Values Toolkit - WhatDoTheyKnow

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Values Toolkit July 2017

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Contents Introduction ................................................................................................ 3

What are values? ........................................................................................ 3

The story behind the MoJ values: ............................................................3

How will core values help us? ..................................................................4

Finding the right values for our organisation: ............................................ 5

With you for you: .....................................................................................5

Working together: ....................................................................................5

A set of values to unite us all: ..................................................................... 6

What did we learn? ..................................................................................6

The values themes: ..................................................................................6

Introducing the Core MoJ Values ................................................................ 7

The MoJ Values story ...............................................................................8

Our Values in more detail: .......................................................................... 9

Purpose ....................................................................................................9

Humanity ..................................................................................................9

Openness .............................................................................................. 10

Together ................................................................................................ 10

VALUES IN ACTION – Tools to get you started .......................................... 11

Toolkit overview:....................................................................................... 12

Embedding the values – Telling and sharing the MoJ Values story ...... 13

Why story telling? ............................................................................. 13

What we are asking you to do? ........................................................ 13

Take an active role: ........................................................................... 13

Creating your own stories locally: ............................................................. 13

Creating your Own Story Locally: Hitting the Headlines ....................... 15

Creating your Own Story Locally: Making the Connection ................... 16

Creating your Own Story Locally: Socialising the Solution.................... 17

Creating your own Story Locally: Story Capture ................................... 18

S.C.A.M.P.E.R solutions finder .................................................................. 19

I’m OK/You’re OK Grid: ............................................................................. 20

The Need to Succeed: ............................................................................... 22

Elevator Pitch: ........................................................................................... 23

Brainwriting: .............................................................................................. 24

Solutions Grid: ........................................................................................... 25

APPENDIX .................................................................................................. 26

Hitting the Headlines template ............................................................. 27

Making the connection template.......................................................... 28

Story capture template ......................................................................... 29

Suggestions for boosting positive perception ...................................... 30

Personal Solutions Grid ......................................................................... 31

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Introduction

What are values? Before we get into what the MoJ values are, let’s start by thinking about what a value actually is and how having values can make a difference.

Values are defined as important and lasting shared beliefs. They have a major influence on our attitude and actions, and they serve as broad

guidelines for all situations (behaviour judgement, decision making etc).

Values define who we are and what we stand for. They are what makes us different to any other Government department, and send a clear

message, both internally and externally, about what is important to us as an organisation; what our expectations are, what we are willing to

support, what we will tolerate and what we will not tolerate.

They shape our expectations of one another and those we deal with.

Values influence our culture and how we think and act. In essence, our values are what make us unique and they are the foundation stones of

our collective success.

The story behind the MoJ values: This year marks the 10th anniversary of the creation of the MoJ and the launch of our new 10 year strategy. As we celebrate how far we have

come, and we look ahead to the challenges of the future, one thing is very clear, the success of MoJ is not just about having a clear plan and a

good strategy, it’s about having good people, working together, to support our success.

This success is underpinned by a clear sense of purpose and strong values. Despite the important role they play in how we all work however,

we have never taken the opportunity to write our values down before. Now more than ever it is really important that we have a collective

sense of what our values are. Understanding what we value and why; what our expectations of each other are; what we are prepared to

support and champion and what we are not prepared to tolerate will give us a greater sense of connection and will enable us to work more

effectively together.

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How will core values help us? Values are what drive us, so taking the time to identify the ones we share, and the ideals we have in common, is really powerful. Even before

we start linking them to the jobs we do or the business activity we carry out, they give us a sense of togetherness; they help to set a common

standard for behaviour and set expectations around how we interact with one another. Essentially, they sit at the heart of how we work and

how we serve the public.

