O 22 30 LEADERSHIP AT WORK Walk the Talk Often in an organization the culture is characterized both by what people say (talk) and by what people actually do (walk). When this happens there is a gap between organizational leaders' espoused values and the values in action within the company. One example would be an espoused value of "a balanced life for employees," whereas managers and employees are actually expected to work nights and weekends to meet demanding performance goals. This is the difference between the "walk" and the "talk" in an organization. Your assignment for this exercise is to think of one example in your own student or work experience where the walk and talk in a corporate culture did not align. Why do you think the gap occurred? Then interview four other people for examples of when an organization's espoused values did not align with the values in action. Also ask them why they think the walk and talk differed. Summarize the findings from your interviews below: My example (and why): Second person's examples (and why): Third person's examples (and why): Fourth person's examples (and why): k task.doc Fifth person's examples (and why): -4-1 copy.xIs -4-1.xIsm What patterns and themes do you see in the responses? Is there a common type of walk/talk gap? . What is the most common reason why these gaps occur? Which is the real culture-the leader's espoused values or the values in action? Do symbols, stories, ceremonies, and other signals of corporate culture mean what they imply