Framing Through Values Alignment
Introduction and Purpose
Framing Through Values Alignment links biodiversity actions to the existing values, identity, and purpose of an organisation and its employees. Instead of appealing to external motivations such as acting “for the planet,” it connects biodiversity protection to what people already care about and what the organisation stands for. This approach encourages authenticity and personal relevance, making biodiversity engagement more meaningful and sustainable. Research demonstrates that individuals are more likely to act on environmental issues when those actions reflect their personal or collective values. In the workplace, aligning biodiversity with corporate values enhances motivation, strengthens organisational culture, and creates a sense of coherence between belief and practice.
Framing biodiversity in terms of shared values helps staff and managers see it as relevant but also part and parcel of ‘business as usual’. Examples include:
- For organisations that value innovation: Framing biodiversity initiatives as creative problem-solving or future-proofing business operations.
- For organisations that value care or community: Emphasising stewardship of local green spaces or support for community biodiversity projects.
- For organisations that value excellence or leadership: Positioning biodiversity-friendly practices as markers of quality and ethical leadership.
- For employees who value wellbeing: Linking biodiversity to mental health, stress reduction, and a more enjoyable workplace.
- For teams focused on collaboration: Framing biodiversity projects as shared achievements that build team cohesion.
Key Features
Timeframe:
- Framing Through Values Alignment can be designed and executed in 1 - 3 months
Materials Required:
- Access to the organisation’s values or mission statement.
- Communication materials that reflect aligned framing of values (posters, internal campaigns, intranet articles).
- Workshop materials for exploring shared values and biodiversity links.
- Templates for staff or leaders to draft biodiversity messages in value-based language.
- Visual design resources to make aligned framing clear and consistent.
- For any data collected with people, ethical consent forms and participant information sheets to ensure informed and voluntary participation
Skills Required:
- Communication and framing skills to translate biodiversity science into messages that resonate with staff values.
- Facilitation to lead discussions that help employees connect biodiversity to their personal and team values.
- Strategic thinking to understand how biodiversity supports business performance and brand identity.
- Empathy and cultural awareness to ensure value frames are inclusive and relevant across diverse staff groups.
- Leadership and storytelling to reinforce biodiversity as a core part of organisational culture and everyday practice.
Potential Impact:
- Greater employee engagement in biodiversity initiatives because behaviour is meaningful to the employee.
- Increased organisational coherence as sustainability and biodiversity goals are integral to the business.
- Enhanced communication effectiveness as biodiversity messages resonate emotionally and culturally.
- Improved retention and morale, as staff see company values reflected in tangible and visible environmental actions.
- Long-term cultural embedding of biodiversity as part of organisational identity and brand reputation.
- Positive external perception of the business as purpose-driven and socially responsible.
Case Study
Instructions
To implement Framing Through Values Alignment within an organisation, use the following steps as a guide:
- Identify organisational and employee values: Use surveys, interviews, workshops, or mission statements to clarify what the organisation and its staff value most. Ensure that all engagement activities follow ethical good practice, including obtaining informed consent, maintaining confidentiality, and being transparent about how responses will be used.
- Map biodiversity messages to those values: Link biodiversity to existing organisational priorities – for example, connecting innovation with creative ecological thinking or long-term sustainability, care with protecting local habitats and communities, and excellence with enhancing the quality and resilience of the environment in which the business operates.
- Integrate framing into communications: Design internal messages, campaigns, and materials that clearly express how biodiversity supports shared values, for example, “Protecting biodiversity means caring for what sustains our people and our future”.
- Showcase real examples: Use internal stories, staff experiences, or case studies that illustrate how biodiversity initiatives embody organisational values.
- Embed in Human Resources and leadership communication: Reinforce the alignment between biodiversity and organisational purpose in induction programmes, training sessions, and performance reviews.
- Use familiar and relatable language: Translate biodiversity goals into terms that resonate with business priorities, such as resilience, wellbeing, quality, or innovation.
Rationale
Framing through values alignment involves connecting biodiversity initiatives to the existing beliefs, ethics, and aspirations of employees and the organisation. This approach situates biodiversity within the shared moral and professional landscape of the workplace, helping individuals see it as part of who they are and what the organisation stands for. By doing so, engagement becomes more meaningful and rooted in a sense of shared purpose, rather than driven by obligation or external pressure.]
Benefits:
- Increases intrinsic motivation by aligning biodiversity initiatives with personal and organisational values
- Reduces resistance by framing biodiversity actions as part of the organisation’s mission rather than additional tasks
- Enhances meaning and relevance by linking biodiversity to employees’ professional roles and ethical commitments
- Strengthens organisational cohesion by fostering unity and collective responsibility through shared values
- Supports long-term behavioural and cultural change by embedding biodiversity engagement within organisational identity
Links to Resources
WWF explain why alignment of values with actions is effective and offers freely available guidelines here
The Common Cause Handbook offers practical tips on how to identify values, choose frames, and shape messaging. This has relevance for a business context
