Some intellectual and theoretical frameworks and practical outputs about values have contributed to explaining and clarifying values in general, but they often haven’t transformed them into clearly defined concepts. One of the most prominent human and institutional values is respect. It’s a value that combines noble human feelings with professional performance, but like other values, it’s an abstract concept. How can this abstract concept be transformed into a clearly defined entity as an institutional value? And how can this value be instilled and reinforced in employees, and what behaviors should employees exhibit to make others feel respected?
An employee in the organization might think they fully understand the value of respect and that their parents have instilled this value in them, and that they know how to treat people with respect. However, their professional behavior within the organization doesn’t indicate that they embody the value of respect because they haven’t grasped its deep professional meaning.
The researcher in the field of learning and brain research (David Sousa) believes that for an individual to learn concepts well and retain them in memory, they must have four characteristics: they must be vital and related to survival, emotionally charged, have meaning, and make sense. (Sousa 1998)
We believe that the best approach to transform values from an abstract concept into a professional concept that carries meaning, makes sense to individuals, and is applicable by them, is to embody them. This means converting the value from an abstract word into a clearly defined theoretical entity by defining the value, breaking it down into components and sub-values, clarifying and stating the positive returns and fruits resulting from an individual’s adoption of the value system, as well as the positive benefits to the organization when providing a nurturing and supportive environment for values. This is followed by a statement of the resulting risks and expected threats from not adopting values in a real way, or the lack of supportive procedures, in order to enhance the emotional aspect of the individual, and maximize, value, and appreciate the importance of the value to them; to be able to acquire it and defend it. One of the components of the value embodiment process is to clarify the indicators of the behaviors required from the individual to represent the value, or the procedures required from the organization to create an environment that nurtures values:
The purpose of this is to build a scientific reference framework that those concerned with empowering employees with their organization’s value system can refer to for extracting, formulating, and developing measures, and to support them in building empowerment programs and their educational and training tools that have an impact on the service target. To emphasize, the task of embodying values is not on the shoulders of employees and officials in the organization, but rather it’s the task of consultants and field experts. (For more information, you can refer to the Pioneers’ Guide to Embodying Values).