An Instructive Dilemma

I’ve written here before about generic corporate values like Integrity, Respect, and Excellence. They state positive virtues, not distinct values. And because nobody would ever argue with them, they don’t drive decision-making or culture. They don’t, as Jim Collins might say, “have teeth.”
 
In the current issue of Harvard Business Review, INSEAD’s Erin Meyer proposes a test for crafting better values: consider dilemmas.
 
Here is her example:
 
Say you’re managing a small team of marketers. You know there’s a 60 percent chance that the team will be reshuffled in four months due to a reorg. Do you tell them now or do you wait until you know whether it’s going to happen?
 
Meyer says that when she presents this scenario to managers, just under half say they would share the information, while just over half say they would wait. Both are reasonable decisions.
 
But if the manager belongs to an organization with sharp values and a unique culture, the answer could be a lot clearer, and much likelier…