In ERP projects and business development, one phrase comes up again and again: “We need to create value-adding solutions.” But what does value really mean?
Too often, value is treated like a shiny shield – polished, glossy, and easy to display. It shows up as personal branding, media presence, or the pursuit of visibility. Yet true business value is more like a dented shield: the outcome of real battles fought to strengthen a company’s resilience, results, and long-term strength. Dents may not look glamorous, but they prove that something meaningful has been achieved.
Two ways to understand value
- Outwardly visible value – the shiny shield.
Personal reputation, branding, and media visibility. It can be valuable, but often leans more toward image-building than genuine impact. - Real value – the dented shield.
The hard, often invisible work that improves a company’s operational capability and results. It rarely earns applause and usually leaves the doer with more dents than shine.
These two logics now collide. Visibility is rewarded, while structure-changing work is easily overlooked – and often left undone altogether, because fashionable, visibility-driven activities take priority.
In Finnish business culture, value has traditionally meant the continuity and long-term strength of the company – the ability to generate results, employ people, and remain competitive. In the American model, by contrast, the focus often shifts to the individual’s role and visibility: the personal brand, media presence, and ability to self-promote. Today these logics are mixing, and the danger is that we chase shine instead of accepting dents that prove real value creation.
Dimensions of value in business
Just as a shield has different layers – surface, strength, and wear – value in business has multiple dimensions:
- Visibility (the polished shield). Reputation and exposure can matter, but when they become the main goal, progress stalls.
- Real business value. Improvements in results and long-term strength, often through invisible development work.
- Interaction. Value emerges when time is freed for meetings, discussions, and shared thinking, enabling learning and new insights.
- Opportunity costs ( vaihtoehtoiskustannus). Some roles or functions are indispensable, even if their benefit cannot be directly measured. Their value lies in what would be lost without them.
- Utilization. Technologies and IT solutions do not create value on their own. They matter only when applied in operational work and decision-making.
Why this matters
When value is defined too narrowly – only as payback or as personal branding – the bigger picture becomes distorted. Companies may invest in visibility or technology without ensuring that these actually strengthen day-to-day operations.
A broader understanding of value enables more sustainable choices that support both businesses and society. It also helps us distinguish between polished surfaces and proven resilience.
And maybe this is one reason why Finland has struggled to regain growth and prosperity since 2008: we talk about value everywhere, but too often we chase the shine instead of creating the dents that prove real value.
So the ultimate question remains:
Do we want shiny shields to display – or dented ones that prove real value has been created?
Let´s go for Dented ones
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