Mind the Values Gap: Are Personal and Organizational Values Naturally in Tension?

In today’s workplace, the relationship between companies and their employees has never been more complex—or more fragile. The pressures of a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world are reshaping how we work, how we lead, and how we navigate the space between personal and corporate values.

For this week’s guest, Ethan McCarty, CEO & Founder of Integral, this isn’t just an academic discussion—it’s the very heart of what makes organizations thrive (or unravel). As a leader in employee engagement and organizational communications, Ethan has spent his career helping businesses bridge the gap between what they say they stand for and how their people actually experience work.

On today’s episode, host Anne Green sits down with Ethan to explore the deep (and often uncomfortable) questions at the center of today’s workplace challenges. How can we better understand the relationship between an individual’s personal values and those expressed by their workplace? What are the implications for more, and less, alignment? Can businesses truly create a shared sense of purpose? And in an era of heightened political and social division, how should companies respond to (or account for) external pressures—without alienating the very people who keep them running?

Join us as we discuss:

• How the pressures of a VUCA world impact both individuals and organizations—and why those impacts aren’t always the same
• The tension between corporate values and personal identity and values—where alignment matters and where it may never fully exist
• The ongoing debates around politics in the workplace, return-to-office mandates, and the evolving role of DEI
• The real effects of values misalignment on belonging, psychological safety, and performance