Construct Your Cultural Values Matrix
Let’s walk through the process of defining your team’s value matrix before talking about setting the culture and hiring to build strong chemistry. First, review the four cultural dimensions and consider the descriptions at each end of the spectrum. Which one is most critical to your team’s success? Which ones are less important?
Select the most appropriate side of each spectrum, then rank them in terms of their importance to your team's priorities and goals, on a scale of zero to 10, zero being neutral or not relevant.
| Your Team’s Cultural Values Matrix | # |
| Primary Value | |
| Secondary Value | |
| Less Important Value | |
| Least Important Value |
To further illustrate the process, refer to the Use Cases below and perhaps one of those might turn out to be a good template for your team. If at any point though, you would prefer to take the CultureSet™ and Hire Quiz, it will automatically fill out the matrix for you and provide the framework to help you set and hire for your team’s unique culture.
Use Cases
| Non-Porfit BoD Values Matrix | # |
| Egalitarian/Humility | 10 |
| Assertiveness/Achievement | 7 |
| Autonomy/Openness | 3 |
| Certainty/Security | 0 |
Non-Profit S is dedicated to wildlife conservation. The Chairman believes that everyone on the Board of Directors must have a deep respect for all forms of life so he assigns Egalitarian/Humility a 10. He also feels that the entire board should have a sense of urgency in working towards their mission so he gives Assertiveness/Achievement a 7. He leans on the side of open debate so he gives Autonomy/Openness a 3 and is all but neutral on the last dimension between Certainty/Security and Ambiguity/Risk. In fact, having members anywhere on the spectrum would provide additional balance to the Board.
| Sales Team T Values Matrix | # |
| Hierarchy/Status | 9 |
| Assertiveness/Achievement | 8 |
| Certainty/Security | 2 |
| Authority/Decisiveness | 1 |
For the manager of Sales Team T who sells luxury items to upscale clients, it’s almost a tossup between Hierarchy/Status and Assertiveness/Achievement as to which cultural value is more important for the team to succeed. But being appropriately deferential to their VIP clients wins out with a 9 and being a goal-driven overachiever gets an 8. Since neither Certainty/Security (valuing caution and stability) nor Authority/Decisiveness (dedication to group solidarity and traditional attitudes) are important, she assigns them 2 and 1 respectively.
| Military Team U Values Matrix | # |
| Authority/Decisiveness | 10 |
| Ambiguity/Risk | 7 |
| Assertiveness/Achievement | 3 |
| Hierarchy/Status | 1 |
The officer in charge of a mission to go behind enemy lines is selecting members for Team U. Following orders and solidarity is absolutely critical so he assigns Authority/Decisiveness a 10 in the team values matrix. Unlike previous assignments where Certainty/Security was high on the list, members of this team must thrive on the challenge of reacting to uncertain conditions and unpredictable situations so he gives Ambiguity/Risk a 7. He only gives Assertiveness/Achievement a 3 because having some team members who value patience and cooperation could prove to be an asset. Similarly, Hierarchy/Status is minimized to a 1 because having members at the opposite end of the spectrum would reduce intrateam competition and provide more balance.
| Startup Company V Values Matrix | # |
| Ambiguity/Risk | 10 |
| Assertiveness/Achievement | 8 |
| Autonomy/Openness | 5 |
| Egalitarian/Humility | 3 |
The CEO for Startup Company V knows that every member of her management team needs to feel excited about the challenges that come with uncertain and unpredictable situations so she assigns a 10 to Ambiguity/Risk. Assertiveness/Achievement get an 8, because perseverance and a sense of urgency are also critical to the startup’s success. She wants people to feel empowered and comfortable thinking for themselves so she gives Autonomy/Openness a 5 and since the organizational structure is fairly flat without a lot of fancy titles and special perks, Egalitarian/Humility gets a 3.
| Sports Team W Values Matrix | # |
| Assertiveness/Achievement | 10 |
| Autonomy/Openness | 8 |
| Egalitarian/Humility | 6 |
| Ambiguity/Risk | 0 |
For the coach of Sports Team W, it’s absolutely critical the everyone is 100% dedicated to winning and putting in the effort to excel so Assertiveness/Achievement is a 10 as the team’s top cultural value. But innovative play calling and other strategies are a close second and every player needs to be comfortable with that so he gives Autonomy/Openness a score of 8. The team’s star players don’t have big egos and play unselfishly, so he ranks Egalitarian/Humility as a 6 to avoid hiring anyone high on Hierarchy/Status who might clash with them. The last dimension, Ambiguity/Risk or Certainty/Security is a don’t care so a zero is neutral.