We want to harness the power of our values to drive:

Performance – a unified approach towards focused outcomes, with everyone pulling in the same direction will help us deliver great results

• Unity & Strength – the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and identifying what binds us together will help to drive us forward in

challenging times

• Enhanced Employee Experience – having a common language and common approach to describe the way we work will help to drive a

consistent employee experience across all of MoJ

• Reputation - Our values are an articulation of what we stand for. They act as our moral compass and send a clear and positive message

about how we operate

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Finding the right values for our organisation: We want our values to be lived not learned; part of how we do things

every day, not just a list of words on the wall. More than anything,

we want every MoJ employee to feel like they can relate to them and

bring them to life in all they do.

This isn’t about reinventing the wheel. It’s about taking what is

already good and making it great; harmonising with existing

frameworks like the CS values and Brilliant Civil Service, whilst

creating something that is unique and special representing all the

parts of MoJ.

“Rather than get people to live

the values, focus on the values

that live in people”

Jessica Amortegui – Leadership Now 2017

With you for you: Right from the start employees from all across the MoJ have been

involved in defining and creating the values.

Thousands of staff took part and spent time discussing and debating

many different aspects of values, not just what they should be for

MoJ. A toolkit made up of discussion exercises was made available

to encourage participants to talk about what behaviours people

found inspirational, what made them proud to work for MoJ and

what they found challenging or inappropriate.

Making sure everyone had a chance to participate was really

important, and feedback and input from our DTUS colleagues helped

to make sure that we were able to capture feedback not just from

groups but also from individuals who may not have had the

opportunity or confidence to raise their views in a group

environment.

We also gathered data from our People Survey and from numerous

values led projects across the MoJ.

Working together: The creation of the values is a great example of how when we work

together the whole really is greater than the sum of its parts. A

Values Working Group (made up of staff representatives from right

across the MoJ) organised specific workshops, team meetings and

discussions to help to identify what our values culture should feel

like. They also worked with existing support groups, forums and

networks to ensure as broad a range of people as possible were

involved, and had the chance to share their views.

Over 10,000 people from right

across the MoJ helped to shape our

values.

Based on survey monkey responses and agency workshop attendance

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A set of values to unite us all:

What did we learn? When we analysed what people had said we made an interesting discovery. Regardless of area, job level, geography, organisation or role,

there was a common thread running through the values all MoJ colleagues held dear.

We discovered that we have similar ideals; we have clear expectations of how we want people to behave; a clear sense of what motivates and

drives us; and also some clear behavioural boundaries that we do not want others to cross.

This does not mean that we all have exactly the same values, or that we choose to express them in the same way (everyone will have their

own additional personal values based on things like their background, culture, faith, family and experience), but what it does mean is that we

have common ground, and may have more in common than we realise.

The values themes: The large scale feedback from colleagues identified 4 key values themes.

A workshop of 100 colleagues from all across MoJ helped us to road test these values themes. When surveyed 97% of them agreed that they

were the right themes and that they felt the organisation would be able to get behind them and support them.

This support was echoed by ExCo, who, upon seeing the 4 themes, felt they were so accurate and fitting that they unanimously agreed to

adopt these values in every area of the MoJ. Even in business areas where different local values had been articulated previously, there was a

high degree of compatibility and an agreement that there was value in everyone coming together to use a common approach and common

language to describe what we stand for.

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Introducing the Core MoJ Values

To make our values more memorable, the stories, achievements, aspirations and behaviours that supported each of the themes have been

summarised in a series of headline words and brief statements that capture the spirit of the theme that inspired them.

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The MoJ Values story The values are presented in a specific order because they build to create a story about MoJ and our people.

Our sense of PURPOSE is what gets us out of bed in the mornings (or evenings if you work nightshifts!). No matter what individual job we do,

every single one of us is helping to make society better by upholding the principles of justice and by helping to deliver a fair and just society -

this is something that all of us at MoJ are really proud to be part of.

It is our sense of HUMANITY, and our care and regard for others, both inside and outside our organisation, which enables us to deliver this

monumental, and often life changing service.

