Upper left: CEO Tore Bjørkås preparing for the Core Value session
Upper right: Thomas Aamli and Iraj Givechi are happy participants and contributors (cheers to corona-free hug in a mug!)

 

Our Core Values and SOCIETY

TRUSTWORTHY – TRANSPARENT – PROFITABLE – PROVIDENT

 

… and how we work to achieve our goals within the framework of our values

Focus Group delivers high-quality yet cost-effective engineering and construction services and has a strong vision to guide and inspire employees in Norway, Vietnam and China. Our clients and collaborators also enjoy the positive spirit we incorporate in our work – it leads to good relations, new ideas and positive results.

But how do we put these fine words into action?

Lower left: Christer Hansen representing the result of teamwork on Group 2
Lower right: Facilitator Vegard Hafsteen from Cobbel AS in action

 

… and why we want to share this with our community?

One of the measures to achieve this is to be completely TRANSPARENT and open with our strategy and how we want to run our business and how we work together to find the best and most effective solutions together with our Clients, Suppliers and partners.
An important part of this work is the development and implementation of our core values; TRUSTWORTHY, TRANSPARENT, PROFITABLE and PROVIDENT and being true to these even through changing and difficult times in the marked.

Right now, we have an internal project where we emphasize and look at how our core values interact daily with clients, suppliers, employees and society as a whole.

On October 14, we had a “Core Value” session where we focused on our core values towards SOCIETY.
One of the first questions was what is a good definition of society? It was difficult to find an unambiguous definition! To get a broader view on that question, we consulted Mrs. Hanna Kirsebom Aronsen, Bank Director for DnB in the business area in Vestfold, and Mrs. Kristin Saga, Regional Director at NHO Vestfold and Telemark, to give us their definition.

 

For Hanna, a society is “a collection of individuals who live in a community within a limited geographical area, with common norms, culture and values ​​as well as a goal to complement each other for the benefit of those who are part of the community”.   Hanna Kirsebom Aronsen, Bank Director for DnB

And Kristin defined society as a “community of people who are bound together, either geographically, by a form of government such as democracy, or who share the same culture and values”. She further mentioned that “Norway is said to be a trust-based society, which is important for us in the business community as the players trust each other and together often gather around the best solutions”.   Kristin Saga, Regional Director at NHO Vestfold and Telemark

 

Our two core values TRUSTWORTHY and TRANSPARENT are easy to understand and important to many.
Today – credible information and trust are more essential than ever! This is under great pressure where FAKE news gets 6 times more likes on social media than TRUE news!
As a TRUSTWORTHY partner, we will deliver on time and on budget – and we expect the same from our Suppliers. As to being TRANSPARENT towards society, we feel confident to be open and to share information where needed when needed.

Our other two core values, PROFITABLE and PROVIDENT have been the subject of more questions as to if they are suitable as core value words.
To begin with the latter; PROVIDENT. Focus Group has long been at the forefront of working fully digital with our subsidiaries in Vietnam and China and with our Clients. This has given an advantage when the pandemic hit. Focus Group was already equipped and trained to work in a safe way without compromising the quality nor cost of our services.
The fact that we also focus on being PROFITABLE means that we can contribute positively to our community and have the opportunity to create a more secure and stable workplaces for society. We also invest in our employees, partners and Clients – constantly seeking knowledge of how we can streamline and improve our work processes that develop our businesses.
To develop and deliver PROVIDENT and PROFITABLE services in light of the environment AND the society is very important to us.

Towards the SOCIETY Focus Group agrees on these important items:

 

CORE VALUE	SOCIETY
TRUSTWORTHY	Be honest and precise in our communication Being a good employer for our employees, contribute to good behavior Good behavior contributes to a good reputation
TRANSPARENT	Confidence and honesty internally build credibility in society Available online systems – you can expect quick replies Culture of openness
PROFITABLE	A secure and stable workplace makes us attractive employers Conscious of our social responsibility (CSR) Sustainable development and growth
PROVIDENT	Monitor trends in society Change-willing organization Geographically independent Technology oriented

 

By: Vegard Hafsteen / Gunn K. Ryde