Our behaviours

Part of our company DNA

Together, delivering solutions for a safe and secure future.

Our behaviours
Part of our company DNA

Over the last eighteen months we have achieved many things: not least our
transition to a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB). With the exciting
programmes ahead of us such as the Replacement Warhead, our new
Infrastructure, and support to Nuclear Threat Reduction we have much to do, and
at pace. Our Corporate Plan defines the work that needs to be done, but that alone
won’t be enough. Each and every one of us will also need to look at how we turn
up to meet our delivery commitments that support the nation.

That’s why I’m introducing a new vision and set of behaviours incorporating our
values. Together these provide the foundations for how we will deliver on the
challenges ahead, along with improvements to processes and systems. Please take
the time to understand and think about the behaviours as they should guide the
way we work going forwards.

At the heart of what we do is YOU – you make the difference.

Alison Atkinson
CEO and Managing Director
Our vision
Our vision statement underpins our mission and guides our
Together, delivering strategic direction: our long-term goals and what we aim to
achieve. It reflects the behaviours: how we will successfully

solutions for a safe and deliver on our challenges and what we stand for.

secure future.
 Why does AWE need a behavioural
framework?
Meeting the expectations of our customers, our stakeholders and ourselves is crucial in the
delivery of our mission. It will take all of us, working together in the right way and delivering
on our objectives to do this.

Our behaviours A well-designed behavioural framework improves business performance and articulates
what behaviours are expected of everyone. Our behavioural framework will help us in the
following ways:

What is a behavioural framework?  improving the recruitment process

 giving clarity to everyone as to what is expected every day

A behavioural framework is a set of core behaviours which defines ‘how’ we are expected
to behave and the impact we have on people day to day through what we say and what we  reducing hiring costs and turnover rates
do. This coupled with ‘what’ we do as outlined in job profiles and in our objectives helps to
create a full picture of performance.  driving a safe and secure working environment
At AWE, we all have a role to play in enabling us to achieve our objectives and realise our  supporting performance and development conversations
vision. To do this well, everyone needs to understand how their contribution makes a
difference.  improving succession and capability planning

Our behaviours are split into three levels:

Team members Leading others Senior leaders

Someone who leads a All D grades (DS, DX,

Someone with no team, multiple teams or is D1 & D2) and Executive
direct reports a leader of leaders Directors
 We
keep our
promises
We take proactive and decisive
action to follow through on
commitments to deliver our mission,
showing accountability to achieve
excellence, and create trust.
Our behaviours
We
connect
with respect
We combine our expertise, celebrate,
and leverage our differences, working
collaboratively to achieve our mission,
always acting with integrity, trust and
respect.
We
are safe
and secure
We uphold a culture of care, we take
pride in creating an environment where
all feel safe and secure, operating in a
way that protects others, our business
and our nation.
We
embrace
simplicity
We know when to positively challenge
assumptions to make things simpler and
better. We are curious and use insight
to seek out new ways of working and to
challenge the status quo. We listen, we
learn and seek out the best ideas.
Each behaviour has two elements. These elements help to explain what each behaviour is
measuring and will support performance conversations and day to day interactions.

Our behaviours Elements Definition

Decision making
We take proactive and decisive action to follow through
We keep our promises on commitments to deliver our mission, showing
Accountability accountability to achieve excellence, and create trust.

Compliance We uphold a culture of care, we take pride in creating

an environment where all feel safe and secure,
We are safe and secure
operating in a way that protects others, our business
Psychological safety and our nation.

Collaboration
We combine our expertise, celebrate, and leverage our
We connect with respect differences, working collaboratively to achieve our mission,
always acting with integrity, trust and respect.
Inclusion

Growth mindset We know when to positively challenge assumptions to make

things simpler and better. We are curious and use insight to
We embrace simplicity seek out new ways of working and to challenge the status
Continuous improvement quo. We listen, we learn and seek out the best ideas.
Our behaviours
Positive and contrary indicators for each of the behaviours are provided in
the following pages, to help you understand what the behaviours mean in
practice and support performance conversations.

