Key word: Uncovering. Many mistakenly feel that values can be chosen and then implemented! Likewise core values can get watered down by the process of consensus. The Jim Collins “Mars Trip” exercise works well to uncover core values: http://www.jimcollins.com/article_topics/articles/aligning-action.html

When I worked in an open source software company we used this to move from values that were soft, and failed to get buy in into more accurate ones. The generic value “open” become “honesty over comfort”. Instead of a value that people paid lip service to, it become an actionable value people referred to in decision making.