A note from our Provost

"Our values both underpin and reflect our behaviour and are therefore critical in defining and shaping our working environment. We want to ensure that we use our College Values to help us create an Imperial that is a vibrant community where everyone can really give of their best and feel valued and supported in doing so." ‌Image of Provost

Our College values and behaviours

The College has committed both in Strategy and under the leadership of Provost’s Board to seek to improve our working culture and help build a positive and enabling environment for all. In support of this goal, our Provost has sponsored the development of a suite of core College values and behaviours that will guide our behaviour as a community.

  • Respect
  • Collaboration
  • Excellence
  • Integrity
  • Innovation

By defining and embedding College values and behaviours we can both explain what is expected of us all, be that colleague, manager or leader, and recognize and reward these behaviours but also have a framework to actively address poor behaviour.

Aligning with Imperial Expectations and the Working Together Task Group

How will values fit with Imperial Expectations?

The values and behaviours build on Imperial Expectations and integrate them with the behaviour descriptions. The specific values and behaviours for both leaders and colleagues are important to creating a positive working environment and culture at Imperial.
 

Find out more about the values project...

What we hope to achieve

  • Create clarity and consistency about what is expected of us all
  • Raise awareness of what it means to be a positive member of the College community
  • Set priorities for those leadership behaviours that are important to and valued by our staff
  • Grow a culture where positive behaviours are recognised and rewarded and poor behaviours are addressed
  • Provide a platform from which to continuously improve our working practices and culture

What’s happened so far?

  • Autumn 2018 - February 2019 President's and Provost's Board work together at Senior Leadership Away Days looking at Inclusive Leadership and agree high level action plan
  • March 2019 Staff Survey results reviewed and key themes identified
  • Summer 2019 formation of a values workstream reporting to the Provost
  • November 2019 Provost’s Board agrees detailed approach for developing values via cross-College staff engagement and engagement sessions begin with Faculty Boards
  • February – August 2020 over 350 staff participated in workshops and detailed conversations which helped to identify the values most important to them.
  • Summer 2020 College Strategy cites importance of values to delivering College Mission
  • September 2020 Workshops and conversation data results analysis leads to identification of 5 core value themes
  • December 2020 Provosts Board receives value themes and recommends additional input from those in leadership roles
  • February 2021 Test and build behavioural definitions, bringing the values to life, working with a cross-section of College staff
  • April 2021 Working Together Task Group created
  • July 2021 Values and Behaviours framework agreed
     

Our values

Respect, Collaboration, Excellence, Integrity and Innovation

From our many conversations it is clear that people are proud to work at Imperial and are motivated to help shape and improve our working environment and culture. There is much work to done to embed and demonstrate how living the values will be part of everyday life in College. Leadership will be critical to role modelling appropriate behaviours and embedding the final values at work.

What next?

Our framework defines our ambition, identifies key good behaviours and illustrates examples of those behaviours that are unacceptable. Our next steps are:

  • Finalise the communications plan, including College wide promotion from mid-September
  • Finalise an embedding programme looking at all aspects of the employee lifecycle
  • Prepare and design support materials that will demonstrate how our values can be applied in the workplace
  • Brief senior leadership on their role in developing the culture
  • Launch Values in October 2021

There is a lot to do and we will need your support to make College values come to life, so why not get involved.

How you can get involved?

The College values project is being coordinated via a team drawn from across the HR Organisational Development and Inclusion department on behalf of the Provost.

If you would like to comment, find out more or participate in this work please contact: Nichola Stallwood (Head of Learning and Organisational Development).

Have a question?

Read our frequently asked questions, to find the answer to your questions!