The story of ‘Our Values’

The story of ‘Our Values’

Values are the highest principles that reflect the business approach, the brand identity and the organizational communication skills of companies. These principles significantly affect companies and their relationships with both employees and customers and are critical to success.

Values are like basically the skeleton of an organization and critical in determining a company’s vision, mission and identity. The core values of a company not only guide decision-making and communication processes but also help organizations navigate successfully during difficult times.

Personal core values are the beliefs and principles that are formed in the family at an early age. In later ages, we forget that there are, in fact, things that underlie almost all the decisions we make in our lives. Companies are composed of people and like families, the core elements that make up companies are there from the beginning, but they need to be seen and understood by their employees. In fact, values are like precious stones. They are often deeply buried, waiting to be discovered.

That’s what we exactly did at Commencis to identify our values. Here’s an overview of our values and key highlights on how we created them.

What are our core values?

Commencers are guided by five core values in the decisions and actions they take every day. Our values define how we do business, interact with each other and with our stakeholders – and they also underpin our company culture. Since values are so often deployed in our everyday lives, we were careful to make them memorable and catchy during the evaluation phase.

1- We are one step ahead

commencis values

We are proud of what we have accomplished and passionate about our future.

We embrace change and stay one step ahead with our global mindset.

As a global technology company, Commencis helps leading brands grow and scale in digital, powered by its big data, analytics and cloud products.

Our pioneering objectives apply just as much to stakeholders as to employees. While advancing these values, we proceed by adopting the newest technologies with a global approach and scale our company with new offices in different countries. We always aim to be one step ahead.

2- We strive to be the best

We work with the best people to achieve what we envision. We strive to learn and grow together.

At Commencis, we are a team of employees with high potential and strong backgrounds. We believe that we have the potential to go beyond our borders. We aim to grow and develop together, while constantly challenging our boundaries.

3- We are one community

commencis values

Relationships matter for us. We are a tight-knit community.
We build long-lasting and meaningful relationships with all our stakeholders.
We know that the most successful companies are the ones with a strong sense of unity and identity. For this reason, this value matters for us. We are a community not only in terms of our employees but also with our partners, and all our stakeholders. We always reflect this sense of unity both inside and outside our company.

4- We take ownership

commencis values

We share an ambitious vision for ourselves and our clients.

We build trust, create value and inspire purpose by taking ownership.

The fact that the Commencers demonstrate constant initiative, and take responsibility for a wide range of projects, is crucial to its present success. When we all shoulder responsibilities, success will surely follow. Our employees are all part of the same intricate machine. When a piece of this machine is missing, the other parts should have the power and responsibility to compensate. For this reason, taking ownership is very critical for us.

5- We are a team of integrity

commencis values

We treat all our stakeholders with integrity.

Integrity means that we are fair, transparent, direct and open.

We believe that through fairness, transparency and openness we can create a culture of integrity for our company. When an organization deliberately fosters such a culture, it becomes easier to make the right decisions at the right time.

How did we define our values?

At Commencis, our values were shaped by what we have been already doing, not merely by what we would like to be. We also developed our values through the collaborative effort of Commencers. First, we interviewed our co-founders and gathered insights from our senior managers.

Commencis Values
Core Values Workshop

- Interview Period

During our meetings with the management team, we asked them some questions that focused on discovering our values regarding different topics. These included our strengths and weaknesses, and key moments in the history of Commencis. As the next step, we analysed some specific situations in the company, such as the specifications we consider in the recruitment process and what our red lines are.

- Workshops

The next step comprised workshop processes. Here, we involved people from various departments and engaged in different exercises. First of all, we started with an ice-breaker exercise to determine our personal values and better understand what they represent. We examined some of the more interesting examples together. We then divided into groups and reflected on our strengths, weaknesses and the important moments we had experienced, and we conducted brainstorming exercises with sticky notes. Finally, we examined our own outputs from the session. Each group shared their values and the underlying reasons for them. The workshops ended with votings to determine the common core values.

commencis values
Core Values Workshop

How do we keep our values alive at Commencis?

When it comes to the question of how to keep these values alive in an organizational culture, the following can be the key points:

- Stick to your values when making critical decisions

Values are solid pillars that we can hold to in critical decision moments, “wherever the wind blows”. In the case of a storm, correct value-based decisions can keep the company ship afloat. The core values act as filters for us when evaluating business decisions.

- Benefit from values for creating a common language

Values guide us on how we should communicate with each other internally as well as with our clients or other stakeholders through different channels to avoid confusion.

- Build a team who can share the same values

It is important that core values are shared with candidates during interviews and with newbies at onboarding period. Recruiting people who can embrace your values is significant for creating a strong community and strengthen the foundations of your company.