Although we have one of the longest established and most respected justice systems in the world, we work hard to continue building our

reputation as a leader (both within the Civil Service and on the world stage) by constantly developing ourselves, innovating, and finding even

better ways to do things. Our OPENNESS to new ideas and our commitment to delivering the best possible service keeps us at the forefront.

Working to all these values enables us to succeed, but it is the fact that the whole comes TOGETHER to be greater than the sum of its parts

that really makes the difference. Citizens want to be served by a joined-up system that works around them, and that means we do our job best

when we do it together.

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Our Values in more detail:

Purpose

Justice matters. We are proud to make the difference to the public we

serve.

This value is about having a sense of connection between the work

we do and the impact we have.

The combined work of the MoJ changes people’s lives. All of our

actions, choices and behaviours affect outcomes.

This value is about the responsibility we take and the belief that each

and every one of us can make a contribution that matters and makes

a difference.

We show this value when we commit to making a difference and when

we remove barriers in order to do so, keeping ourselves and others

focussed on what really matters.

Humanity

We treat others as we would like to be treated. We value everyone,

supporting and encouraging them to be the best they can be.

This was a very strong theme for people in MoJ. This value is about

recognising humanity in others and showing it ourselves. We know

that people come into contact with the justice system at times of

great moment and we recognise that we need to treat them with

dignity, respect and empathy.

This value is also about recognising that everyone is unique and has

different needs and circumstances. We are committed to

understanding and embracing these differences and empowering

everyone we interact with to be the best they can be.

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Openness

We innovate, share, and learn. We are courageous and curious,

relentlessly pursuing ideas to improve the services we deliver.

This is about innovation, creativity and learning; encouraging people

to think openly and differently about problems and solutions.

It is about making brave decisions and doing what is right, not just

what is easy.

By embracing new approaches and methods, and championing

change, we can be pioneers, setting an example for others in the Civil

Service, and elsewhere, to follow.

This value is also about learning from experience, and getting into the

right mind-set to succeed.

Together

We listen, collaborate and contribute, acting together for our common purpose.

This is about the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. It centres around collaborating, communicating openly and honestly, encouraging feedback and challenge, and listening to others.

It’s about going beyond our own best efforts to achieve even greater things and it’s about working effectively together within our own teams – focusing on collective rather than just individual success. It’s also about working together well across the MoJ family and

beyond – being the best possible partner to others locally and

nationally, and going beyond consultation towards co-creation and

joint endeavour wherever we can.

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VALUES IN ACTION – Tools to get you started

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Toolkit overview:

Primary Exercise/tool to support dialogue around this value Also suitable for generating dialogue around this value

TOOL/ VALUE IT SUPPORTS PURPOSE HUMANITY OPENNESS TOGETHER

Creating Your Own Story Locally:

1.Hitting the Headlines

2.Making a Connection

3.Socialising the solution

4.Story Capture

S.C.A.M.P.E.R solution finder

I’m OK/You’re OK

The Need to Succeed

Elevator Pitch

Brainwriting

Solutions Grid

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Embedding the values – Telling and sharing the MoJ Values story Values aren’t something you say. They are something you do, so we need your help to turn our values into action.

Why story telling?

Stories are one of the most powerful forms of communication. Our values story talks about our values journey and the foundations of the

values culture we want to promote. Connecting everyone to this story will help us to:

Unite behind a common purpose, set of beliefs and behaviours

Create a greater sense of identity and belonging in our business

Make it easier for us to come together to achieve our goals and to deliver the best public service possible

Inspire teams to be part of our values journey – our colleagues are key characters in our values story – they all have a part ot play

What we are asking you to do?

Listen to the MoJ Values story and think about how you will share it with your team. How will you help them to connect to the journey we are

on to deliver our 10 year strategy whilst working together in a values led culture? Consider what these values mean for you in your area of the

MoJ and what role you will pay in their success.

