Our Values

The Partnership has always had clear business values, which are set out in Principles 2 to 7 of our Constitution. We also have a set of five personal values that were created by Partners for Partners, to explain what it means to be a Partner and what makes a great one. It has never been more important that we support one another with care and compassion and live by our values.

DO RIGHT:  We act with integrity and use our judgement to do the right thing.
ALL OR NOTHING:  We put everything we have into everything we do.
GIVE MORE THAN YOU TAKE:  We put more in, so everyone gets more out.
BE YOURSELF. ALWAYS:  We’re quirky, proud and at our best when we are free to be ourselves.
WE NOT ME:  When we work together anything is possible. Being employee-owned, we operate using unique democratic principles, with all Partners sharing power.

Our first democratic Council was set up over 100 years ago and today our Partnership Council and Forums enable Partners of all levels and experience, to participate in decision-making, challenge management on performance and have a say in how the business is run. We have over 600 Partners who have been formally elected via a democratic process to act as representatives, feeding into our three governing authorities – the Chairman, Partnership Board and Partnership Council – which govern the Partnership.

Not many companies have a written Constitution. The Partnership exists today because of the extraordinary vision and ideals of our Founder, John Spedan Lewis. He believed an ‘industrial democracy’ where employees shared knowledge, power and profit and was a better form of business. That vision was set out in a written Constitution – a framework to define the Partnership’s principles and the way it should operate.

The Constitution contains two key parts related to the spirit of the Partnership; it’s distinctive character and democratic vitality. These must be developed and coveted so the Partnership can remain distinctive and true to the business Spedan Lewis created. Democratic vitality is our culture of engagement, empowerment and trust. We all, especially leaders, share knowledge and encourage, listen to and act on opinion. We all use the power of our experiences, ideas and opinion to create a better business.