How important is it to actually live a company's values? Values provide internal and external orientation and legitimize decisions and actions. They also send a signal that the company is a reliable cooperation partner. They can, therefore, help businesses lower their costs and improve their economic value creation. If lived values have such advantages, why is explicit-and effective-values management not as widespread as one might think? How do inconsistencies between propagated values and actual behavior arise, and what is the role that misled expectations among different stakeholders may play?
Two case studies of internationally successful corporations illustrate the context and show how to leverage explicit values management.