Take an active role:

Remember, our values are what we stand for and we need to make sure that everyone we come into contact with can see this, which is why

we want you to share the values story as widely as possible. We also want you to customise the story with your own real-life examples so

colleagues can really relate to them.

The exercises, tools and discussions in this kit are designed to get you and your colleagues talking. Share your experiences, opinions and

concerns. Work together to understand how you can embed the values locally.

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Creating your own stories locally: The following pages suggest how you might share the values with your team and they provide some simple ideas for bringing them to life.

Steps 1-3 are the same for each value, but step four varies.

Step 1: Share the value

Let the group know which value you are going to be focusing on for the rest of the exercise. The contents table shows which exercises

are most appropriate for driving discussion about each value.

Step 2: Share & discuss the supporting messages and proof points

The key supporting messages for the values are shown on the page. These are the more in depth values descriptors from page 9 of this

guide. Rather than just reading out these descriptors, think about how you can add examples of your own, “proof points” or examples

of business activity or policy that supports this value.

Step 3: Share your own personal experience

In this part of each exercise, bring the value to life by giving a personal example of when you have seen this value in action.

Step 4: Carry out the group exercise

Step 4 exercises are allocated to specific values in this guide, but many of them can be used across several values; feel free to use them

flexibly.

Templates to capture outputs can be found at the end of this guide.

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Creating your Own Story Locally: Hitting the Headlines Step 1: Share the value

Step 2: Supporting messages and proof points

Share the following values narrative with the group:

This value is about having a sense of connection between the work we do and

the impact we have.

The combined work of the MoJ changes people’s lives. All of our actions, choices

and behaviours affect outcomes.

This value is about the responsibility we take and the belief that each and every

one of us can make a contribution. We show this value when we commit to

making a difference and when we remove barriers in order to do so, keeping

ourselves and others focussed on what really matters.

Add to this any “proof points” or examples of activity taking place that you know of which

support this value.

Step 3: Sharing your experience

Give a personal account of when you, or a team you have been part of, have made a

difference. Tell the group what was going on, who was involved and what the impact was.

Step 4: Making the headlines

Break out into groups of 3-4 and discuss the following:

Ask each group to spend about 10 mins sharing stories about this value

Ask each group to create a headline that sums up the story, bearing in mind the tabloid principles of making it eye catching and snappy

At the end of the exercise share the headlines and an overview of the story with the rest of the group – you can use the template provided in the Appendix for this.

PURPOSE Justice matters. We are proud to make a difference for the public we serve

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HUMANITY We treat others as we would like to be treated. We value everyone supporting and encouraging them to be the best they can be

Creating your Own Story Locally: Making the Connection Step 1: Share the value

Step 2: Supporting messages and proof points

Share the following values narrative with the group

This was a very strong theme for people in MoJ. This value is about recognising humanity

in others and showing it ourselves. We know that people come into contact with the justice

system at times of great moment and we recognise that we need to treat them with dignity,

respect and empathy. This value is also about recognising that everyone is unique and has

different needs and circumstances. We are committed to understanding and embracing

these differences and empowering everyone we interact with to be the best they can be

Add to this any “proof points” or examples of activity taking place that you know of, which support

this value.


Give a personal account of when you, or a team you have been part of, have brought this value to

life. Tell the group what was going on, who was involved and what the impact was.

Step 4: Making the connection

This exercise is about making the connection between what we say is important and how we

actually act/ behave. Ask the group to consider the following questions. Responses can be

recorded on copies of the personal Making the Connection sheets – template in appendix.

When do you find it easy to demonstrate this value?

When do you find it more challenging and why? What personal change could you make to bring this value to life more successfully?

(see also the I’m OK/You’re Ok grid exercise) Encourage open group discussion. If people don’t

want to share their thoughts with the wider group ,then they might be encouraged to write

a private note setting out their commitment to themselves.

