellogg’s
A nice set of values, well-articulated from the famous breakfast company.
- We act with integrity and show respect.
- We are all accountable.
- We are passionate about our business, our brands and our foods.
- We have the humility and hunger to learn.
- We love success.
- We strive for simplicity.
Mondelēz
For such a complicated company, Mondelēz has a very simple set of top-end values.
- We do what’s right. Always.
- We grow every day.
- We love our consumers and our brands.
Hilton Hotels
The large hotel chain has a series of values that focus on the successful operation of their hotel chains, including teamwork, ownership and a sense of urgency in delivery…
- Hospitality
- Integrity
- Leadership
- Now
- Ownership
- Teamwork
Adidas
Sports manufacturer Adidas sum their values up with four pillars…
- Diversity
- Integrity
- Passion
- Performance
Lego
Lego has a set of values that are interesting and engaging, designed to fit with their whole product range…
- Caring
- Creativity
- Fun
- Imagination
- Learning
- Quality
Walmart
A simple and well-defined set of values are used to frame Walmart interactions…
- Service to the customer
- Respect for the individual
- Strive for excellence
- Act with integrity
ALDI
On the face of it, budget supermarket Aldi have three simple values, though they explain that each of them lead to other behaviours/values. Consistency leads to Reliability, Responsibility to Reliability/Integrity, and Simplicity to Efficiency.
- Consistency
- Responsibility
- Simplicity
Build-a-Bear
Build-a-Bear have gone with a pun-based set of values. Celebrate becomes Cele-bear-ate. Collaborate becomes Colla-bear-ate. Unfortunately they gave up midway, meaning the last three values have no bears which, for consistency, is un-bear-able.
- Cele-bear-ate
- Colla-bear-ate
- Di-bear-sity
- Give
- Learn
- Reach
IKEA
IKEA have values that are very much in line with their brand, with a focus on their creativity and leadership…
- Caring for people and planet
- Cost-consciousness
- Different with a meaning
- Give and take responsibility
- Lead by example
- Renew and improve
- Simplicity
- Togetherness
Verizon
While on the face of it Verizon have gone for common corporate values, they have also provided a deep dive approach to the four they have picked. If you’d like more information there’s a number of pages in their CSR report discussing their approach.
- Integrity
- Respect
- Performance Excellence
- Accountability
Tesco
The large UK supermarket chain have values focused on their interaction with customers and the difference they make.
- No one tries harder for customers
- We treat people how they want to be treated
- Every little help makes a difference
Birdseye Remote Services
A small example from the US, these truck yard security experts have set themselves 5 key values that underpin the work they do. A nice touch being their values acronym is I CARE.
- Integrity
- Commitment
- Adaptation
- Respect
- Excellence
Xero
Xero values are prefixed with a hashtag and are a nice example of a more unique set of words compared to standard corporate examples…
- Beautiful
- Challenge
- Champion
- Human
- Ownership
Intel
Tech giant Intel has a good set of values, avoiding the more common corporate words.
- Customer Obsessed
- Fearless
- Inclusion
- One Intel
- Quality
- Truth and Transparency
BMW Group
Another caps-based value set, this time from BMW Group. Their focus on trust which, given their product, is key to their brand.
- APPRECIATION
- OPENNESS
- RESPONSIBILITY
- TRANSPARENCY
- TRUST
Gems Education
Running 52 schools in 4 countries, Gems Education shows that values are key in all sectors.
- Leading through innovation
- Pursuing excellence
- Growing by learning
- Global citizenship
United Airlines
A super simple set of values from United Airlines, given the complexity of their business, and all based around their flying.
- We Fly Friendly
- We Fly Right
- We Fly Together
NHS
In the UK the NHS has 6 core values that underpin their great work.
- Respect & Dignity
- Commitment to quality of care
- Compassion
- Improving lives
- Working together for patients
- Everyone counts
Kimberly-Clark
The global player is responsible for numerous well-known brands, such as Pampers and Kleenex. Their values come from the founders back in 1872…
- High Quality
- High Service
- Fair Dealing
The world’s biggest social network has key values that are key to their success…
- Be Bold
- Be Open
- Build Social Value
- Focus on Impact
- Move Fast
A good set of values from the world’s largest professional social network, with a focus on membership and their network.
- Act like an owner of #OneLinkedIn
- Be open, honest, and constructive
- Inspire excellence
- Members first
- Relationships matter
- Take intelligent risks
Starbucks
The world’s most famous coffee brand is built on four values around their culture and accountability.
- Creating a culture of warmth and belonging, where everyone is welcome.
- Delivering our very best in all we do, holding ourselves accountable for results.
- Acting with courage, challenging the status quo and finding new ways to grow our company and each other.
- Being present, connecting with transparency, dignity and respect.
Samsung
Samsung talk about the Samsung Spirit, composed of 5 key values covering the way they operate themselves.
- People
- Excellence
- Change
- Integrity
- Co-prosperity
So, there you can see how differently, and, in some cases, how similarly, companies articulate their values. From short lists of punchy sentences, to long lists of single words. Whatever style resonated most with you, remember your own company values need to be just that – your own. Take inspiration from other companies but make sure you’re reflecting what motivates and unites your people in your business.