The positive indicators are the expected behaviours against each relevant
level. The contrary indicators detailed at the bottom of each behaviour
apply to all levels and are purely examples and not exhaustive. There may
be situations where someone has not had an opportunity or been able to
demonstrate the desired indicators.
We We take proactive and decisive action to follow through on
commitments to deliver our mission, showing accountability to
keep our achieve excellence, and create trust.
promises
Decision making Accountability

Demonstrates
Demonstrates Demonstrates personal
accountability,
Considers the impact of stakeholder and ownership in ensuring
Contributes to wider following through Generates results by
decisions and how own customer focus, giving quality and efficiency,
Team members actions impact others,
decision making
priority to engagement
Team members proactively managing
on commitments, acting in a focused way
through quality inputs overcoming obstacles and within deadlines
AWE and its customers and understanding of own workload and
and upholding promises
requirements time
to achieve results

Demonstrates Holds self and

Recognises scope Demonstrates Demonstrates
stakeholder involvement others to account Role models high
of own authority decisiveness in overall ownership,
and customer focus, in delivering upon performing behaviours,
for decision-making their decisions and maintaining a holistic
Leading others and empowers team judgements, showing
facilitating others’ Leading others view of efforts to
commitments, demonstrating
understanding, to ensure demonstrating dedication to achieve
members to make comfort in making ensure quality and
these can be discussed dedication to achieve goals and results
decisions difficult choices efficiency
and met goals and results

Interprets a wide range Takes a long and short- Demonstrates

Sets and role Visibly demonstrates
of societal, political term perspective when stakeholder involvement Sets the tone for
models standards accountability and
and national pressures making decisions on and customer focus, high performance,
of excellence, drives perseverance, owning
and influences to strategy, balancing providing unique insight empowering others to
Senior leaders develop strategies competing demands and strategic advice on
Senior leaders empowerment to mistakes and setting
achieve outstanding
enable others to make an example of how
which place the pragmatically, trends, industry, market results across all
decisions and achieve these inform future
Mission at the heart of considering safety and factors and customer organisational levels
success actions
AWE security in all decisions behaviour

Does not add their Does not monitor

Does not consider Does not demonstrate Does not follow through Does not focus on
voice to decision own progress, or that
Contrary the impact of
making, preferring to
an awareness of Contrary of others, against on commitments and achieving results and
indicators their decisions on customer needs, both indicators fails to see the impact of shows limited tenacity
follow others rather commitments and
stakeholders internal and external their inaction and drive
than speaking up agreed goals
We We uphold a culture of care, we take pride in creating an
environment where all feel safe and secure, operating in a way that
are safe protects others, our business and our nation.
and secure
Compliance Psychological safety
Is an ambassador of
safety and security, Is respectful when
Makes suggestions for Proactively highlights Speaks up when
following all safety challenging others Shows genuine interest
improvements enabling risks and/or issues to feeling overwhelmed,
and security protocols, and when challenged in others, helping to
Team members achieving compliance
efficiencies without prioritise safety and Team members unsafe or vulnerable
themselves. Assumes create a culture of
sacrificing safety and security of both self and and supports others to
to ensure a safe positive intent to limit belonging
security others do the same
and secure working defensiveness
environment for all

Role models all aspects

Creates and inspires
of safety and security Creates and sustains
a culture where Encourages self and
and ensures that Acts proactively to an environment where
others can challenge others to challenge Role-models a genuine
their teams follow all reduce risks and/ it is safe to speak up,
processes and with positive intent, concern for others,
Leading others safety and security
policies which inhibit
or issues which Leading others people feel heard,
creating a culture fostering a culture of
protocols, achieving compromise the safety fears are addressed
efficiencies without where feedback is belonging
compliance through and security of others and appropriate action
sacrificing safety and viewed as a gift
clear and consistent is taken
security
communication