| Q.A. Team X Values Matrix | # |
| Certainty/Security | 10 |
| Authority/Decisiveness | 9 |
| Agreeableness/Sensitivity | 5 |
| Hierarchy/Status | 1 |
The imperative for director of the Quality Assurance for Pharmaceutical Company X is a perfect safety record of zero defects, therefore she assigns Certainty/Security a 10. It’s also critical that no one on the team has an issue with the company’s bureaucratic command and control structure, so she gives Authority/Decisiveness a 9. A significant level of cooperation is desirable so Agreeableness/Sensitivity gets a 5. She doesn’t want to encourage anyone to compete for special recognition or be motivated by money; therefore, Hierarchy/Status was assigned just a 1.
| Customer Care Y Values Matrix | # |
| Agreeableness/Sensitivity | 10 |
| Certainty/Security | 9 |
| Egalitarian/Humility | 4 |
| Authority/Decisiveness | 0 |
For the supervisor of the customer care group for Financial Services Company Y, prioritizing calm under pressure and patience with clients is of the utmost importance so he ranks Agreeableness/Sensitivity as a 10, but precision and accuracy are close second so Certainty/Security gets a 9. Empathy and service to others are good to have values, therefore, he gives Egalitarian/Humility a 4. Authority/Decisiveness is considered to be neutral to the success of the team so it gets a zero.
| Creative Team Z Values Matrix | # |
| Autonomy/Openness | 10 |
| Egalitarian/Humility | 8 |
| Assertiveness/Achievement | 3 |
| Ambiguity/Risk | 0 |
For the leader of Creative Team Z, intellectual curiosity and imagination are the cultural values that contribute most to its ability to innovate; therefore, she gives Autonomy/Openness a 10. Intellectual humility and a flat hierarchy are also critical so Egalitarian/Humility gets an 8. The determination to develop expertise and work towards goals needs to be balanced with time to allow new ideas to develop and be proven out so she only gives Assertiveness/Achievement a 3. Recognizing the benefit of having team members across the spectrum, some who feel comfortable taking risks and others who value Certainty/Security, she decides that spectrum is neutral and gives Ambiguity/Risk a zero.
Setting The Culture
Now that you’ve used the worksheet to complete your team’s values matrix, it’s time to communicate those ideals. Fill out the following table for your team using this example as a template highlighting its most important values and priorities:
| Mission Critical Team Values | Actions That Get Rewarded | Actively Discouraged |
| Imagination | Coming up with novel ideas | Defaulting to standard practice |
| Abstract thinking | Displaying critical thinking skills | Judgmental comments |
| Achievement-orientation | Meeting goals | Making excuses |
| Determination | Taking initiative | Lack of urgency |
| Intellectual curiosity | Improvising and experimenting | Close-minded, negative attitude |
Your Team’s CultureSet™ Table
Think about turning the table into a cheat sheet that everyone on the team can refer to, outlining what is important and what won’t be tolerated. In the end, giving your culture a name and writing a summary such as this can be helpful:
Inventive Culture – successful team members tend to be imaginative, open-minded independent thinkers, proactive, persistent, and goal-driven, motivated to find novel solutions and move up in the organization. Effective team leaders are usually experts in their field, have excellent critical thinking skills, provide safe spaces to create and the right tools to increase employee proficiency, reward innovation, initiative and results, encourage debate and improvisation, discourage making excuses for why something can’t be done and narrow-minded attitudes that constrain and limit what’s possible.
Hiring to Build Strong Team Chemistry
The last step, and arguable the most important one, is to avoid hiring employees whose cultural values are incompatible with those of the team. Obviously, along with interviewing to evaluate candidates for the appropriate skills needed to do the job, questions should be asked to understand their values and priorities. No matter how well-meaning or talented those individuals might be, if their values are misaligned with those needed for the team to succeed, friction and conflict may result. Using your team’s CultureSet™ Table, you can come up with your own questions or as an alternative, if you would rather have job applicants or current team members take the CultureSet™ Questionnaire, the results will identify any individuals whose cultural values may not be a good fit with your team’s matrix.