The value
of values
Kesla’s Human Resources Manager Maria Mustajärvi returns to internal communications and its
and operating methods guide us all. In order to
key tasks: taking the organisation’s vision, mission idea and values into everyday life and com-
build a common culture, we also need a certain
municating information related to work tasks. In 2019, one of Kesla’s most important internal
type of calibration of supervisory skills, harmo-
communication themes was value communication.
nisation of operating methods,” says Mustajär-
Responsible, innovative, quick and reliable per-
each other about values. Discussions have also
former – these are Kesla’s values. In his book
taken place.”
Väärää yrittämistä (“Wrong Entrepreneurship”),
The binding of values into everyday work at
Kim Väisänen, Blancco founder, non-fiction
Kesla started with supervisors, shop stewards
writer and startup investor, says that ‘value’ is a
and occupational safety representatives. Occu-
difficult word for Finns. “The situation becomes
pational health care is also involved. According
easier when you replace the word ‘value’ with
to Mustajärvi, a few superiors admitted to hes-
something easier to understand, ‘behaviour’.
itation before the operation started.
Values determine how a company or individu-
“After the value workshops had been held, even
al ultimately behaves – especially when things
the hesitators found the experience a pleasant
are difficult and you’re going against the wind.”
surprise. This confirms the idea that values be-
Väisänen seeks to concretise value thinking with
come concrete in everyday life through your
his metaphor. Kesla also wants to make values
own thinking, not when they are handed to
into a natural part of everyday life. According to
your from the outside.”
Human Resources Manager Maria Mustajärvi,
98
the goal is for everyone at Kesla to know and
Calibration
understand the importance of values. Lectures
Values are the reference framework for everyday
and endless PowerPoint presentations do not
decision-making. It is important that the same
help, doing things and thinking about them do.
values and operating methods guide Kesla
“We have made people process the meaning of
team members, regardless of their task or the
values for themselves. We have held workshops
location of the factory.
and discussions and carried out a wide range
“The challenge is that Kesla operates in three lo-
of activities and monthly value themes. People
cations. But so do many other companies. Local
have been encouraged to communicate with
tensions are forgotten when the same values
vi, reminding that the main task of a human resources manager is to support managers in their work.
Clear direction Maria Mustajärvi joined Kesla at the beginning of 2018 to carry out a human resources management development project. With the project, the master of Administrative Sciences planned to obtain a doctoral dissertation in law. Kesla finally claimed the hard-working woman’s entire attention, and the doctoral dissertation was left to wait for its turn. “I’ve always wanted to improve myself, to study new things. I also bring that will and spirit to Kesla. Traditional engineering thinking is still shifting from machines to people, but it is on the right track. Machines and equipment are needed, but without skilled people, they don’t achieve anything.” The “right direction” mentioned by Mustajärvi means, among other things, that she encourages the 26 managers of Kesla to consider and plan the competence needs and training of the employees of their organisation.