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Creating your Own Story Locally: Socialising the Solution Step 1: Share the Value

Step 2: supporting messages and proof points

Share the following values narrative with the group.

This is about innovation, creativity and learning; encouraging people to think openly and

differently about problems and solutions.

It is about making brave decisions and doing what is right, not just what is easy.

By embracing new approaches and methods, and championing change, we can be pioneers,

setting an example for others in the Civil Service, and elsewhere, to follow. This value is also

about learning from experience, and getting into the right mind-set to succeed.

Add to this any “proof points” or examples of activity taking place that you know of, which support this value.


Give a personal account of when you, or a team you have been part of, have brought this value

to life. Tell the group what was going on, who was involved and what the impact was.

Step 4: Socialising the Solution

Sometimes, when we brainstorm ideas within our own team we can get into a bit of a thinking

rut. This exercise encourages you to look for alternative sources of ideas and support

Identify a challenge or problem your team is currently facing

Focusing on the ‘type’ of problem rather than the specific problem, spend 10 mins brainstorming which other organisations teams/departments/ other Civil Service depts.. etc have had similar challenges and relate them back to the situation in hand. Capture these on post it notes.

Discus as a group how you might be able to reach out to any of the suggested people/areas on the post its. Explore existing relationships and opportunities to create new ones. Create a plan to broaden your network to get the information you need so you can learn from others’ experience

OPENNESS We innovate, share,

and learn. We are

courageous and

curious, relentlessly

pursuing ideas to

improve the services

we deliver.

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TOGETHER We listen, collaborate

and contribute, acting

together for our common

purpose

Creating your own Story Locally: Story Capture Step 1: Share the value

Step 2: supporting messages and proof points

Share the following values narrative with the group.

This is about the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. It centres around collaborating, communicating openly and honestly, encouraging feedback and challenge, and listening to others. It’s about going beyond our own best efforts to achieve even greater things and it’s about working effectively together within our own teams – focusing on collective rather than just individual success. It’s also about working together well across the MoJ family and beyond – being the

best possible partner to others locally and nationally, and going beyond consultation

towards co-creation and joint endeavour wherever we can.

Add to this any “proof points” or examples of activity taking place that you know of, which

support this value.


Give a personal account of when you, or a team you have been part of, have brought

this value to life. Tell the group what was going on, who was involved and what the

impact was.

Step 4: Story Capture

Break out into groups of 3-4 and discuss the following:

When have you seen the benefits of working in partnership with others? And what did you manage to achieve as a result?

Each person share a story

Capture the stories on the story capture sheet (template in Appendix)

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S.C.A.M.P.E.R solutions finder Which value does this tool support?

Openness - We innovate, share, and learn. We are courageous and

curious, relentlessly pursuing ideas to improve the services we

deliver

Purpose of the exercise/tool:

SCAMPER is an idea generation technique that utilises action verbs

as stimuli. It encourages the user to consider multiple options and

can be used to generate new ideas/solutions or refine existing

ones.

What you will need:

The SCAMPER acronym and verbs on display – on a slide or flipchart

for the group to see

Pens and paper for individual participants or post its if you want to

work as a larger group:

Using this tool:

Each letter in the word SCAMPER stands for an action verb which in

turn provides a prompt to consider different types of solutions and

creative ideas.

Before you begin, spend a couple of minutes brainstorming some of

the challenges you currently have as a team. Capture these on a flip

and ask the group to select one of the suggestions for the SCAMPER

treatment.

Once you have identified one of them work through the following

by inserting the words “can we….?” Before each action verb.

S – Substitute – is there a different way that we know of that would work better?

C – Combine – could we achieve any efficiencies by combining efforts/ tasks/ knowledge/ resources?

A – Adapt – have we tackled a similar problem elsewhere? is there anything we can lift and shift, with minor alteration, that will work in this situation so we don’t have to reinvent the wheel?

M – Modify - how can we maintain the good things about how we do it now and tweak what we do so it works a little better?

