Aligning Your Values to an Organisation – Is It Even Possible?

In Australia, I’ve attended more than a few workplace sessions on company values, and if you’ve been in the workforce for a while then I’m sure you have too. They’re often well-intentioned, and I genuinely appreciate it when an organisation goes to the effort to define and embed them.

However, a company is, ultimately a collection of people with a shared objective. People, by nature, come with a wide range of personal values – and the larger the group, the more complex genuine alignment becomes.

For many of us navigating work midlife, the concept of alignment between personal values and company culture isn’t just a professional ideal, it’s personal. Especially if you’ve experienced a culture mismatch firsthand. That sinking feeling when what was promised in the interview doesn’t show up in the day-to-day. Or worse, when you compromise what matters to you just to stay employed.

Can You Test For Values Fit?

For organisations, Psychometric testing is commonly used to assess cognitive ability and behavioural traits – but when it comes to values, things get murkier. Can you really test true values like integrity, fairness, creativity and autonomy of a company or an individual in one two meetings?

In interviews, I’ve answered questions that touch on values, and because values are high on my personal non-negotiable list, I’m always honest. But not everyone is – especially when salary, flexibility, or commute time are at the top of their priority list.

That’s why some companies are embedding values alignment right from the start, which makes a lot of sense. So yes, they can be tested, and they should.

Take Atlassian, for example. Every candidate undergoes a dedicated 30 – 45 minute “values interview” after the initial technical rounds, specifically designed to assess alignment with Atlassian’s five core values, (Open company, no bullshit, Build with heart and balance, Don’t f* the customer, Play as a team and Be the change you seek).

Interviewers present real-life scenarios to see how candidates respond through a values lens. The goal? To find people who already speak the company’s language—and to send a clear signal that values matter, even before day one.

While candidates may not usually pose value questions to interviewers, it can be reassuring to recognize that interviewers diligently assess the values of their candidates, as these values are what ultimately shape the company culture.

How important are values to you when you’re looking for a new job? Please comment below

Why Alignment is Hard

Aligning values sounds great in theory, but in practice, it’s incredibly hard. Modern companies are global, multicultural, and multigenerational. Each employee brings their own background, beliefs, and ambitions.

As the Haas School of Business notes, while homogeneous cultures may increase short-term efficiency, diverse perspectives drive long-term innovation. The challenge lies in managing both.

This creates a delicate balance: too much uniformity can suppress creativity, but too much divergence in values can weaken cohesion. That’s why hiring is so critical.

Interviewers are not just gatekeepers of talent; they are gatekeepers of culture. Yet too often, this responsibility is treated lightly. Hiring decisions may be rushed due to time pressure or influenced by other factors, rather than a careful assessment of values alignment.

Photo by Tim Gouw on Pexels.com

Complicating this further is the fact that values aren’t static. People change.

Someone who once thrived on risk and pace may later seek stability. Companies change too – through leadership shifts, market pressures, or mergers. Even broader social changes, such as the rise of environmental or mental health awareness, can reshape what employees value.

When these shifts aren’t acknowledged or managed, organisations risk “values drift” – the widening gap between a company’s stated values and its lived reality.

So, is perfect alignment achievable? Probably not perfect. But many experts suggest a more realistic goal: align on a few core, non-negotiable values, and leave room for individuals to interpret and live them in their own way.

A Culture Built on Values

Let’s be honest – company values often sound the same: integrity, customer first, teamwork, innovation. We’ve all heard them.

Zappos, the American online shoe and clothing retailer, took it a little further. Their values were co-created with employees and reflect real, lived principles:

Deliver WOW through service, Embrace and drive change, Create fun and a little weirdness, Be adventurous, creative, and open-minded, Pursue growth and learning, Build open and honest relationships with communication, Build a positive team and family spirit, Do more with less, Be passionate and determined, Be humble.

They sound more like commandments for a good life than corporate jargon, and that’s exactly the point.

At Zappos, every new hire is rigorously screened. Candidates who pass the technical and team-fit stages must also pass a dedicated culture-fit panel. If they don’t, they don’t get hired (McKinsey, 2021).

Even more famously, Zappos offers new hires a “pay-to-quit” bonus: after training, employees are offered a few thousand dollars to leave if they feel the culture isn’t right, no hard feelings.

The message is clear: misalignment is more costly than turnover.

So, Is It Possible?

Here’s what I’ve learned. Aligning your values with a company is hard, but not impossible. It takes clarity, curiosity, and sometimes, a little courage.

It means trusting your gut. Asking better questions. And walking away from shiny titles or big salaries if they come at the cost of what matters to you.

At this stage of life, your values aren’t just professional, they’re also personal. And the best workplaces? They don’t ask you to check those at the door.

For companies, it requires acknowledging and addressing the natural tensions of diversity, change, and complexity. The most effective organisations don’t gloss over this—they meet it head-on, from recruitment and day-to-day, with transparency, continuous dialogue, and deliberate cultural practices.

In doing so, they build workplaces that aren’t just productive, but human. The most valuable alignment of all.

References

Robyn R
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