- Use your values for continuous improvement and performing better

The feedback we receive from our team or colleagues is shaped within the framework of our core values and becomes a tool that both employees and employers will benefit from for better performance.

Bearing these critical points in mind, we’ve already taken some actions to integrate our values into our daily life at Commencis. First, we displayed our values prominently around our workplaces. In addition to this, we made some branded materials such as “values cards” to boost motivation and help Commencers embrace our values in their daily lives.

Here are some of the other actions we’ve taken to bring our values to life throughout our organization:

  • We launched a video introducing our values to be displayed in our offices.
  • We embraced the climate change issue in 2020 and started implementing actions in the office for taking ownership.
  • We like having fun together as one community and we gather for workshops, online sessions, social-club activities, happy hours, New Year parties, etc.
  • We organize Commencer Sessions where Commencers share their experiences and successful projects while striving to be the best.
  • We integrated our values into HR interview e-mails and the onboarding process to inform potential and new Commencers about our company and culture.

How did we visualize our values?

Values are visualized in different ways, but the process starts with colours and shapes, and always incorporates the brand personality.

Understanding the psychology of colours is critical here. Our Brand & Communication Design Lead shares her opinion on the importance of colour theory while building the brand identity. She maintains that colour can significantly influence team perception and behaviour. The colour palette was selected to reflect our brand personality, and a continued focus on colour psychology enhances the visualization of these values:

Commencis Colour Palette
Commencis Colour Palette

The Purple keeps us creative and strong
The Cobalt makes us logical
The Cerise signifies our mindfulness and tenderness
The Mint reflects our fresh and passionate nature

Graphical shapes are also carefully selected to maintain a harmonious balance with the colours.

The design process is sustained and reinforced by highlighting keywords

commencis values

We are one step ahead <-> rectangles represent forward steps behind the proportional circles

commencis values

We strive to be the best <-> triangles signify repetitive movement

commencis values

We are one community <-> a square below a set of circles

commencis values

We take ownership <-> fluid, confident forms

commencis values

We are a team of integrity <-> a “reliable” square combination

This graphical approach allows a sense of unity and harmony to be conveyed in an accessible, intuitive way.

commencis values

*Our Values visualized by Commencis Brand & Communication Design Lead Funda Yahya.

23/06/2020

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    Values are the highest principles that reflect the business approach, the brand identity and the organizational communication skills of companies. These principles significantly affect companies and their relationships with both employees and customers and are critical to success.

    Values are like basically the skeleton of an organization and critical in determining a company’s vision, mission and identity. The core values of a company not only guide decision-making and communication processes but also help organizations navigate successfully during difficult times.

    Personal core values are the beliefs and principles that are formed in the family at an early age. In later ages, we forget that there are, in fact, things that underlie almost all the decisions we make in our lives. Companies are composed of people and like families, the core elements that make up companies are there from the beginning, but they need to be seen and understood by their employees. In fact, values are like precious stones. They are often deeply buried, waiting to be discovered.

    That’s what we exactly did at Commencis to identify our values. Here’s an overview of our values and key highlights on how we created them.

    What are our core values?

    Commencers are guided by five core values in the decisions and actions they take every day. Our values define how we do business, interact with each other and with our stakeholders – and they also underpin our company culture. Since values are so often deployed in our everyday lives, we were careful to make them memorable and catchy during the evaluation phase.

    1- We are one step ahead

    commencis values

    We are proud of what we have accomplished and passionate about our future.

    We embrace change and stay one step ahead with our global mindset.

    As a global technology company, Commencis helps leading brands grow and scale in digital, powered by its big data, analytics and cloud products.

    Our pioneering objectives apply just as much to stakeholders as to employees. While advancing these values, we proceed by adopting the newest technologies with a global approach and scale our company with new offices in different countries. We always aim to be one step ahead.

    2- We strive to be the best

    We work with the best people to achieve what we envision. We strive to learn and grow together.

    At Commencis, we are a team of employees with high potential and strong backgrounds. We believe that we have the potential to go beyond our borders. We aim to grow and develop together, while constantly challenging our boundaries.

    3- We are one community

    commencis values

    Relationships matter for us. We are a tight-knit community.
    We build long-lasting and meaningful relationships with all our stakeholders.
    We know that the most successful companies are the ones with a strong sense of unity and identity. For this reason, this value matters for us. We are a community not only in terms of our employees but also with our partners, and all our stakeholders. We always reflect this sense of unity both inside and outside our company.

    4- We take ownership

    commencis values

    We share an ambitious vision for ourselves and our clients.

    We build trust, create value and inspire purpose by taking ownership.

