WHAT WE VALUE

2020 VISION PROJECT

WHAT WE VALUE

THE GREAT FALLS VALUES SURVEY RESULTS

By Kathleen Murphy

As the GFCA’s 2020 Vision Project, (Kathleen Murphy and Michael Keeler, Co-Chairs) continues our multi-month dialogue about how we would like Great Falls to look in the year 2020, the question arose about who are we, anyway, and what do we really value? If we would count on the description of Great Falls in the press, people in Great Falls are RICH, build or buy BIG HOUSES, have BEAUTIFUL CARS, and wear DESIGNER CLOTHING. But is that our true identity? What about all the nature that surrounds us and the personal choices we made to select a less populated community so as to connect more fully with nature? Who are we, really? And what kind of future are we willing to commit to and make happen? Would residents be willing to discuss becoming a sustainable community, for example?

In an effort to calibrate our upcoming 2020 Vision Project efforts to the values and aspirations of Great Falls residents, we invited the entire community to participate in The Great Falls Values Survey, a quick survey that was conducted between November 1^st and 8^th, 2006. Notice about the survey was provided in GFCA’s November Newsletter, posted on signs in many of the stores throughout town, and people were informed about the survey at the polls on Election Day. 234 residents of Great Falls made up our sample size, representing a balanced mix of male and female, residents who have lived here from under two years to over 30 years, of all age groups from 25 years through over 65 years in age. Although this sample is a small percentage of the people who live in Great Falls, the results show a high degree of agreement about what is valued about Great Falls today and what respondents would most like to see in the Great Falls community – i.e. their ideal. Since 8 of the 10 most frequently mentioned values that describe Great Falls’ current culture match 8 of the 10 values selected to describe respondents’ desired culture, this suggests Great Falls closely matches their expectations of what they value in an ideal community. Since these results are an input into our preparation for our Great Falls-wide Survey to be distributed the first week in February, we are taking our learning from this survey as an input to our project and survey design.

PROFILE OF OUR PERSONAL VALUES

On a personal level, respondents identified family, integrity, nature-loving, friendship, education, honesty, environmental awareness, humor/fun, balance between home and work, caring and responsibility as the ten most frequently mentioned personal values that best describe who they are today.

CURRENT CULTURE – GREAT FALLS, THE REALITY

In describing the values or behaviors that best reflect the Great Falls community, the ten most frequently mentioned values are community pride, family, quality of life, low density, community involvement, friendship, nature conservancy, environmental awareness, materialism, and concern for future generations.

DESIRED CULTURE – OUR IDEAL OF GREAT FALLS

When asked to select ten values that they would most like to see in the Great Falls community, the ten most frequently mentioned values were community pride, community involvement, nature conservancy, concern for future generations, environmental awareness, quality of life, low density, family, ecological awareness and preservation.

REALITY COMPARED WITH IDEAL

When comparing the current Great Falls community with the community values they would most like to see, in addition to the values match of eight of ten values in common, four values received a “values jump,” that is, they increase in importance from current to desired cultural values. These are community involvement, nature conservancy, concern for future generations, and environmental awareness. Two values not present in the current culture, but desired include ecological awareness and preservation.

NATURE THE PREDOMINANT VALUE

Of the four values experiencing a values jump and the two new values in the desired culture, 5 of the 6 pertain to nature and its sustainability – nature conservancy, concern for future generations (one aspect of which is sustainability), environmental awareness, ecological awareness and preservation.

WHAT POTENTIALLY LIMITS US

Two values are potentially limiting – low density and materialism. Whereas it is easy to understand how materialism might be a limiting value, as it focuses more on having than on being, it is more difficult to interpret the significance of low density for this community. On the one hand, it may be a defining value that binds the community together in a shared identity. Low density could be a deliberate choice to allow more space in one’s life for nature. It could also represent a need for privacy and distance from others, or distaste for development and all that that entails. On the other hand, it may be a value that causes fear, serving to restrict open dialogue and discussion. The issue of septic versus sewer is a low density issue. Septic is a non-political way to hold land use to 1-acre zoning. It is extremely effective in controlling any encroachment on density. Fear of rapid development – as is occurring in nearby towns – poses a threat that blocks open discussion about requirements and options. In that sense, low density may serve to arrest healthy controversy and discussions that could tease out solutions to problems that may not ever have been considered before.

OUR LEVEL OF CONSCIOUSNESS

Richard Barrett & Associates, the developers of the model and the providers of the survey, have scaled the various values – more than ninety values were included for each of the three questions in the survey -- on a hierarchy that represents levels of consciousness. The three lower levels pertain to personal values; the three upper levels pertain to the common good. Between the upper and lower values is a point of transformation – a point at which the personal interests of individual citizens meet with the requirements of the community. This is where negotiation and consensus are required to move to more community-conscious levels of awareness. To participate actively in the transformation process, a citizenry needs to be given an opportunity to participate in decision-making. “Healthy communities encourage members to be responsible and focused on their goals.” (Richard Barrett & Associates).

