Page 49 - The Green Building Bottom Line The Real Cost of Sustainable Building

28 CHAPTER 1

course. Outside facilitation should ensure that all voices have been heard and that deep
listening is taking place. It should also ensure that office politics are kept out of the
discussion and facilitate the voicing of the “elephants in the room” that many might
be fearful of articulating.

8. Have a Communication Plan: It’s a good idea to have a communication plan
at the end of the process. We rolled out our core values and belief statements at a com-
pany retreat with everyone in attendance. But that was only the beginning of a follow-
up communication plan that involved getting everyone not just conversant with but
knowledgeable about the values we chose for ourselves. What did those values mean
for the various development projects we were vetting? How about our selection of out-
side partners? How would we articulate those values to the outside world? The process
of shaping values sets in motion a whole series of questions involving how we use
those values and how we communicate them to others.

Bringing the Layers Together
The way a company goes about the process of shaping values is likely to be unique
and specific to that company. Having said that, it is helpful to consider the systemic
layers that comprise this process: guiding principles that articulate staff members’
basic expectations, structural concepts that serve as foundation stones for the specific
values a company’s workforce chooses to embrace, and finally the specific, concrete
values themselves. An overview of these systemic layers can be seen in Figure 1-4.

1. Realize the process takes time.
2. Be inclusive.
3. Encourage storytelling.
4. Use a framework.
5. Engage top management.
6. Don’t force the process. CONCRETE
7. Hire an outside facilitator.
8. Have a communication plan. VALUES
1. Sustenance and security
2. Belonging
3. Craftsmanship
4. Diversity of work opportunities STRUCTURAL
5. Meaning CONCEPTS
6. Usefulness or purpose
7. Legacy
1. Values belong to people, not the company.
2. Knowledge is critical.
3. Values are not to be deferred. GUIDING PRINCIPLES
4. Authenticity is key.
5. Tension can be good.
6. Values are revisited regularly.
Figure 1.4 Three systemic layers for shaping company values.