Kieran Klaassen

I'm Kieran, a creator and engineer, composer and baker. I craft with love, creating code to croissants. Curiosity and discovery shape my life. I try to inspire others and stay true to myself.

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The Importance of Value Alignment in Teams

AI-assisted writing. The original ideas and experiences are mine.

Teams often disagree about what good work looks like. The "zero to one" mentality favors testing ideas quickly, even when code quality suffers. Other engineers favor maintainable code that can support long-term growth. Neither approach is inherently wrong, but a lack of alignment—within the team or between personal and company values—turns the difference into stress and conflict.

Misalignment shows up as slower development, unhappy teammates, and collaboration that takes more effort than it should. The irony is that people who want to move fast can end up slowed by conflict, while people who prefer a careful pace may move faster once the team agrees on what matters. Alignment gives a team a way to balance those priorities.

Stress from Misalignment

People adapt to the demands of their environment, but sustained demands that conflict with their personal values can create stress and dissatisfaction. A software team feels this tension when it is expected to swing between quick, hacky development and careful, scalable code without clear guidance on what the company needs.

Imagine a software engineering team building a new product. The team lead, Sarah, favors the "zero to one" approach: speed and experimentation over code quality. Mark values clean, maintainable code that can scale with the company. As the project progresses, he is torn between Sarah's expectation of rapid iteration and his own desire to write well-architected code. Sarah, meanwhile, gets frustrated by what she sees as his "unnecessary" work.

This tension is not unique to Mark and Sarah's team. Research by W. Cram (2012) connects alignment between organizational values and team members' values with greater satisfaction and enthusiasm. Misalignment brings frustration and can hurt project performance.

The construction industry offers another view of the same problem. Najafizadeh and Hamzeh (2023) point to consistent communication and acceptance of shared values as factors in reaching project objectives. The parallel to software is straightforward: teams that discuss their values and working methods have a better chance of agreeing on how to reach a shared goal.

Bezrukova et al. (2012) examined how cultural alignment affects performance. Their findings suggest that a strong results-oriented culture can soften the negative effects of group faultlines, while a mismatched culture can make performance problems worse. In Mark and Sarah's case, a clear direction from leadership could narrow the gap between their approaches.

Fitzpatrick (2007) presents evidence that values alignment supports collaboration and reduces organizational conflict. Teams that discuss values early can address disagreements before they escalate. If Sarah and Mark's team had agreed on how to balance speed and code quality, the tension might not have reached their day-to-day work.

What Alignment Changes

Long-term misalignment between personal and organizational values can lead to stress, lower productivity, and an eroded company culture. Clear communication about values gives teams a chance to resolve conflict before it affects the work.

Alignment does not require a team to choose speed over quality. It requires a shared understanding of when speed, experimentation, quality, and scalability matter. That understanding lets teams innovate without losing sight of the software they have to maintain.

The payoff can be counterintuitive: people who prioritize speed may ship faster because they spend less time fighting, while careful engineers can improve quality because the team has agreed where that care matters. Shared values make those tradeoffs visible.

Values Exercise Guide

This exercise is inspired by Sarah Drasner's Engineering Management for the Rest of Us.

Purpose

This exercise helps team members identify their personal values, compare them with the team's values, and agree on how they want to work together.

Step 1: Preparation

  1. Create a List of Core Values: Gather a list of values such as integrity, innovation, and teamwork. Use a resource such as Brené Brown’s list, or make your own.
  2. Schedule the Exercise: Set aside 1–2 hours when the whole team can attend. Tell everyone what the session is for ahead of time.

Step 2: Individual Reflection

  1. Distribute the List of Values: Give everyone a copy of the list.
  2. Select Personal Values: Ask each person to review it quietly and choose their top five values. Write each value on a sticky note or index card.
  3. Reflect on Choices: For each value, write 1–2 sentences explaining why it matters.

Step 3: Group Discussion

  1. Share Values: Each person shares their five values and the thinking behind them.
  2. Identify Common Values: Group similar values on a whiteboard or large sheet of paper as they come up.
  3. Discuss Differences: Talk openly about the differences. Try to understand how each person's values affect their work and interactions.

Step 4: Alignment and Integration

  1. Highlight Core Values: Identify the values that resonate with most of the team, then discuss how they relate to the company’s mission and goals.
  2. Create a Team Values Statement: Write a statement that reflects the values the team shares. Use it to guide decisions and behavior.
  3. Action Plan: Decide how the values will show up in daily work. For example:
    • Check in regularly on whether the team is living up to them.
    • Include them in performance reviews.
    • Plan initiatives that reinforce the team's core values.

Step 5: Follow-Up

  1. Regular Reviews: Revisit the team values periodically to see whether they still fit and show up in practice.
  2. Adjust as Needed: Change them as the team evolves.

Tips for Success

  • Ask a neutral facilitator to keep the discussion focused and respectful.
  • Make room for every team member to participate.
  • Write down the final values and action plan, share them with the team, and refer to them regularly.

Example Values List

  • Integrity
  • Innovation
  • Teamwork
  • Accountability
  • Respect
  • Excellence
  • Transparency
  • Empathy
  • Adaptability
  • Courage

The exercise is meant to surface differences before they turn into conflict. Its output should be a working agreement the team can use when speed, quality, and other priorities compete.

References