cultural values are lame and mostly useless
Most problems at a company are very pointed and unique to them—at a given point in time, and with their circumstances, only they are experiencing the issue.
The best way to solve it is to approach each case individually and understand all the intricate nuances of the problem presented.
Instead, most companies put mental constraints on themselves with cultural values, and it stops them from thinking.
A lot of companies do this because some YC company like Airbnb is doing it, or Jeff Bezos proposed leadership principles, or—worse yet—Jobs said marketing is about values.
I mean, it's good to have that on the website to look cool and assist SEO (the only tangible value). Otherwise, it's pretty lame.
Most of these "cultural values" are what founders have seen work elsewhere or think resonate with them. That, in itself, makes it an individual preference.
So, as more and more people religiously follow these values, it breeds group thinking disguised as "cult"ure.
And as group thinking increases, companies lose their entrepreneurial edge and end up dying.