Why Rubrics Are Remarkably Better in Shaping Culture Than Company Values
Rubrics offer a clear choice in behavior. Value Statements Don't.
Culture is often cited as the backbone of an organization. While company values have traditionally been the go-to framework for shaping culture, they often fall short in providing clear, actionable guidance for employees.
This is where rubrics come in.
Unlike vague value statements, rubrics offer a clear choice in behavior, making them remarkably better tools for shaping an organization’s culture.
Why Value Statements Fall Short
Value statements like “Integrity,” “Innovation,” or “Customer-Centricity” are noble but often lack specificity, and sometimes trigger a cringe or an eye-roll.
Value statements are broad strokes that paint a picture of an organization’s ethos but don’t necessarily guide day-to-day decision-making.
For instance, what does “Innovation” mean when you’re faced with a high-stakes project deadline? Should you take a risk on a new approach, or stick with tried-and-true methods to ensure timely delivery?
What action is expected of you in the context of this culture?
The Power of Rubrics
Rubrics, on the other hand, offer a powerful alternative to value statements that guide behavior by presenting a clear choice.
Take, for example, the statement “Courage over Comfort.” This encourages employees to step out of their comfort zones and take calculated risks, even when it’s easier to maintain the status quo.
Example: Jo, a Senior Data Analyst at a struggling e-commerce startup, decides to bring up the issue of outdated data analytics tools in a team meeting despite knowing it might not be well-received.
Her courage to speak up becomes a turning point, leading to more efficient decision-making that helps stabilize the company. It would have been easier to stay silent and think, “We have a bigger fish to fry,” but she didn’t.
Why? Because the rubric used in her culture expects her to be courageous when it’s inconvenient.
The Versatility of Rubrics
Rubrics can be tailored to address various aspects of organizational behavior and decision-making.
Consider the rubric “Action over Deliberation,” which emphasizes the importance of making timely decisions and urging bias for action.
Example: Jo observes that the sales team is consistently missing targets. Instead of waiting for another team meeting, she immediately analyzes the sales data and creates a dashboard that transparently shows real-time sales performance, thereby increasing accountability within the sales team.
Rubrics in Action
Rubrics offer a holistic framework for decision-making. For instance, a well-rounded rubric might include:
#1 Courage over Comfort
This choice encourages individuals to take calculated risks and step out of their comfort zones. It’s about making the tough but right decisions for the organization, even when it’s easier to maintain the status quo. It’s about speaking up, giving feedback, and doing the right thing when the outcome is uncertain. This is what “integrity” is all about.
#2 Action over Deliberation
This choice emphasizes the importance of making timely decisions and taking immediate action. While it’s crucial to think things through, excessive deliberation can lead to paralysis and missed opportunities. Some companies call this “bias for action,” others call it “having a sense of urgency.” Less talk, more action, is what it all boils down to.
#3 Progress over Perfection
This choice urges making continuous progress over waiting for perfect conditions or solutions. It encourages team members to do the best they can with the resources they have, learning and iterating along the way. Some companies might call this “agile” or “nimble” in their value statements.
#4 Customer over Operational Ease
This choice prioritizes customer satisfaction and experience over internal operational convenience. It serves as a reminder that the ultimate goal is to serve the customer, even if it requires extra effort or resources. There’s a common tug-of-war in product organization between the idealism of customer centricity and making money.
A business has to make money. Otherwise, it’s not a business. What this statement calls out is that we need to focus on customers AND make money, which oftentimes involves operational complexity, hence the statement.
#5 Team over Solo Heroics
This choice emphasizes the importance of teamwork and collaboration over individual efforts, no matter how heroic. It encourages a culture where team success is celebrated above individual achievements.
The rubric above, with its five statements, can serve as a guide for behavior and decision-making in your company, encapsulating a culture that values courage, action, progress, customer focus, and teamwork.
Parting Thoughts
While company values provide a broad outline of an organization’s ideals, rubrics offer the specificity needed for practical application. They present employees with clear choices, making it easier to align individual actions with organizational goals.
In a world where every decision can have far-reaching implications, the clarity provided by rubrics is invaluable. So, the next time you’re looking to shape or reshape your company’s culture, consider opting for rubrics over traditional value statements. The impact on your organization could be remarkably better.
If you currently use a rubric in your company, please share it here. Would love to learn from your experience.