Core Values – How They’ve Improved 4mation as a Web and Software Development Company
Billie FowlerHead of People & Culture
When we were starting out as a small web and software development company with a team of about 5 people, the concept of a company vision and values seemed a bit airy fairy. Now with a team of over 30 people, our opinion on the importance of values has changed and our team, our business and our clients are reaping the rewards. Let me share a little of our story.
In the early years of 4mation, we all had direct contact with each other on a daily basis. The direction of the company and what we stood for could be communicated almost automatically. We knew each other well, we were committed to doing great work, and didn’t see the point of wasting time working out values when they wouldn’t change what we were doing day-to-day anyway. The time could be spent on developing another great website, or helping our clients!
Vision, mission and values all sounded like things big corporations did because… well… every other big corporation was doing it! (I think this is still partially true for some organisations, but more on that later!).
After several years of strong growth, as most companies do, we experienced some growing pains. The quality of our work had decreased, and we weren’t working together as a cohesive unit. Things weren’t running as smoothly as they used to. Different people had conflicting views on the direction of the company, and what was and wasn’t important to our future.
Having seen some other similar sized organisations who had implemented values successfully, we decided to give it a shot. We involved the entire 4mation team and invested time to ensure everyone had an opportunity to have their say. The values we came up with reflected the direction we were headed, and what we believed was important to set us apart from other web and software development companies.
A few years on, and we haven’t looked back! Our vision and values are one of the foundation stones of our success. We simply wouldn’t have experienced the growth or fun we’ve had without them.
Here’s what we came up with:
OUR VALUES
Vision: To rid the world of poor quality web solutions.
Mission: To create an enjoyable, high performance environment where passionate team members deliver the highest quality digital solutions for our clients. To be recognised as the best in the world at what we do, while delivering profit to clients, staff and shareholders.
PASSION
We have a passion for the work we do. We take an enthusiastic approach to daily work, our dealings with clients and each other. We care about quality, outcomes for our business and our clients. We encourage each other, and celebrate our individual and team successes.
We don’t do half-assed. We don’t do mediocre.
RELIABILITY
Reliability is at the core of our being. We are a company with a long term vision, providing reliability and stability for our staff and clients alike. We implement and follow internal processes to ensure we provide reliable service and perform at a consistently high level.
Our individual performances enable other team members to confidently rely on us, as we rely on them.
FUN
Working life CAN and SHOULD be fun! Being professional doesn’t mean being stuffy and boring. We generate a sense of fun in our workplace, in our interactions with each other and with our clients. All work can be turned into fun with a little inspiration.
Life’s short – so enjoy it!
TEAMWORK
We love working with others, and treat each other with respect at all times. We depend on each other for our mutual success, ask for help when needed, and happily assist others. By supporting each other and making use of the resources and skillsets at our disposal, we learn and achieve more than any one of us could individually.
Teamwork depends on communication, so we don’t assume – we communicate.
LEARNING
We are committed to lifelong learning. We welcome guidance and feedback from others, and keep up to date with technology and innovations. Knowledge is only useful when applied – so we action what we learn. We proactively improve our skillset, our documented processes used by the whole business, and our client solutions. We are an open company and help each other by sharing our knowledge.
Our improvement is driven by our commitment to ongoing learning.
TRANSPARENCY
We are open and honest with each other, with management and with our clients. We communicate frequently, and raise any concerns we have so they can be addressed. We don’t sugar-coat feedback, and we don’t hold back praise – we provide each other with the information needed to improve our performance.
We’re ethical and honest regarding the work we carry out and the status of client projects and tasks – we offer complete transparency.
CREATIVITY
We creatively produce considered, elegant solutions. This includes interface/system design but also extends to the way we work. We think creatively, consider and build on existing solutions, and enlist the help of others to combine ideas to create new concepts and solve problems.
Think! Use your noggin and find a better way.
ACCOUNTABILITY
We take ownership of our individual performances and the tasks, projects and clients we work with. We take responsibility for the results we produce as individuals, as teams and as a company. We always consider the profitability of the business and our clients. We work towards long term success, and provide value in every piece of work we undertake.
We’re proud of the way we meet and exceed client expectations.
I still think that in a lot of companies values are a waste of time – because unless they’re put into action they’re just a box ticking exercise. Some organisations seem to take the approach: “Do we have company values written down? Great, that’s out of the way – save the document and move on!”
The difference that makes values such a powerful, positive force for change within our business, is that we LIVE them!
Because we’re all headed in the same direction, we can confidently encourage our team members to use these values as a framework for their decision making, and empower them to make real changes within our business.
Our clients and staff can rely on the business to live based on these values. Great ideas now come from every area of the business, and we’re proud of the impact they’re having.
Our business, our clients, and team members are all much happier as a result!
So where to from here?
If you identify with our values, and you’re looking for a great place to work, please check out our Career Opportunities.
If you’re looking for a website and software development company that you can depend on please Contact Us.
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