Core values

Another often forgotten aspect of quality management is the behavior of people in an organization. Such behavior is formed by the core values to which that organization subscribes. The absence of core values that form a positive behavior may not have an immediate effect because individuals will operate according to their own personal values. When these conflict with the organization s values, an individual could resent being forced to comply and may eventually adopt the values of the majority or leave to find a more suitable company to work for. 

A second facet that offers Infosys continuity with change is its culture. For Infosys, such cultural mechanisms are embodied in a set of core values which stress meritocracy. As an Infosys middle manager commented The Infosys culture is not an authoritarian or autocratic... 

Any other firm would have been content with these mechanisms to ensure that transformation rather then progression results. However, transformation has to be accomplished mindfully. To ensure this, Infosys has created a shared context (Eahey Prusak, 1998) and a shared identity (Orlikowski, 2002) to inform its decisions and actions. Its strategy models codify key priorities for making decisions, whereas its core values such as sharing and transparency prescribe norms for action. Even as these models and values serve as selection mechanisms to harness variation beneficially, they also provide continuity and coherence amidst continual change. 

First, the shear layer thickness at various axial locations in the near field was quantified using time-averaged Mie-scattering images. The shear layer thickness was defined as the radial distance over which the average Mie-scattering intensity dropped from 90% to 10% of the core value. Figure 29.7 shows the results... 

Eq. 1 MEMT7 is the electrostatic minimum generated by the substituent at position 7 (kcal/mol), CORE2 describes position-8 of the core (value was 0 for naphthyridines and for quinolines with H at this position, and was 1 in the presence of F substituent), CMAX7 reflects the maximum charge of the substituent at position 7 (kcal/mol), and VOL1 indicates the volume of the substituent at position-1 (in A). 

It should be emphasized, however, that awareness in industry is not only an issue for individuals. Awareness of individuals is heavily influenced by social factors such as communication and cooperation with other key-actors and by (formal or informal) corporate incentives. Ultimately, awareness in industry is mainly a collective awareness. The collective awareness in a company is greatly dependent on (but also reflected by) the existing corporate culture. The corporate culture is known to reflect the real core values of a company (which is not by definition the same as the official core values such as presented in senior management statements ) on what is being rewarded or not in everyday practice, on subjects and issues that can be addressed or instead are offlimits, and on missing elements in the awareness of managers and employees. 

The following is a list of my core values in roughly decreasing priority ... 

The Dow Chemical company has developed a formal statement of goals and has identified four core values which guide the company and its employees in achieving those goals. One of these core values states ... 

But they go much further to synthesize experience throughout Dow, the rest of the chemical industry, and wherever relevant experiences may be found. This synthesis helps managers identify elements which must be addressed to achieve the Dow core value ... 

In a first step the core value chain has to be defined. Typically, the tasks performed internally at most or all sites constitute this core value chain. Depending on the level of vertical integration, the tasks might be spread across different plant classes. In the case example shown in Figure 36, the core value chain consists of a single plant class. Often, the level of vertical... 

The relative importance of the intermediate for the core value chain (which can usually be determined by analyzing the share of material costs originating from the intermediate). 

The share of overall internal capacity for the intermediate allocated to the core value chain (to account for intermediates which are used across various value chains). 

Cost structure of core value chain exemplary... 

At a more disaggregated level a deconstruction of the core value chain can be considered (for example to focus certain plants on specific process steps). In a first step all technically separable elements of the value chain should be identified and their respective processing characteristics established. To illustrate the concept behind this analysis, the State-Task-Network of the pilot application value chain depicted in Figure 36 is revisited in Figure 41. For example, after completion of t7 the product is dried... 

In the long term, purchasing will not only have to become more sophisticated in its core value proposition of optimizing demand and total value and influencing supplier markets, but will increasingly have to become one of the major catalysts of business optimization. 

Three elements deal with alignment. Leadership addresses how well all leaders, not just the CEO or members of the senior management team, approach their responsibility to inspire and shape the actions of others, set the appropriate tone for execution, and ensure that the company pays sufficient attention to development and renewal. Direction is management s articulation of where the company is heading and how it will get there. Environment and values help foster a shared understanding of the company s core values and shape the quality of employee interactions. 

The following elements have been suggested in developing a mission statement for a community pharmacy the intended (or target) customers, the core values of the pharmacy (such as compassion, respect, and confidentiality), the key services and products provided by the pharmacy, the benefits incurred by customers (such as improved health and improved safety), and the desired public image of the pharmacy (Hagel, 2002). 

Second, the core values of an organization must be modeled by managers. Talking about or espousing values without customers, employees, and other stakeholders in the organization experiencing those values will lead rapidly to cynicism regarding ethics. 

What do all these examples mean They provide successful foundations for companies who have decided through their mission statement and core values that define company culture that their company is going to recognize the associates who build and operate the company on a daily basis. 

For summer employment programs to contribute effectively to the organization s candidate pipeline and maintain credibility with the academic community and professional societies, they should have continuity. They should not suffer when economic hard times occur. Companies must stay the course with their investments in summer programs, internships, and aid to colleges. Their cost, as a fraction of the corporate budget, is insignificant. Companies that hold diversity as a core value find the money to... 

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