#1010 Competing Values

Always Better than Yesterday with Ryan Hartley | A Podcast for Heart Centred Leaders

In simple terms, the Cameron and Quinn's Competing Values Framework identifies four main types of values that compete within organisations:

1. Collaboration (Clan Culture): This value emphasises teamwork, cooperation, and a friendly work environment, similar to a family.

2. Innovation (Adhocracy Culture): This value emphasises creativity, adaptability, and a willingness to take risks. Organisations with this value prioritise innovation and experimentation.

3. Results (Market Culture): This value emphasises competitiveness, achievement, and a focus on external factors such as customers and market demands. Organisations with this value prioritise getting the job done and achieving results.

4. Control (Hierarchy Culture): This value emphasises stability, rules, and a structured environment. Organisations with this value prioritize efficiency, consistency, and a well-controlled work environment.

These values can often conflict within an organisation as different departments or individuals may prioritise one set of values over another. The Competing Values Framework helps organisations understand these competing priorities and work towards a balanced approach to achieve their goals.

In the Competing Values Framework, the values directly compete with each other when they are positioned opposite to one another on the model. Specifically:

1. Collaboration (Clan Culture) vs. Control (Hierarchy Culture): Clan culture emphasises a friendly and collaborative work environment where teamwork is highly valued. In contrast, Hierarchy culture emphasises a structured and controlled environment with a focus on rules and stability. These two values often compete because a highly collaborative environment might conflict with the need for strict control and adherence to established procedures.

2. Innovation (Adhocracy Culture) vs. Results (Market Culture): Adhocracy culture values creativity, adaptability, and risk-taking, encouraging innovation and experimentation. On the other hand, Market culture emphasises competitiveness, achievement, and a results-oriented approach. These values can be in direct competition because a strong focus on innovation might sometimes conflict with the immediate need for delivering measurable results and meeting market demands.

In real-world organisational situations, these competing values can create tensions and challenges as different departments or teams may prioritise one set of values over the other, leading to conflicts in decision-making and resource allocation. Balancing these competing values is essential for effective organisational management.