Core Values Compass

Even though values are personal, we humans are often quite similar in what is important to us, what we strive for, and what we need. That is why the Core Values Compass asks which beliefs we share at the university and want to build our collaboration on.

This is a negotiation process to which everyone can contribute their personal convictions. When the Core Values Compass was developed, this happened, among other things, through a survey in which many employees took part.

Values are not imposed on us: the Core Values Compass takes up what we already live by and describes what we want to work toward together.
 

How do we want to work together? Where do we want to go? And what matters to me in all this?
Developing a Core Values Compass means answering these questions together: the university works with its employees to identify what is particularly important for collaboration. The Core Values Compass brings together our shared values and the values we strive for, defines them, and makes them transparent to everyone.
It does not stop at buzzwords. Each value is described as a spectrum: What does it concretely mean in everyday work? And where does it tip over when it is too weakly or too strongly expressed?
The Core Values Compass is thus a tool that gives employees security and orientation for their own behavior and offers a foundation we can rely on for successful collaboration.

The Core Values Compass offers a reliable basis for successful collaboration and respectful interaction with one another. It helps us make sense of situations in everyday work: when something annoys us, we can ask ourselves whether it conflicts "only" with our personal values or also with the shared values of the university. Depending on the answer, it is easier to start a conversation and respond appropriately.
The Core Values Compass can be used, for example:
for important group decisionsas a basis for self-reflection ahead of the annual appraisal interviewwhen onboarding new employees
And last but not least, it can help strengthen our sense of community and our connection to the university.

In May 2024, a project group with representatives from various areas of administration and technical services began its work. Its starting points were the results of the earlier employee survey and the university's mission statement. The guiding questions were: What do we value about working with colleagues and managers? What went well, and in which situations did collaboration not work well? From a large collection of values, 26 values emerged through clustering.

In an online survey, employees from administration and technical services could then select the 12 values most important to them, separately for how they interact with each other and how they interact with their manager. 584 people completed the survey in full. On this basis, the project group selected the values and defined what they mean for the University of Bremen. In a workshop with employees and managers, the Core Values Compass was then tested for clarity and practicability and revised accordingly.

The Core Values Compass was published in April 2025. It comprises eleven shared values, distinguishing between collaboration among employees and collaboration between employees and managers. Since then, it has been accompanied by workshops for managers and employees as well as the format "Let's Talk About Leadership." Work with the Core Values Compass continues, and we look forward to the next important steps.

Many thanks to everyone who took part in this process!
 

The Core Values Compass was developed with and for employees in administration and technical services. This is where the project started, because the Chancellor, as line manager, headed the project and the impulse to engage with values came from this area.
 

However, good collaboration follows fundamental principles that reach far beyond individual areas: fairness, appreciation, and a solution-focused approach are not a question of professional group. Many of the values in the Core Values Compass are therefore likely to apply to academia as well. Which ones these are, and what else may be needed for the academic sector with its own ways of working, is best worked out together.
 

The Core Values Compass is intended as a foundation on which the entire university can build. 

After the Core Values Compass has been adopted, every unit at the university should consider what it means for their team, for their work, and for each person individually. For recurring problems and conflicts within the team, the University of Bremen’s conflict counseling centers are there to assist. There will not be a separate clearing office for matters concerning the Core Values Compass.