b'GUEST COLUMNadeep,emotionalconnectionwithdecisions.Forinstance,ifyourethantraditionaldemographicways them. Consider using a story-baseddeveloping a new product or service,of understanding people because it method to onboard new employeesconsultwiththeElderadvisorytomeasures and maps the values we use and get them up to speed on your bestensureitalignswithculturalvaluesto make all our decisions, every day.practices. Challenge leadership to useand community expectations. Ask for stories to inspire teams and have anguidancewhenyouhaveconcernsValues drive everything we do. They award for the best story of the year.aboutemployeeengagementandinfluence where we live, where we work, workplace culture. Listen to what theand how we interact with the world. By THE VALUE OF Elderssayaboutmarketconditions,understanding and leveraging shared PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY supply chain issues, and more. Thesevalues, we can create stronger, more Indigenouscommunitieshaveseeminglymodern-dayspeedresilient businesses and communities.long relied on a system of personalbumps and roadblocks are not new. responsibility,whereindividualsareTheterminologyandspecificsmayByembracingoursharedvaluesof entrusted with specific roles and tasks.becontemporary,buttheissuesrelationships, personal responsibility, Thissenseofdutyensuresstabilitythemselves have been around sinceandloyalty ,wecanuniteand andprogresswithinthecommunitytime immemorial. strengthen the Indigenous business andpassesalongknowledgeincommunity.Thesevaluesare traceable ways. In a business context,IMPLEMENTING THESE IDEAS notjustabstractconcepts;they this value can help create clear roles,These ideas are just thought-starters.arepowerfultoolsthatcandrive accountability, efficiency and trust. Every business is unique, and youllreal-world success.need to adapt these concepts to fit your IDEA IN ACTION: specific situation. The key is to alwaysDavid Allison is an engagement and SYSTEM OF EXPERTS start with thepower values. Heres ainfluence expert, human values research Think about structuring your businessquick recap on how we identify these values and why they matter so much. pioneer, best-selling author and founder so each team member has a clear areaof the Valuegraphics Project. of responsibility, just like the traditional system of experts. For example, if youHOW WE FIND THErun a tourism business, ask each personPOWER VALUES AND The data and insights discussed in this involved in customer experience to beWHY THEY MATTER articlecomefromtheValuegraphics responsible for a certain ritual or areaOurresearchfirmidentifiespowerDatabase, the first statistically accurate ofknowledgebesidestheiroverallvaluesforstakeholdergroupsofglobal inventory of shared human values. duties. Perhaps there is a traditionalallkinds,usinganextensivesurveyThe database was created from a million herbal tea served as guests arrive, andprocess and rigorous statistical analysissurveys in 152 languages across 180 one person on the team is the expertbased on hundreds of millions of datacountries. Valuegraphics Profiles access who sources or harvests the ingredientspoints in the Valuegraphics Database.this data through a unique methodology andpreparestheteaintraditionalBy understanding what people value,andyieldresultsthatmaintaina ways,explainingthesignificanceofwe can predict their behaviours and+/-3.5%levelofaccuracyand95% thisactofhospitalityastheteaisdecisionswithremarkableaccuracy.confidence. For more information, visit served. AskyourselfhowthissameThisapproachisfarmoreeffectivewww.valuegraphics.comexpert structure can be used across all business functions: it not only honours our cultural practices but also ensures thattasksaremanagedefficiently,Excellence is contributing to the overall stability of your business. custom-made, and THE VALUE OF LOYALTY custom-made is personal Loyalty, based on trust, authority and respect, is a cornerstone of IndigenousOur seasoned engineers can tackle communities. Businesses can leveragea wide variety of projects, and we this value by creating formal or informalcare enough to do it right.advisory relationships with Elders and communityleaders,ensuringthat decisions are culturally informed and respected by the community.IDEA IN ACTION:ELDER ADVISORYEstablishanElderadvisorycouncil foryourbusiness.Thiscanbea formal group or an informal network that provides guidance on business Indigenous BUSINESS REPORT67'