Being Conscious of Our Personal Needs

We are living in wonderful Fairfax County, Virginia who has managed public health and safety well in a time of great economic prosperity for Northern Virginia. We love our families and friends and join together in sports and community clubs. There are good systems and processes and civic order for accomplishing the basic processes of our daily lives. Our personal needs are well taken care of.

Resisting Transformation

No matter how the responses are analyzed, whether by age, sex or number of years in Great Falls, no transformational values were selected for Great Falls, either for current or ideal cultures. Such a gap in values suggests one of three things: (1) The level is taken care of and is no longer an issue; (2) There is a blind spot that is not being talked about; or (3) This is the area where the current work needs to be done. In the case of Great Falls, it appears that this is the agenda of GFCA’s 2020 Vision Project – to ignite enthusiasm among Great Falls citizens about becoming co-creators of our shared future together.

Enjoying the Cohesion of Shared Vision

Once consensus is built around our shared vision for Great Falls and a set of shared values by June, our community identity will deepen our sense of connectedness.

Realizing Our Interdependence

Respondents to our survey are well-aware of the value of interdependence as is evident from the rising importance of values related to environmental awareness, nature conservancy, ecological awareness, etc. when current reality is compared with desired culture.

Unifying With Others

As we allow nature to penetrate our consciousness through all the seasons of the year over many years, we come to a place where we know that we are protected by a solemn sacred interconnectedness that is an honor for us to experience. As our hearts become more and more deeply touched by the beauty that we have been blessed to live among, we know that we must reach out to advocate for others so that all are blessed, cherished and loved. Our deep wisdom and compassion enlighten our community as we co-create a place that is a beacon of unity for generations to come.

2020 VISION PROJECT INVITATION

You are personally invited to contribute a small part of your many talents, abilities and creativity to the shaping of Great Falls as only we, together, can imagine it could be. Let’s change the world by changing our community! Put on your thinking cap, step forward and contribute your talents and ideas, and let’s envision our future together!

THE SEVEN LEVELS OF COMMUNITY CONSCIOUSNESS

Communities have seven well-defined developmental levels of consciousness. Each level focuses on a particular existential need that is common to all forms of human group structures. The seven existential needs are the principal motivating forces in all human affairs. Communities develop and grow by learning to master the satisfaction of these needs.

The “lower” needs, levels 1 to 3, focus on the basic requirements of communities – economic security, harmonious internal group relationships, and systems and processes that create order and institutional effectiveness.

The focus of the fourth level is transformation – the creation of the conditions that allow citizens to have a voice in the running of the community and actively embrace and manage adaptation to external conditions and continuous renewal.

The “higher” needs, levels 5 to 7, focus on resilience-building and the long-term sustainability of communities – developing a cohesive culture, building mutually beneficial alliances with neighboring communities, and actively participating in the larger society for the good of the whole.

LEVEL 1 – SURVIVAL This level focuses on matters to do with the survival, maintenance and expansion of the community and the security of its citizens. Healthy communities are financially sound and safe. This level includes values such as prosperity, financial stability, health care, employment, and emergency services. The potentially limiting aspects of this level of consciousness include poverty, corruption and environmental pollution.

LEVEL 2 – RELATIONSHIPS This level concerns the quality of internal interpersonal relationships within the group. Healthy communities create a sense belonging. This level includes values such as family, friendship, tradition, loyalty, neighborliness, hospitality and open communication. The potentially limiting aspects of this level of consciousness include discrimination, loneliness, segregation, conformity and intolerance.

LEVEL 3 – SELF-ESTEEM This level addresses the community’s need for efficient performance. Healthy communities are orderly, regulated and law abiding. This level includes values such as institutional effectiveness, quality, pride, cleanliness and public services. The potentially limiting aspects of this level of consciousness include bureaucracy, elitism, corruption, complacency and arrogance

LEVEL 4 – TRANSFORMATION This level focuses on giving members of the community an opportunity to participate in decision-making – not just the leaders and managers. Healthy communities encourage members to be responsible and focused on their goals. There is a focus on learning opportunities and entrepreneurship. This level includes values such as freedom of speech, equality, fairness, adaptability, accountability, self-reliance, and consensus.

LEVEL 5 – COHESION This level concerns the creation of a collective group identity. It involves deepening the sense of internal connectedness among community members by creating a collective vision for the community and a set of shared values. Healthy communities have a positive spirit, a sense of direction and above all, optimism. This level of consciousness includes values such as enthusiasm, integrity, fun, fairness, trust and dedication.

LEVEL 6 – INTERDEPENDENCE This level focuses on the deepening of internal connectedness within the community and the creation of alliances and partnerships with other communities. Healthy communities care for the disadvantaged and provide counseling services. They also develop links with neighboring communities and participate in exchanges of information with communities that share similar issues. This level of consciousness includes values such as community care, sustainability, environmental awareness, aesthetics and quality of life.

LEVEL 7 – UNITY This level focuses on a further deepening of internal connectedness within the community and the expansion of external connectedness with other communities and society. Healthy communities are not only concerned with local issues; they are also advocates for social justice and human rights at a national or global level. They are concerned about the impact of their decisions on future generations and they display wisdom and compassion.

THE VALUES CENTRE – Supporting Leaders in Building Values-Driven Cultures