Survey on national values has top sponsor

In order to identify the common values that South Africans share and ultimately make the country a better place to live in, there is an online survey, which is currently available in English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Setswana and Xhosa. Entries close on Sunday 26 June 2011 and it is expected that the country's top ten values will be made public following the close.

"As a Proudly South African company and a bank committed to the communities in which we operate, we are excited to be part of an initiative aimed at building a better South Africa. The responsibility of building a country, which is inspired by common values lies with every South African and we could not miss an opportunity to be part of this," says Mike Brown, Nedbank's CE.

A strong culture cannot be copied and is an intangible commodity that sets a company apart from its competitors and similarly can also be translated into what differentiates a country and its global competitiveness.

The campaign uses the Barrett survey methodology, which provides a comprehensive picture of the degree of alignment between the respondents personal values to their perceptions of the current culture and desired culture of a system. It also measures the entropy level, or level of disorder that exists within a system.

Nedbank has been using the Barrett Survey since 2005 to drive its own value-based culture and to entrench its aspiration of being a great place to work. The process proved to be so successful that it has led to Old Mutual Plc adopting the Barrett survey in 2011.

"As a group, we have focused on linking values and beliefs with behaviours and, through the National Values Campaign, this could be promoted across South Africa," concludes Brown.

To participate in the survey, got to www.ourvalues.co.za.