Putting Values into Action in Business: A Study of the Development of an 'Integrity' Value at Smithkline Beecham

This paper is a case study of the implementation of an 'integrity' value at the Anglo-American healthcare firm, SmithKline Beecham (SB). SB was established as a result of a merger in 1989 following which the new company deliberately sought to design a new corporate culture based on a set of values which included 'integrity'. The merger is regarded as having successfully achieved this. The case study charts the development of the integrity value as part of the new culture and how this particular value has been put into action. We show that the new value was accompanied by detailed codification and inclusion in employee evaluation and training programmes. The case highlights the difficulties in implementing high level values in the grass roots of a large corporation. We include an appendix on how the lessons from the case have parallels in biblical teaching.