N01
A moment at our best
When did being part of this group feel especially worthwhile?
Choose a specific moment. What happened, who was involved, and what mattered to you? Listen for the value in the experience.
Team Formation & Working Agreements
Values
Clarification
Find what matters
in the stories you already carry.
A FUSE group adaptation of a Co-Active coaching exercise
Open the field notesThe exercise
Let experience name the values
Values Clarification starts with lived experience: meaningful moments, frustrations, must-haves, and strengths taken too far. These experiences help people recognize what matters to them.
In FUSE’s group adaptation, people bring their own work stories, hear the values in one another’s experiences, and agree how shared values should show up in the team’s behavior and decisions. Each person keeps their own values; the group develops agreements it can use together.
Four ways in
Follow a story
See where it points
Choose a prompt that fits the group. You can work with one lens or make time for several.
E02
Something that felt wrong
When did something important to us get squeezed out?
A frustrating moment can reveal a value that was missing. Explore what needed more care or attention, without turning the story into a case against someone.
S03
What we need to thrive
What must be present for this team to do work we can stand behind?
Look beyond the basics to the qualities that make working together meaningful. Ask for an example of that quality in action.
W04
A strength taken too far
When does a quality we care about become unhelpful?
Care can become rescuing; high standards can become perfectionism. Find the value underneath, then explore what a useful expression of it looks like.
From a story to a working value
The word needs
the story behind it
Imagine a teammate describing a meeting where someone asked a difficult question and the room stayed curious. They felt able to say what they really thought.
The group might name a value of candor / courage / care. It then has to say what that means when work gets difficult.
Illustrative example
A working value
Candor / Courage / Care
- What we mean
- Raise what matters while staying interested in each other.
- What people would see
- We name a concern before a decision closes, and ask a question before assuming intent.
- Where it goes too far
- Bluntness that dismisses a person or discourages them from speaking.
- A decision to test it on
- How do we make room for concerns before committing to a launch date?
Working with a group
Give every voice a place in the process
Follow the trail from personal stories to a shared direction.
- Recall
Begin with people's own stories
Give everyone quiet time to choose a work moment. Share in pairs or small groups before the whole-room conversation. People choose the stories they share.
- Listen
Offer words, then check them
Listeners suggest possible values. The storyteller chooses the wording that fits. Use a short string of words when one word is too narrow: care / respect / attention, for example.
- Gather
Find shared threads
Bring the value strings into the room, with the examples that gave them meaning. Cluster related ideas and discuss differences. A familiar word can mean very different things to two people.
- Define
Describe what people would see
Choose a small set of working values. For each one, write an observable behavior, a useful boundary, and an example of a decision it could guide. Keep individual values distinct from the group's agreements.
- Use
Try the values on a real choice
Ask how well the team is honoring each value today. Then compare options for a current decision, hear the different ratings, and agree an experiment and a review date.
Make room for differences
Write first and give everyone a turn. Ask leaders to listen before offering their interpretation. Keep minority views visible when choosing the working values; a vote alone can lose something the team needs to hear.
A compass for choices
Put the values to work
A values-based decision matrix helps a group explore how its choices honor its working values. Use it to open a conversation about a real decision.
Team decision notes
| Working value | Full rollout | Small pilot |
|---|---|---|
| Learning | How will we learn as we go? | What would we test first? |
| Care | Who needs support at this scale? | Whose needs might a pilot miss? |
| Reliability | What could disrupt current work? | What would show it is ready to expand? |
Illustrative prompts; the group supplies its own values and evidence.
A suggested starting point
90 minutes to begin
20 minQuiet reflection and stories in pairs
20 minFind value strings and shared threads
25 minDefine behaviors and explore differences
25 minTest a decision and agree follow-through
What stays with the team
- A small set of values with shared meanings
- Examples of behaviors that honor them
- Differences and tensions worth revisiting
- A real decision or experiment to learn from
Useful for a new team, a culture conversation, or a group that wants its stated values to guide everyday choices.
Build it into your workshop
Bring a decision your values could help you make
We can shape the conversation around the people and choices in your team.
Discuss a group values session