    The fact that the Commencers demonstrate constant initiative, and take responsibility for a wide range of projects, is crucial to its present success. When we all shoulder responsibilities, success will surely follow. Our employees are all part of the same intricate machine. When a piece of this machine is missing, the other parts should have the power and responsibility to compensate. For this reason, taking ownership is very critical for us.

    5- We are a team of integrity

    commencis values

    We treat all our stakeholders with integrity.

    Integrity means that we are fair, transparent, direct and open.

    We believe that through fairness, transparency and openness we can create a culture of integrity for our company. When an organization deliberately fosters such a culture, it becomes easier to make the right decisions at the right time.

    How did we define our values?

    At Commencis, our values were shaped by what we have been already doing, not merely by what we would like to be. We also developed our values through the collaborative effort of Commencers. First, we interviewed our co-founders and gathered insights from our senior managers.

    Commencis Values
    Core Values Workshop

    - Interview Period

    During our meetings with the management team, we asked them some questions that focused on discovering our values regarding different topics. These included our strengths and weaknesses, and key moments in the history of Commencis. As the next step, we analysed some specific situations in the company, such as the specifications we consider in the recruitment process and what our red lines are.

    - Workshops

    The next step comprised workshop processes. Here, we involved people from various departments and engaged in different exercises. First of all, we started with an ice-breaker exercise to determine our personal values and better understand what they represent. We examined some of the more interesting examples together. We then divided into groups and reflected on our strengths, weaknesses and the important moments we had experienced, and we conducted brainstorming exercises with sticky notes. Finally, we examined our own outputs from the session. Each group shared their values and the underlying reasons for them. The workshops ended with votings to determine the common core values.

    commencis values
    Core Values Workshop

    How do we keep our values alive at Commencis?

    When it comes to the question of how to keep these values alive in an organizational culture, the following can be the key points:

    - Stick to your values when making critical decisions

    Values are solid pillars that we can hold to in critical decision moments, “wherever the wind blows”. In the case of a storm, correct value-based decisions can keep the company ship afloat. The core values act as filters for us when evaluating business decisions.

    - Benefit from values for creating a common language

    Values guide us on how we should communicate with each other internally as well as with our clients or other stakeholders through different channels to avoid confusion.

    - Build a team who can share the same values

    It is important that core values are shared with candidates during interviews and with newbies at onboarding period. Recruiting people who can embrace your values is significant for creating a strong community and strengthen the foundations of your company.

    - Use your values for continuous improvement and performing better

    The feedback we receive from our team or colleagues is shaped within the framework of our core values and becomes a tool that both employees and employers will benefit from for better performance.

    Bearing these critical points in mind, we’ve already taken some actions to integrate our values into our daily life at Commencis. First, we displayed our values prominently around our workplaces. In addition to this, we made some branded materials such as “values cards” to boost motivation and help Commencers embrace our values in their daily lives.

    Here are some of the other actions we’ve taken to bring our values to life throughout our organization:

    • We launched a video introducing our values to be displayed in our offices.
    • We embraced the climate change issue in 2020 and started implementing actions in the office for taking ownership.
    • We like having fun together as one community and we gather for workshops, online sessions, social-club activities, happy hours, New Year parties, etc.
    • We organize Commencer Sessions where Commencers share their experiences and successful projects while striving to be the best.
    • We integrated our values into HR interview e-mails and the onboarding process to inform potential and new Commencers about our company and culture.

    How did we visualize our values?

    Values are visualized in different ways, but the process starts with colours and shapes, and always incorporates the brand personality.

    Understanding the psychology of colours is critical here. Our Brand & Communication Design Lead shares her opinion on the importance of colour theory while building the brand identity. She maintains that colour can significantly influence team perception and behaviour. The colour palette was selected to reflect our brand personality, and a continued focus on colour psychology enhances the visualization of these values:

    Commencis Colour Palette
    Commencis Colour Palette

    The Purple keeps us creative and strong
    The Cobalt makes us logical
    The Cerise signifies our mindfulness and tenderness
    The Mint reflects our fresh and passionate nature

    Graphical shapes are also carefully selected to maintain a harmonious balance with the colours.

    The design process is sustained and reinforced by highlighting keywords

    commencis values

    We are one step ahead <-> rectangles represent forward steps behind the proportional circles

    commencis values

    We strive to be the best <-> triangles signify repetitive movement

    commencis values

    We are one community <-> a square below a set of circles

    commencis values

    We take ownership <-> fluid, confident forms

    commencis values

    We are a team of integrity <-> a “reliable” square combination

    This graphical approach allows a sense of unity and harmony to be conveyed in an accessible, intuitive way.

    commencis values

    *Our Values visualized by Commencis Brand & Communication Design Lead Funda Yahya.

    Elif İlbars

    Elif İlbars / UX Researcher