You may think that corporate values or mission statements are nothing but meaningless fluff, typed out by a marketing intern with nothing better to do. And fair enough, some of them probably are… but for most successful organizations, company values actually form a very important part of the business. 

Done right, corporate values can give your company the very guidance it needs to succeed, informing everything from how you treat your employees, to the way you talk to your customers. 

So we thought we’d take a few minutes to share with you the “secret” of a good, strong set of values. And by the end of this article, maybe you’ll be able to test your own mission statement against our 5-point rule of thumb?

The five orientations

Take any set of corporate values from any successful company, and you’ll notice that there are almost always a handful of common themes running through them. We call these themes “orientations”, and they effectively give us the precise recipe to a highly effective vision statement – one that will serve you for many years to come. 

These five orientations are:

1. Vision. A willingness to set farsighted goals and embrace change.
2. Market. A focus on delivering value and satisfaction for customers.
3. Ethics. A subscription to moral standards such as social responsibility or sustainability.
4. Work. An internal commitment to safety, process, productivity and quality standards.
5. Human. An expression of warmth and empathy towards employees and society.

You can put this to the test right now, if you like! Take any company you admire, navigate straight to their “About” page, and find their corporate values. You’ll find that in almost all cases, all five of these value orientations are present.

But if you don’t want to test it yourself, don’t worry – we’ll be looking at some examples later. First though, let’s talk about why each of these orientations is so important.

Visionary leadership orientation

Most successful companies have one or more values linked to a longer-term goal or vision. Perhaps that’s a statement about an ideal future they believe in, or maybe it’s a big goal they are working towards. 

Having a vision orientation is important, because it shows that your business is working toward something bigger than the next quarter’s results. It gives people a reason to believe in you for the long term, and generates excitement and energy.

Having a strong visionary leadership orientation can help you to attract ambitious and high-performing talent, can increase customer loyalty, and can drive high levels of interest from investors.

Customer or market orientation

A customer or market-oriented value, is one that reflects how well you know the people you serve. After all, how many companies succeed if they don’t truly understand their customers’ needs?

These types of values focus on delivering great outcomes for the people who buy from you – whether that’s through great service, innovative products, or simply listening to what customers want and actually acting on it.

This orientation is important for building trust, especially in environments where competition is fierce. It builds loyal customers who will buy from you again and again, and it tells people that if they just put a little bit of faith in you, you always deliver.

Ethics orientation

An ethical orientation doesn’t mean you simply try to avoid bad behavior. It means you have values that actively steer you towards making good, strong choices – choices that benefit the people, or the environments, your business comes into contact with on a regular basis.

This might mean that you prioritise sustainability, or that you’re transparent with your supply chain, or perhaps you support your community. It could even be a firm commitment to DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion). 

Ultimately, you will know which ethical issues you’re likely to face as you go about your business – and you will know which ethical issues your employees and customers are most likely to care about. Having an ethics orientation as part of your values shows that you understand this, and that you’re willing to do something about it.

Work orientation

Work-oriented values tend to be very internalised, focusing on the way your teams work together and the kinds of results you expect from them. These values may cover topics such as quality control, health and safety, or even operational discipline.

Having a strong work-oriented value is particularly important in businesses where process matters, such as manufacturing, engineering, logistics and healthcare. But actually, it matters no matter what kind of business you run – after all, shouldn’t all business leaders care about the quality of their product and the safety of their teams?

Think of this orientation as less of a ‘where you want to be’ and more of a ‘how you’re going to get there’. These values should be practical, pragmatic, and should prove that your teams are miles ahead of the competition.

Human orientation

No set of values should be without a human-oriented statement, and that’s because at the heart of every organisation is its people.

This type of value set is all about empathy, respect, and care. There are many cross-overs here with ethics-oriented values, in that your human-oriented values should show how you treat your employees, and how you treat the people you come into contact with every day – be that suppliers, customers, partners, or even total strangers. 

Having strong human-oriented values demonstrates a culture of inclusion and psychological safety, and will help you to attract loyal and happy workers who naturally spread the good word about your company. These values are especially powerful in organizations who want to be known for their culture – and as with any internal belief system It’s especially powerful in organizations that want to be known for their culture — but you must make sure these values go beyond mere lip service, and that you’re living and breathing them daily.

Three examples of companies with these five core values at their heart

We mentioned earlier in this article that you could probably pick any successful organization at random, and find all five of these value orientations in their mission statements. So let’s put that to the test!

Toyota: Reliable since 1937

Our first example is a company that’s had a reputation for reliability for nearly 100 years. 

A quick look at their Global Vision page will instantly reveal 12 core values that really “drive” the company, if you’ll pardon the pun. And it’s not very hard to map every single one of these values to one of the five core orientations! 