Sets and demonstrates

Stewardship of a Champions and
the highest standards Promotes and sustains
culture where people Champions a culture advocates positive Is accessible and
in relation to safety a culture where fears
are empowered to where others feel challenge from others, approachable, investing
and security following and concerns can
challenge processes empowered to stop recognising that the time in understanding
Senior leaders all safety and security
and policies to create for safety and security Senior leaders be shared without
sharing of ideas and people to be a visible
protocols, achieving reprisals and takes
efficiencies without concerns and steps in to cultivating a feedback advocate for a culture
compliance through steps to help others
negatively impacting support where required culture is integral to of belonging
clear and consistent navigate uncertainty
safety and security success
communication

Does not act in Leading others/senior Does not approach Does not show a
Does not proactively
accordance with Does not suggest leaders only: Doesn’t situations of challenge concern for others,
Contrary and swiftly highlight Contrary
guidance and solutions to problems foster a culture where with positivity, showing appearing indifferent
indicators risks when they are indicators
organisational or efficiencies all feel comfortable to defensiveness and a to their feelings and
noticed
compliance speak up lack of openness concerns
We We combine our expertise, celebrate, and leverage our differences,
working collaboratively to achieve our mission, always acting with
connect integrity, trust and respect.
with
respect
Collaboration Inclusion

Proactively builds
Leverages the skills Is empathetic and Examines and
a broad network Acts with compassion, Demonstrates an
and knowledge of transparent in challenges own
of relationships to humility and without appreciation and an
their network, working communication, assumptions, showing
Team members understand their role
across different playing an active role in
Team members judgement, helping to understanding of
an appreciation of
in AWE’s mission and create a caring culture different values, beliefs
functions to share ideas resolving differences of diverse thoughts and
how their actions may founded upon respect and traditions
and best practice opinion ideas
impact others

Authentically engages Demonstrates

Takes a deliberate Leverages the in complex discussions compassion and Demonstrates Examines and actively
approach to building skills of others in with positivity, humility for their team, and promotes an challenges own and
a network of contacts developing ideas and empathy, openness helping to create a appreciation and team’s assumptions,
Leading others and alliances that creating efficiencies, and transparency,
Leading others caring culture where understanding of promoting an
optimise the ability to promoting a culture of playing an active role in others feel respected different values, appreciation of diverse
achieve objectives learning managing differences and psychologically beliefs and traditions thoughts and ideas
of opinion safe and secure

Champions transparency Role models the

Takes a strategic and honesty, creating a highest levels of Role models an
Cultivates a culture of Role models the
approach to building culture where individuals compassion and appreciation and
knowledge-sharing questioning of own
a network of contacts can authentically engage humility, creating a understanding of
and a ‘one AWE’ assumptions, visibly
Senior leaders and alliances that
ethos, removing
in complex discussions Senior leaders caring culture where different values,
demonstrating an
optimise ability to with positivity, empathy others feel respected beliefs and traditions,
barriers to siloed appreciation of diverse
achieve key AWE and openness, resolving and empowered to creating a culture of
working and sharing ideas and thoughts
objectives conflict among others bring their ‘whole inclusivity
sensitively and fairly selves’ to AWE

Does not communicate Does not appear

Does not leverage the Does not display Does not show an
Does not proactively with openness, honesty open to others’ ideas,
Contrary skills and expertise Contrary kindness, compassion awareness of differing
build connections with and transparency, preferring to act in
indicators of others in order to indicators and sensitivity when beliefs, cultures and
others creating an atmosphere ways which support
deliver dealing with others traditions
of mistrust their own beliefs
We We know when to positively challenge assumptions to make things
simpler and better. We are curious and use insight to seek out new
embrace ways of working and to challenge the status quo. We listen, we
simplicity learn and seek out the best ideas.