P – Put to another use – this refers more to physical things rather than ways of working but is useful for getting the group to think about how they might repurpose resources (including people and time)

E – Eliminate – if it’s not adding value, should we simply stop doing it?

R – Reverse – do we need to unpick earlier ideas or perhaps go back to the drawing board with this issue? This is about being brave enough to admit that a previous idea may have been a mistake and not just persevering with it, regardless, to save face.

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I’m OK/You’re OK Grid: Which value does this tool support?

Humanity, Together

Purpose of the exercise/using this tool:

This tool is designed to drive dialogue around being the best we can

be and enabling others to be the best they can be.

Your attitude affects your behaviour and your behaviour can then

affect the attitude of others. This tool encourages you to be

mindful of this and think about how to drive positive and

constructive conversations with others.

What you will need:

A copy of the grid for the group to see (flip chart of printouts)

2 flipchart sheets entitled

Things I can do to make me feel OK

Things I can do to feel better about others

Running the exercise:

Explain the grid (using the notes below) and the positions to the

group and ask them to share times when they have found

themselves having conversations like the ones described.

We should always seek to be in the I’m OK/You’re OK box and if we

are not, for any reason, we need to consider what we need to do to

feel better in ourselves, or if we already feel OK in ourselves, what

we can do to improve our view of the other person we are speaking

to. You can capture suggestions on the two flip charts. The focus

should be on what can be done to improve positivity on both

fronts. The exercise is designed to make participants more self-

aware and focus them on taking proactive measures to manage

their interactions with others. (see notes in appendix for some

suggestions)

Overview

There are 2 key factors that determine how a conversation goes -

you, and the other person!

Specifically, the personal attitude you take into the conversation

(i.e. how you feel about yourself and how you feel about the other

person) can have a significant impact on the way the conversation

pans out.

This exercise uses a grid that captures both of these elements and

maps them against each other. The combination of how you feel

about yourself vs how you feel about the other person will

determine the tone and often the outcome of the conversation.

There are 2 scales:

The vertical scale relates to how we feel about ourselves (this is the

I’m OK axis). The top represents positive feelings and the bottom

represents negative feelings.

The horizontal one, relates to how you perceive the other person

and their attitude towards you (this is the You’re OK axis), negative

perception on the left, and positive on the right.

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I’M OK/ YOU’RE OK

You are feeling positive about yourself. You are also feeling

positive about the other person. This is the most productive

and constructive position and it leads to adult, respectful, two

way, balanced communication, even when there are points of

disagreement. When we find ourselves in this situation,

conversation generally flows quite well. We perceive that we

are of an equal standing to the other person and we are able to

have positive and constructive interaction with one another.

This conversation is based on mutual trust and respect.

I’M NOT OK/ YOU’RE OK

You feel negative about yourself but believe that the other

person is superior or stronger/better off than you.

You enter the conversation believing you are inferior, or weaker

than the other person.

You may fear their position of perceived power (because it

intimidates you or makes you feel like you’re on the back foot),

or you may seek it out (because you need this stronger person

to take on your burden and help solve your problems). Either

way, you become a ‘victim’.

If you don’t take positive steps to address this, it will typically

get worse over time, eroding your self-worth and resilience.

I’M OK/ YOU’RE NOT OK

You are feeling positive about yourself but you have a lesser, or

negative, perception of the other person.

You enter the conversation feeling superior or better off than, them.

If this is because you mistrust, dislike or have low read for them, you

may become smug, impatient, aggressive or patronising towards

them as a result of the perceived gap between your ‘perfection’ and

their ‘limitation’.

Alternatively, if the other person’s “inferior” position is a result of

them being upset or distressed. Your more positive mindset enables

you to be strong for them and become their helper/rescuer. Neither

situation is ideal. The first can leave the other person feeling

victimised and inadequate and the second encourages dependency

– ultimately both versions disempower the other person.

