Values


 * Definition**

According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) the word “value” originates from the Anglo-Norman word //valu, value, valew, valwe, walve// and the Old French word //valuwe//. The concept was originally used as a measure of worth. As recent as 2009, the concept was used in a sense of moral standards that an individual or social group holds. Values are socially and personally shared ideas of what is good and acceptable behavior or ideas which determine how an individual should or should not behave or act (Rokeach, 1973). Values are so deep seeded in an individual’s personality that they influence every human behavior, attitude, decision, moral judgment, evaluation, and social action (Rokeach, 1973). Personal, social, and professional choices are all driven by values (Suar & Khuntia, 2010). Personal values consist of the ideals and motivations that drew the individuals to their jobs. Therefore, they are the main connection between the employee and the workplace, which goes further than the effective exchange of time for money or advancement (Maslach & Leiter, 2008).


 * Values in Organizational Communication**

In the field of Organizational Communication, values are often used to describe the personal, moral beliefs or judgments that a social group or individual holds (Schein, 2004). These values affect the ways in which individuals work together in the organization and are closely related to culture. Schein (2004) has found that the values of a leader, often influences the values of the other members of the organization. Graber and Osborne Kilpatrick (2008) have stated that having strong or inspiring values is often thought to be a key quality of successful leaders. “Another common theme is that organizational values contribute to the culture and ultimate success of organizations,” (Graber & Osborne Kilpatrick, 2008, p. 179).

Organizational values develop from the vision and mission statements of an organization and the rules, policies, and practices upheld by the integrity of the organization’s members are a reflection of these values (Raynor, 1998). These values that are created by the top-level management are passed down by selecting to hire members who have similar values as the organization and socializing the new members through rituals, stories, myths, and heroic acts (Suar & Khuntia, 2010). Organizational values represent how things should be and how employees should act and live in the organization (Suar & Khuntia, 2010). “Organizational values are the expressed beliefs and ideas about what kinds of goals members of an organizational should pursue, and ideas about the appropriate kinds or standards of behavior organizational members should use to achieve these goals” (Cicognani, Palestini, Albanesi, & Zani, 2012, p. 1091). Organizational norms, guidelines, and expectations of appropriate behavior of employees derive from organizational values. Organizational values are often an examined aspect of organizational culture (Cicognani et al., 2012).

When an individual’s values do not match up with the organization’s values there is often conflict where the employee has to choose between work they have to do and work that they enjoy doing (Cicognani et al., 2012). Write and Pandey (2008) have found that when organizational and personal values match, there is a higher level of professional efficacy and job satisfaction. Personal values are often examined when studying conflict in organizations (Sverdlik, 2012).


 * Measurement**

There are a number of different ways that an individual can attempt to measure values. Some researchers (Finegan, 2000; Reagan et al., 1982; Meglino et al., 1989; and Verquer et al., 2003) have attempted to measure values using rating and ranking scales, prioritizing values, and rank-ordering values in order to test the similarity between organizational values and personal values. Other researchers have attempted to study organizational values through focus-group discussions (Cicognani et al., 2012).


 * Values in Interpersonal & Health Communication**

Similar to the Organizational field, in Health Communication, values are the beliefs that an individual holds. The values are developed overtime; however, once they are formed they are very difficult for an individual to change (Rokeach, 1973). Health Communication tends to appeal to an individual's values or beliefs in the importance of being healthy (Van't Riet, Ruiter, Werrij, Candel & DeVeries, 2010). By appealing to an individual's values, the intended outcome is to persuade the individual to either keep performing an action or to take a new action (Van't Riet et al., 2010). Values in an interpersonal field are defined as an “enduring belief that a specific mode of conduct or end-state of existence is personally or socially preferable to an opposite or converse mode of conduct or end-state of existence” (Rokeach, 1973, p. 5). An individual’s major values combine to form a value system which is a collection of beliefs on how to behave in certain instances (Rokeach, 1973).

Written by Kala Finley (August, 2012).

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 * References**

Cicognani, E., Palestini, L., Albanesi, C., & Zani, B. (2012). Social identification and sense of community among members of a cooperative company: The role of perceived organizational values. //Journal of Applied Social Psychology,42//(5), 1088-1113. doi: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2011.00878.x

Finegan, J. E. (2000). ‘The Impact of Person and Organizational Values on Organizational Commitment.’ //Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 73//(2), 149-169.

Graber, D. R., Osborne Kilpatrick, A. (2008). Establishing values-based leadership and value systems in healthcare organizations. //Journal of Health & Human Services Administration, 31//(2), 179-197.

Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2008). Early predictors of job burnout and engagement. //Journal of// //Community Psychology, 14//, 6-22.

Meglino, B. B., Ravlin, E. C., & Adkins, C. (1989). A work value approach to corporate culture: A field test of the value congruence process and its relationship to individual outcomes. //Journal of Applied Psychology, 74//(3), 424-432.

Raynor, M. E. (1998). That vision thing: Do we need it? //Long Range Planning, 31//(3), 368-376.

Reaga, J. P., Rokeach, M., & Grube, J. W. (1982). Personal and corporate values and corporate identification of managers from several levels of an organization. //Academic Psychology Bulletin, 4//, 345-355.

Rokeach, M. (1973). //The nature of human values//. New York: Free Press.

Suar, D., & Khuntia, R. (2010). Influence of personal values and value congruence on unethical practice and work behavior. //Journal of Business Ethics, 97,// 443-460. DOI 10.1007/s10551-010-0517-y

Sverdlik, N. (2012). The content of internal conflicts: A personal values perspective. //European Journal of Personality. 26//(1), 30-44.

Van't Riet, J., Ruiter, R. A. C., Werrij, M. Q., Candel, M. J. J. M., DeVries, H. (2010). Distinct pathways to persuasion: The role of affect in message-framing effects. //European Journal of Social Psychology, 40//(7), 1261-1276.

Verquer, M. L., Beehr, T. A., and Wagner, S. H. (2003). A meta-analysis of relations between person-organization fit and work attitudes. //Journal of vocational behavior, 63//(4), 473-489.

Write, B. E., & Pandey, S. K. (2008). Public service motivation and the assumption of person– organization ﬁt: Testing the mediating effect of value congruence. //Administration and Society,40//, 502–521.