Since July 2021, we have engaged the U-M community in the process to identify our unifying shared values. As the scope of the work began as workplace behavior and norms, we focused on faculty, staff and student employee experiences on the Ann Arbor campus and in Michigan Medicine.

In January 2023, President Ono announced the core values: integrity, respect, inclusion, equity, diversity and innovation.

In spring and summer 2023, faculty and staff on the Ann Arbor campus and in Michigan Medicine were asked to help identify behaviors and actions that exemplify these values through a poll and a series of community engagement events. The following themes arose from these events:

  • Accountability: Everyone at U-M, particularly leaders, must be accountable to the values
  • Staff Experience: Staff members feel undervalued, under supported and treated differently than faculty
  • Education: Education, training and resources are needed to demonstrate and implement the values in one’s area
  • Values Should Drive Structural Change: Values alone are insufficient; the community reports a desire to see and experience change through concrete action steps, policy and practice changes
  • Communicate and Engage: Strategic communications and engagement efforts are needed to support an understanding of values and purpose

The Culture Journey team would like to learn more about and recognize those in our community who are already demonstrating these values in their daily work. You are invited to submit stories of individuals or teams who are living our values.

Phase 1: Community Engagement Process

For our values to represent all faculty and staff, gathering feedback across campus is a vital part of our culture journey.

The process to engage the community included:

  • Identifying the university’s existing network of values
  • Holding information sessions with faculty and staff stakeholder groups
  • Administering a pulse poll to all Ann Arbor campus and Michigan Medicine faculty and staff to determine the values that should guide our university
  • Conducting focus groups comprised of faculty and staff to deepen our understanding of how our community is and is not living these values
Phase 1: Results

Analysis was conducted by the Institute for Social Research (ISR) and Organizational Learning.

Inclusion, diversity and excellence emerged as the top three values from the existing values statements provided by the schools, colleges and units.

4,419 faculty and staff responded to the pulse poll. Responses indicated that the same top five value words were chosen by faculty and staff.

Top 5 values by faculty:

  1. Excellence
  2. Integrity
  3. Inclusion
  4. Respect
  5. Equity
 Top 5 values by staff:

  1. Integrity
  2. Respect
  3. Inclusion
  4. Excellence
  5. Equity
Top 5 values overall:

  1. Integrity
  2. Excellence
  3. Respect
  4. Inclusion
  5. Equity

Focus groups were asked three key questions and the following themes emerged:

  • Our institutional emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) functions as an example of living our values.
  • Individuals in our community strive for excellence and innovation.
  • Working with colleagues who are open and willing to collaborate helps the institution to live its values.
  • Individuals demonstrate a commitment to values in their daily activities, such as acting with kindness, exhibiting respect, supporting others, advancing innovation, among other traits.
  • DEI efforts need ongoing work and focus.
  • There have been high profile instances of leadership not modeling our values.
  • There is a perceived lack of accountability for poor behavior.
  • There are specific elements of our culture that are inconsistent with our values, including arrogance, elitism, a tendency to overemphasize excellence, and a history of protecting leaders.
  • There is a need to address behaviors contrary to our values and a need to ensure there is a clear process, structure and guidelines to define and enforce expectations.
  • Focus group participants also noted what they see as the institution’s tendency to prioritize optics—and therefore the university’s image—above doing the right thing.
  • Structural issues including decentralization and a need for leadership training are additional obstacles.
Phase 2: Establishment of Core Values

President Ono announced the core values adopted by the university in January 2023.

Future Work: Recommendations

Based on findings from campus engagement activities, the working group proposed the following recommendations for future work related to establishing unifying shared values:

  • Finalize data gathering and engagement activities by engaging the U-M community in a process to define proposed institutional values and associated behaviors
  • Establish a coordinated process/plan for the communication and socialization of values
  • Identify opportunities for alignment and integration of values into institutional policies and processes
  • Create/provide accountability mechanisms to support the application and operationalization of values
  • Plan for review and evaluation of values for ongoing relevancy and alignment