Espoused values and enacted values

Espoused values are the ideals and principles a person or organization publicly states they believe in, such as honesty or teamwork. Enacted values are the actual behaviors and actions exhibited in everyday practice, which may or may not align with those stated beliefs. For example, a company might publicly promote diversity (espoused value), but if its hiring practices and work environment don't reflect that, its enacted values differ from its stated values. Understanding both helps assess how truly an organization lives up to its professed principles.