I’M NOT OK/ YOU’RE NOT OK

You do not feel good about yourself, similarly, you have a pretty

poor perception of the other person.

You typically enter the conversation feeling powerless or resentful.

This situation is a recipe for disaster since neither party is in the

right mind set to have a positive or constructive conversation.

Conversations taking place in these circumstances tend to be

destructive, lack trust and are unhelpful all round. It is impossible

to reach a reasonable or useful outcome in a conversation of this

type.

Feeling positive about yourself

Negative view of

other person

Feeling negative about yourself

Positive View of

other person

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The Need to Succeed: Which value does this tool support?

Together, Humanity


Collaboration and working together is much easier when we understand each other’s needs and requirements. This exercise encourages the

group to share what helps them to be their best at work. The exercise creates greater awareness and sensitivity across the team of how each

person needs to be supported.

What you will need:

5 flip charts around the room and post it notes


Entitle the flip charts as follows and pin them up around the room:

To be at my best and most effective the main thing I need is………..

What I need from my manager to succeed…….

What I need from my colleague to succeed ….

The way I like to be recognised for good work …….

What helps me when I am under pressure…….. Give the group post it notes and ask them to think of 1-2 things per category. Give them approximately 10 minutes to come up with

suggestions.

At the end of the session allocate a person/pair to each flip chart, depending on group size, and ask them to spend 5 mins clustering together

similar responses.

Once complete, ask for a volunteer for each flip chart and ask them to give a summary of their chart to the rest of the group (making special

mention of whether the responses were quite similar or varied). Where appropriate, draw out specific responses and ask whoever placed that

post it note if they would like to share a few more details with the group. Try to involve as many people in the sharing back process as possible

so everyone feels involved and that their views have been heard.

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Elevator Pitch: Which value does this tool support?

Purpose – Justice matters. We are proud to make a difference for the public we serve.


This value talks about the pride we take in making a difference. This exercise gives the group the opportunity to reflect on, and learn more

about the impact we have at team, department, agency and MoJ Level.

What you will need:

Paper and pens for all participants and a stop watch with an alarm.


Working in groups of 3-4, depending on group size, ask each group to create an “elevator pitch” about all the great work your department/ your agency/The MoJ* does, and the difference it makes. (*give each group a different category).

Get them to think about key features they’d like to draw attention to & examples to illustrate their story.

Each group must draw up their elevator pitch so that it lasts no more than 1 minute. (Tell them to imagine that they are trying to impress someone from another government department who is visiting and they’ve got the time it takes to go in the elevator from the reception to the top floor/their meeting room to make a good impression).

Give the groups about 20 minutes to decide what they want to talk about and time to practice what they are going to say.

Each group needs to nominate one member to deliver this elevator pitch to the rest of the group. Introduce a bit of fun into the session by using a stop watch and sounding an alarm at 60 seconds. Award a small prize to the best speech and/or the speech that is closest to the time limit.

At the end of the session have a general discussion about the things you have learned or discovered and share other views about what could be added to the speeches that you have heard in each category. If you find that knowledge is a bit lacking in one of the areas, challenge the group to do some research and repeat the exercise for that category at a later date.

This activity can be modified to

Talk about team achievements and successes of the last quarter/ half year and can be used at quarterly or half yearly intervals.

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Brainwriting:

Which value does this tool support?

This can be used to capture ideas and suggestions for all of the values


Brainwriting is similar to brainstorming but instead of participants to shouting out/ discussing their ideas, they are captured in writing.

