The Values Game is a tool I often used before as a trainer/coach and also found it invaluable ( haha🙂) as a leader, creating my own versions to initiate discussions around values. It is basically a card game, which facilitates discussions that enable team members to agree on the joint set of values and norms they will work with.
As I pointed out in my previous post – in my view there is no absolute set of values, in other words, Integrity, Dialogue and Inclusion are my priorities, but I do not believe that they need to be the priorities for everyone. So most probably, whenever a team gets together, people will have a different list of things they hold dear. Most of the clashes and conflicts will be around those ones, because these value systems are fundamental to our identities. If a team member, even unwillingly and with good intent, questions our core values, we will feel threatened and that can negatively impact our relationship and performance.
For example, if you are a person who values dialogue above all and you have someone on your team who does not ask questions or finds it hard to listen to you, you do have a problem. The behaviour of the other will freak you out. Therefore it is essential to agree on two things:
1. We bring different priorities to the team – and that is okay.
2. We will respect these differences and will actively work on finding a common ground.
As a leader I hold myself responsible for understanding identities and value systems on my team. This helps me to create a balance – constantly reflecting more on the learning coming from our different values and experiences than highlighting the gaps between our worlds.
The Values Game – cards with values and norms – can help you facilitate these discussions. I like to start with this easy game:
- You shuffle the value cards and give 6-8 cards to everyone. I make people sit around, facing one another.
- You tell the team that everyone can do three different things with their cards:
- You can give it to someone who you think is setting a good example of the value. It is good to relate the card to something the person did.
- You can put it in the middle, claiming that the given value/norm is something demonstrated by everyone. (E.g. I am putting INTEGRITY in the middle, because people in this team will always do what they say they do, our actions are in line with our words.)
- You can put the card outside the circle saying that this team does not really demonstrate/act upon that value. (E.g. I am putting INTEGRITY out, because we keep overpromising things to our customers and stakeholders and they started to question whether we are delivering on our promises.)
The game above is a conversation starter. It is there to make people aware of values that are guiding us on an everyday basis. They help teams to relate to whatever corporate values there are in place. Feel free to try it!
So how would you start a conversation about values? What is your trick? We are curious at