Growth mindset Continuous improvement

Owns their Proactively keeps

development, Contributes towards abreast of broader Contributes to
Works to overcome proactively working an environment which Constructively organisational and advancing knowledge
Team members obstacles, persisting with their manager to encourages everyone to Team members questions established industry developments and ways of working
through adversity identify development share, learn and move methods and practices and updates with a view within own discipline,
opportunities beyond forward to keeping up-to-date field or remit
technical training and using new ideas

Creates a team
Promotes a team Keeps abreast of Creates regular
culture of continuous
Shows composure and Works with team environment which external market opportunities for peers,
improvement,
resolve in negotiating members to identify encourages everyone to influences and shares colleagues, partners
encouraging
Leading others obstacles, helping development share, learn and move Leading others team members to
best practice with and stakeholders to
others to overcome opportunities, beyond forward with a view to their teams to enable contribute toward
constructively question
barriers technical training creating new ways of new and innovative enhancing quality and
established methods
working practice knowledge
and practice

Takes time to look

Fosters an
Works with their Creates and fosters ahead to anticipate
organisational
Leads through teams to identify a culture which industry developments, Acts as a role model
culture of continuous
complexity, helping development encourages everyone advancements and and motivates others
improvement,
Senior leaders others to ‘reframe’ opportunities, beyond to share, learn and Senior leaders encouraging others to
risks, building this to achieve the highest
barriers and see technical training, that move forward with a into strategy with a standards of quality
constructively question
opportunities are in line with AWE’s view to creating lasting view to creating a and efficiency
established methods
strategies improvements high-performance
and practice
organisation

Does not show an

Does not proactively Does not promote a Does not add to or Does not proactively appreciation of
Does not show tenacity
reflect on areas of culture of growth, promote a culture of keep up to date continuous improvement
Contrary and perseverance, Contrary
development and how showing limited constant improvement regarding broader and learning, showing
indicators letting obstacles and indicators
these areas can be encouragement and or make efficiencies to organisational and limited contribution in
barriers inhibit success
strengthened drive to push forward established methods industry developments enhancing knowledge
and quality
FAQs
What’s happening to the values?
We are at a significant point in our history. Whilst our mission in support
of CASD remains consistent, the way it is delivered has been changing as
we work to deliver concurrent warhead programmes. Now is the right time
to review and update what will make us successful, and how, and to plan
for future success. The values have served us well to this point and won’t
disappear completely, as they’ve been incorporated into the descriptions in
the behavioural framework.
How did you decide what the
behaviours should be?
We’ve collated views from cultural workshops, focus groups, the 2021
engagement survey and interviews, working with our Prospect and Unite
Unions. An external expert in behavioural framework design has supported us
throughout, so we can be sure our approach follows best practice.
What does it mean for me?
The behaviours set out our expectations for everyone. Please take the time
to understand and think about them as they should guide the way you work
going forwards and will form part of our annual performance appraisal.
Please consider how you can demonstrate the new behaviours and what
support you may need.
How will my behaviour be measured
for performance ratings?
As we do already, your line manager will take a holistic view of your behaviour
as part of your performance review. These behaviours will replace the values
and contribute to your overall rating. You will need to demonstrate how you
have achieved the behaviours in your performance conversations.
 Are the behaviours the same for all
How will I access development?
employees?
There will be a blended learning approach to support you to develop each of
the behaviours. Yes, but with different indicators of what is expected depending on whether
you are a team member, leading others or a senior leader.

Will we use the behaviours in Will the behaviours replace the values
recruitment? in our recognition process?
Yes, the behaviours will support our recruitment of new employees, and form Yes, we are looking to revise our current recognition schemes to reflect the
part of induction. behaviours.

When should I discuss the behaviours

Are line managers being trained?
Yes, line managers will be trained on the detail of the behavioural framework
and how it can be best used with their teams.
with my line manager?
You can start discussing them in your 1-2-1s and at your mid-year review.
Guidance for line managers will be provided as part of their training.
Issued by AWE Corporate Affairs
May 2022
Issue 2
UK Ministry of Defence © Crown Owned Copyright 2022/AWE