The benefit of brainwriting is that each participant contributes individually and every idea is captured before it is discussed. Typically this leads

to more suggestions being generated because the ideas generation process is not interrupted or side tracked by discussions about feasibility or

potential obstacles

This approach focuses the mind on the art of the possible and it is great for people who are by nature, a little quieter (as everyone gets a chance to share their views, not just the vocal ones). You can use the Solutions Grid tool as a follow up exercise to translate the suggestions into action. What you will need: Pens and paper for every person taking part. Using this tool/approach Start by identifying a problem, question or idea you want to consider. Ask each person to write their suggestions to address this on their piece of paper. After a few minutes, each participant passes their page over to someone else. The new person then reviews the suggestions on the sheet they have received and continues to add any new ideas or builds to the page. Following another few minutes, repeat the process and pass the papers on again for another set of fresh input from a new person After about 15 minutes, collect the sheets and use them as a basis for group discussion.

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Solutions Grid: Which value does this tool support?

Openness - We innovate, share, and learn. We are courageous and

curious, relentlessly pursuing ideas to improve the services we

deliver


For innovative ideas to really make a difference you need to turn

them into action. Once ideas have been raised, this tool helps to

identify the enablers and blockers between the idea and making it

reality. This tool is designed to get people into a solutions focused

mind set and to take accountability for taking things forward.

What you will need:

Depending on whether you are using it as an individual exercise or

a group exercise:

A large sheet of paper/flip chart with a copy of the solutions grid drawn on it & post it Or

Individual copies of the grid as per the template at the end of this toolkit.

Using this tool:

Considering each new idea in turn, use the left hand side of the grid

to record potential challenges (on a personal and Team level), and

the right hand side to capture potential solutions. Make sure every

challenge has a suggestion to balance it out.

Using this tool focuses the mind on finding solutions rather than

simply identifying problems

Solution Grid

Potential challenge/ barrier Suggested solution

On

a p

erso

nal

leve

l A

t a

team

leve

l

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APPENDIX Hitting the headlines template

Making a connection template

Story capture template Suggestions for boosting positive perception ( I’m OK/ You’re OK) Solution grid template

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Hitting the Headlines template

BREAKING NEWS

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Making the connection template

Value being discussed:………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Key behaviours:…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

When do you find it really easy to demonstrate this value?

How do you demonstrate this?

What else could you do?

What makes it difficult to demonstrate this value and

why?

What personal change could you make to overcome this?

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Story capture template

Name Story

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Suggestions for boosting positive perception:

Moving towards “I’m OK”

Break down why it is you are lacking in confidence/self regard – you are much more likely to find a solution if you are focusing on the right problem

Take a step back from the issue and try to reframe it. Imagine yourself looking in on the situation– how might you view the issue as an impartial outsider? What advice would you give to yourself in this situation? This technique of ‘stepping out’ helps to put things into perspective.

Alternatively get another perspective by chatting your concerns trough with someone else

Think of a time when you successfully dealt with a similar issue before and how you did that – consider how you can apply some of your previous experience to this situation?

Identify what makes you feel better about yourself generally – this might be a physiological thing (feeling rested, getting some fresh air, taking a bit of quiet time to centre yourself and prepare for the conversation etc)

Plan ahead, maybe run through the conversation in your head before the real thing think about how you might want to open the conversation. If you are going to have a meeting with the other person, draw up an agenda or list of things you want to say so you don’t miss anything

Moving towards You’re OK

Ask yourself what has led to you having a poor perception of the other person – are you being fair or are you harbouring old feelings/ grudges etc?

Seek someone else’s view on the person – they might have a different/ more balanced perspective to offer

Reflect on what the other person’s positive attributes might be

Shift your focus form saying ’they are a problem’ to ‘what they are doing is a problem’

Think about what you might be doing that may be leading them to behave a particular way towards you

Consider the circumstances – eg is there a lot of team pressure? If so you will notice people tend to focus more on number 1. This applies to you and the other person and can be a key factor in I’m not OK/ You’re not OK conversations. So, be patient and considerate and make allowances for high pressure circumstances.

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Personal Solutions Grid

Potential Challenge or Barrier Suggested Solution

On a personal level

On a team level

Values Toolkit - WhatDoTheyKnow

Documents

Transcript of Values Toolkit - WhatDoTheyKnow