Take a look:

1. Leading the way (Visionary leadership orientation)
   Positions Toyota as a proactive leader, setting direction and investing in long-term transformation.
2. Creating the future mobility society (Visionary leadership orientation)
   A clear commitment to shaping the future of transport and how people interact with technology.
3. Enriching lives around the world (Human orientation)
   Focuses on community contribution, job creation, and improving lives — all through people-centric values.
4. Moving people safely and responsibly (Human orientation)
   Puts safety at the core of operations, signalling a disciplined and process-driven approach.
5. Commitment to quality (Human orientation)
   Quality and reliability are key internal standards — this value underpins Toyota’s operational consistency.
6. Ceaseless innovation (Visionary leadership orientation)
   Embraces ongoing reinvention and technological progress to stay ahead of the times.
7. Respecting the planet (Ethics orientation)
   An environmental focus that demonstrates a strong commitment to sustainability and social responsibility.
8. Exceeding expectations (Customer or market orientation)
   A customer-driven mindset — going beyond basic needs to deliver exceptional experiences.
9. Rewarded with a smile (Customer or market orientation)
   Anchors satisfaction in emotional outcomes, showing care for how customers feel about their experience.
10. Challenging goals (Visionary leadership orientation)
    Built around ambition and pushing boundaries, often in pursuit of long-term outcomes.
11. Engaging the talent and passion of people (Human orientation)
    Recognizes the power of teams and individuals, showing respect for collaboration and human potential.
12. There is always a better way (Work orientation)
    Embodies the kaizen mindset — continual improvement through disciplined, pragmatic change.

You might disagree with how we’ve categorised some of these, but we think you’ll agree that all five are present. It’s interesting to note, too, that you don’t need to restrict yourself to one value per orientation – many successful companies have multiple values associated with each.

The NHS: A much-loved institution

Let’s jump forward a decade, to an organization established in 1948: The NHS. 

Now, most people will be quick to admit that the NHS has its flaws. But almost everybody has some degree of respect for it as a core British institution. And it is yet another great example of an organization that does a great job of incorporating the five core value orientations into what it calls its “constitution.”

Take a look at its six values, and you’ll quickly see what we mean:

1. Working together for patients (Customer or market orientation)
   “Patients come first in everything we do.” The NHS clearly puts patient experience and outcomes at the heart of their purpose — the patient being the “customer”, in this case.
   
2. Respect and dignity (Human orientation)
   “We value every person as an individual, respect their aspirations and seek to understand their priorities, needs, abilities and limits.” This shows a clear focus on empathy and respect for the people they work with and care for.
   
3. Commitment to quality of care (Work orientation)
   “Insisting on quality and striving to get the basics right every time.” They may have issues with their waiting lists, but this value shows commitment to key operational discipline and consistent standards in service delivery.
   
4. Compassion (Human orientation)
   “Respond with humanity and kindness to each person’s pain, distress, anxiety or need.” This underlines warmth, empathy, and person-centred behavior.
   
5. Improving lives (Visionary leadership orientation)
   “We strive to improve health and wellbeing and people’s experiences of the NHS.” This statement goes beyond clinical practice, and is a future-facing goal focused on long-term impact and a desire to improve perceptions.
   
6. Everyone counts (Ethics orientation)
   “Make sure nobody is excluded, discriminated against, or left behind.” This shows a strong moral stance on fairness, inclusion, and resource equity.

The NHS may have focused their values into fewer categories, but it’s clear to see that all five orientations are present.

IKEA: “The Wonderful Everyday”

For our final example, let’s head over to Sweden – or maybe just Meadowhall? – and examine arguably the most successful flat-pack furniture brand in the world: IKEA.

Like most good organizations, they publish their visions and values on their website, which you can read here. And like most good organizations, it’s no surprise to see that they all connect to the five core orientations we’ve been talking about.

1. Togetherness (Work orientation)
   IKEA has a large emphasis on teamwork and working together, which is key for working efficiently. However, we like how warm they make this sound, especially in the way they say “we know we’re at our best when we trust each other, pull in the same direction and, not least, have fun together.”
2. Caring for people and planet (Ethics orientation)
   Explicit commitment to positive change and sustainability, signalling moral responsibility.
3. Cost-consciousness (Customer or Market orientation)
   Focuses on delivering affordable, functional design to wide demographics — providing high-quality goods at a price point they know their customers can afford.
4. Simplicity (Customer or Market orientation)
   Delivers straightforward solutions and experiences that are easy for customers to engage with. After all, have you ever tried to follow an IKEA instruction manual and given up due to sheer frustration? We haven’t… (often)
5. Renew and improve (Work orientation)
   Encourages continuous innovation and future-focused improvement — highlighting ambition, but also continuous improvement in their processes.
6. Different with a meaning (Visionary leadership orientation)
   Challenges conventions and champions purposeful innovation — reinforces forward-thinking vision.
7. Give and take responsibility (Human orientation)
   Empowers individuals while promoting accountability — creating a culture of trust and care.
8. Lead by example (Human and ethics orientation)
   Asserts that leadership is value-driven and ethical — guiding through empathy and integrity.

We could go on with our examples, but we’d be here all day. Do you think it’s fair to say that successful companies tend to cover all of these values, sometimes many times over?

Two more examples to close things out

We want to leave you with two more very brief examples of companies we believe are driven by these five core values. 

The first is ourselves – we’ve worked hard to define our vision, and you can find it right here.

The second is you! Whether you realise it or not, the things that are making you successful can probably be mapped to these five core orientations. So why not head over to your About page and take a look at what’s written there? You might be pleasantly surprised.