"If our company has core values, why aren't they shaping our culture?"
Ask most leaders if their organization has core values, and the answer is almost always yes.
But ask employees to name them... and the answer is often very different.
In this episode of Culture Over Coffee, Beth Sunshine explores one of the biggest disconnects in organizational culture today: most companies have core values, but very few actually operationalize them.
The short answer is this:
Core values don't strengthen culture because they're written well. They strengthen culture because they're consistently used to guide everyday decisions, behaviors, and leadership practices.
If employees can't name your values, they can't use them. And if leaders don't consistently reinforce them, they're unlikely to influence culture at all.
The Data Reveals a Significant Values Gap
Up Your Culture's ENGAGE 2026 Company Culture Report paints a clear picture.
While 89% of organizations have identified core values, only about half of employees can actually name them.
The gap becomes even more concerning across leadership levels:
- 70% of C-suite executives can identify the company's core values.
- Only 40% of middle managers can do the same.
That's a problem because managers are the people who coach performance, reinforce expectations, make hiring decisions, and shape employees' day-to-day experience.
If they aren't fluent in the organization's values, consistency becomes nearly impossible.
Why Core Values Often Become Wall Art
Most organizations don't intentionally ignore their values.
Instead, they unintentionally isolate them.
Values often appear:
- On the company website
- In recruiting materials
- During onboarding
- On posters in the office
But they rarely become part of everyday leadership.
They're absent from:
- Performance conversations
- Hiring decisions
- Recognition programs
- Accountability discussions
- Team decision-making
As Beth explains, when values aren't influencing how work actually happens, they become decoration instead of direction.
The Biggest Ways Organizations Undermine Their Own Values
The ENGAGE 2026 findings reveal several consistent patterns.
Leaders Don't Consistently Model Them
Nearly three-quarters of employees say leadership behavior doesn't consistently reflect the organization's stated values.
People don't follow values because they're written.
They follow what leaders demonstrate.
Hiring Doesn't Reinforce Them
Employees notice when organizations hire talented people whose behaviors don't align with stated values.
Every hiring decision sends a message about what truly matters.
Recognition Ignores Them
If employees are only rewarded for results (and never for how they achieve those results), values quickly become secondary.
Misaligned Behavior is Tolerated
Perhaps the biggest threat to culture is inconsistency.
When high performers repeatedly violate core values without consequence, employees naturally conclude that values are optional.
Nothing weakens credibility faster.
What It Looks Like to Operationalize Core Values
Core values become part of:
- Hiring interviews
- Performance reviews
- Coaching conversations
- Recognition programs
- Leadership decisions
- Accountability discussions
Managers don't simply reference the values. They explain what each value looks like in practice.
Employees know:
- What behaviors are expected.
- What behaviors are rewarded.
- What behaviors are corrected.
That's where consistency begins.
Questions Every Leadership Team Should Ask
Instead of asking:
"Do we have strong values?"
Consider asking:
- Could most employees name our core values today?
- Could every manager explain what each value looks like in action?
- Do our hiring decisions consistently reinforce those values?
- Do our recognition programs celebrate value-based behaviors?
- Are leaders modeling the behaviors they expect from others?
The answers often reveal far more about culture than the values themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the problem that organizations have the wrong values?
Usually not.
Most organizations have thoughtful, meaningful values. The challenge is consistently integrating them into everyday leadership practices.
Why are middle managers so important?
Managers translate culture into daily experience. They're responsible for coaching, hiring, reinforcing expectations, and holding people accountable. If they don't consistently understand the organization's values, culture quickly becomes inconsistent.
Should organizations rewrite their core values?
Not necessarily.
In many cases, the opportunity isn't creating new values; it's making existing values visible through everyday behaviors and decisions.
Want to See How Organizations Are Putting Their Values into Practice?
The ENGAGE 2026 Company Culture Report explores how today's organizations are strengthening (or unintentionally weakening) their culture through leadership behaviors, communication, hiring, recognition, and accountability.
If you want a clearer picture of what's driving engagement across organizations today, download the full report and discover where companies are succeeding, where they're struggling, and what leaders can do next.
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