What are company core values?

Company core values are the fundamental principles that define what an organization stands for and guide how its people make decisions, work together, and treat customers and each other.

Core values are usually expressed as a short list of words or phrases, such as "Ownership," "Customer first," "Transparency," or "Learn and grow." Each value should describe behaviors that people can recognize in everyday work.

For example, a company with the value "Ownership" expects employees to take responsibility for problems they notice, even outside their role. When a support engineer stays with a customer issue until it is resolved, coordinating across three teams, that is "Ownership" in action.

Core values only matter when they show up in daily behavior and when the organization recognizes and rewards that behavior.

Why are company core values important?

Guide decisions

Values help people choose the right action when there is no clear rule.

Shape culture

Values describe the behaviors that make up the company's culture. Learn more about company culture.

Support hiring

Clear values help attract candidates who share them.

Create alignment

Teams in different locations and functions work in consistent ways.

Give recognition meaning

Recognition tied to values shows why a contribution matters.

Examples of company core values

Value	What it looks like in practice
Ownership	Taking responsibility for outcomes and fixing problems you notice
Customer first	Making decisions based on customer impact
Transparency	Sharing information openly, including bad news
Collaboration	Helping colleagues and sharing credit
Learn and grow	Seeking feedback and learning from mistakes
Respect	Listening, valuing different perspectives
Bias for action	Moving quickly and iterating
Integrity	Doing the right thing when nobody is watching
Simplicity	Choosing clear, straightforward solutions
Inclusion	Making sure every voice is heard

Values vs. mission vs. vision

Core values	Mission	Vision
How we behave	What we do and for whom	Where we want to go
Guide daily decisions	Defines the company's purpose	Describes the desired future
Example: "Transparency"	Example: "Help teams appreciate each other"	Example: "A world where great work is always noticed"

See values in action

Recognize values as they happen

Values become visible when people thank colleagues for demonstrating them.

With Karma, every recognition can be linked to a company value directly in chat.

Try "Send thanks to a teammate" and choose a value to see how recognition reinforces company values.

How to define company core values

1. Involve employees

Ask people what behaviors they admire in colleagues and what makes the company unique.

2. Keep the list short

Three to six values are easier to remember and live by.

3. Make values specific

"Excellence" is vague. "We ship small improvements every week" is concrete.

4. Describe behaviors

For each value, list examples of what it looks like and what it does not.

5. Test against real decisions

Good values help resolve real dilemmas.

6. Revisit periodically

Values may need refinement as the company grows.

How to bring values to life

Leaders model them

Employees watch what leaders do, not what they say.

Hire and onboard with values

Explain values in interviews and the first weeks.

Recognize values daily

Connect peer and manager recognition to specific values.

Use values in decisions

Refer to values when explaining choices.

Measure values adoption

Track which values are recognized often and which are rarely seen.

Common mistakes

Generic values

Values like "integrity" and "excellence" without explanation mean little.

What helps: Define each value through specific behaviors.

Too many values

Long lists are impossible to remember.

What helps: Focus on a few essential values.

Values that contradict practice

Saying "transparency" while hiding information creates cynicism.

What helps: Align leadership behavior with stated values.

Values on the wall only

Values that never appear in daily work are ignored.

What helps: Tie recognition and decisions to values.

How Karma supports company core values

Karma connects everyday recognition to company values, turning abstract principles into visible behavior.

Values in every recognition

Admins add the company's values in Karma, and employees can link each recognition to a value when thanking a colleague.

Values adoption chart

Karma Insights ranks values by how often they are recognized, so leaders see which values are lived and which are overlooked.

Department breakdown

Leaders can compare which values resonate in engineering, sales, support, or other teams.

Trends over time

The historical view shows whether a newly introduced value is gaining traction.

Value champions

The "Value champion of the week/month/year" achievement celebrates employees who receive the most recognition for a specific value, and leaderboards can be filtered by value.