Corporate Values

Addressing the trends within the industry such as rapidly changing behavior of our customers, evolving technologies or an increasing bandwidth demand, Deutsche Telekom has consistently putting it self to the test and evolving its vision and aspiration.

In this process corporate culture is key and the corporate values act as cornerstones forming this culture. Therefore the Guiding Principles have been evolved as well from the former T-Spirit. They are strong tools which guide our behavior and represent our values and beliefs. However the values are not just made for internal use - it is also meant for the outside world. They emphasize the role Deutsche Telekom is playing as a responsible corporate citizen.

The five Guiding Principles of Deutsche Telekom

• Customer delight drives our action. This principle focuses on the most important thing for the business: not only satisfying customers, but delighting them. The customers’ thoughts, feelings, needs and experience must drive Deutsche Telekom.
• Respect and integrity guide our behavior. The second principle goes beyond respecting one another as colleagues in every day business. It is also about truly respecting customers, partners, suppliers and shareholders.
• Team together, team apart. The third principle focuses on Deutsche Telekom’s culture of working together. Teams should openly discuss issues and exchange opinions. But once a decision has been made, the decision is upheld by the entire team. At separate workplaces all over the world, the decision is implemented and executed as one team.
• Best place to perform and grow. The fourth principle recognizes the importance of employees for the company and company culture. To become the most highly regarded service company in the telecommunications industry and beyond, Deutsche Telekom relies on the commitment and success of everyone. This principle combines the commitment from both management and employees to make Deutsche Telekom the best place to perform and grow.
• I am T, count on me. The final principle involves personal commitment to Deutsche Telekom from every employee. It means that when a customer has a problem each employee is personally committed to solving it. Colleagues can count on one another as well as shareholders and customers counting on the company.

The Guiding Principles are the basis of how we work together for our customers, shareholders and the public. The top management at Deutsche Telekom is committed to living the values at all times and to embedding them in the Group. The goal is for all employees, to truly live the vision and values.

Building up on that, the Code of Conduct is our code of behaviour and makes our Guiding Principles more tangible. It defines the rules for our daily business both internally and externally. It creates the bridge between the Guiding Principles and the many different guidelines and legal regulations within the Group. It also complies with the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange.

Preliminary Remarks on the Code of Conduct
Corporate Vision and Values

Our activities are determined by our Group vision, our mission and our six central values.

Our Vision: Deutsche Telekom – a global leader in "Connected Life and Work".

Our Mission: We mobilize personal, social and business networking.

T-Spirit outlines our approach to implement our vision and achieve our goals:

• Superior Value - "We constantly enhance the value of Deutsche Telekom."
• Passion for our Customers - "We delight our customers by providing them with excellent products and services."
• Innovation - "We create a culture of innovation in which we enjoy working."
• Respect - "We benefit from our cultural diversity; we respect and help each other."
• Integrity - "We communicate in an open and honest way and deliver what we promise."
• Top Excellence - "We think and act resolutely and strive constantly for greater efficiency with the right people in the right jobs. We consistently reward performance while taking action against misconduct."

The applicable legal system, our vision, our mission and our corporate values form the basis for all corporate decisions and our daily business activities. This is the foundation of our corporate culture, which fosters trust in our Group.

Implementation

Group management allows for an open and predictable corporate culture. Here, the employees differentiate between appropriate and questionable behavior on the basis of the moral, legal and corporate values of the Deutsche Telekom Group.

The Deutsche Telekom Group expects its senior executives to carry out all business efficiently and in line with the Code of Conduct. To achieve this, senior executives shall provide the necessary working conditions for employees and ensure compliance with the Code of Conduct. They consistently identify, discuss and prevent misconduct and take consequent action against it.

All employees must act in compliance with the Code of Conduct. In case of doubt, employees should not hesitate to confide with their superiors or the responsible organization.
Violations of the Code of Conduct may have consequences as provided by employment law or, in the case of civil servants, disciplinary consequences.

Application and Validity

The Code of Conduct applies to all employees of the Deutsche Telekom Group: Boards of Directors, managing directors, senior executives, employees, civil servants and persons whose status is equivalent to that of employees (e.g. temporary workers, consultants).

When implementing the Code of Conduct, international affiliates shall abide by their respective national legislation.

http://www.telekom.com/dtag/cms/content/dt/en/31424

Further readings:

• Compliance
• Code of Conduct
• Financial Code of Ethics
• Code of Conduct for the Protection of the Individual’s Right to Privacy in the Handling of Personal Data within the Deutsche Telekom Group