The Competing Values Framework

Most of the instruments in Meritalis are based on, or express their results in terms of, the Competing Values Framework (CVF) developed by Robert E. Quinn and John Rohrbaugh in the 1980s. The Competing Values Framework came out of research into "What makes a company successful". The research gave us the insight that there are two main things that differentiate companies.

• How tightly do they hold the reins? Is success defined in terms of Control, the need to be stable and plan and do things correctly, or Flexibility, the ability to react quickly to changes and innovate?
• Where is their energy and attention focused? Internally, what is going on inside the company, or Externally, on the market and customers?

The Competing Values Framework puts these two scales together to give us a handy way to describe a company's culture.

• "Adhocracy" Flexible and External: These kinds of companies reward innovation and creativity. They are nimble and quick to react to market conditions. They do not have a strong hierarchy and can suffer from a lack of order and follow-through.
• "Market" Control and External: These kinds of companies reward productivity and achieving goals. They are focussed on the bottom line and profitability. They are competitive and reward action and results.
• "Hierarchy" Control and Internal: These kinds of companies reward following the rules and fulfilling agreements. They are focussed on quality and correctness with a strong emphasis on process, rules, and procedures.
• "Clan" Flexible and Internal: These kinds of companies reward loyalty and teamwork. They are focussed on employee satisfaction and wellbeing.

This model is called a "circumplex", meaning that traits on opposite sides of the graph are actually in opposition, they are "competing" with each other. You may have picked up on the fact that a company must adequately balance ALL of these traits to be successful. A company that is too focused on "Control" and "Internal" will not be able to innovate and react to market conditions, but a company that is too focused on "Flexibility" and "External" will not be able to maintain quality and consistency. An organisation needs to perform all of these, but the culture of the company will almost always lean in one direction or another. Company culture is set at the leadership level and can be difficult to shift.

This model was originally designed to describe a company as a whole, but it maps very strongly on to work and communication styles at the individual level. See our information pages on how we can support:

• Coaching
• Organizational Consulting
• Hiring & Selection