DEFINE VALUES AND VALUE SYSTEM
Values
Values represent basic convictions (firm 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. They contain a judgmental element in that they carry an individual's ideas as to what is right, good or desirable. Values have both content and intensity attributes. The content attribute says that a mode of conduct or end-state of existence is important. The intensity attribute specifies how important it is.
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Value system
Value system is a hierarchy based on a ranking of
an individual's values in terms of their intensity (honesty, obedience,
equality etc.). All of us have a hierarchy of values that form our value
system. This system is identified by the relative importance we assign to
values such as freedom, pleasure, self-respect, honesty, obedience, and
equality.
IMPORTANCE OF VALUES
Values
are important to the study of organizational behavior because they lay the
foundation or the understanding of attitudes and motivation and because they
influence our perceptions. Individual enter into organization with perceived
notions of what ‘ought’ and what ‘ought not’ to be. Of course, these notions
are not value free. On the contrary, they contain interpretations of right and
wrong. Furthermore they imply that certain behaviors or outcomes are preferred
over others.
Values
generally influence attitudes and behavior.
Suppose, you enter an organization with the view that allocating pay on
the basis of performance is right, while allocating pay on the basis of
seniority is wrong. How are you going to react if you find that the
organization you have just joined rewards seniority not performance? You are
likely to be disappointed – and this can lead to job dissatisfaction and the
decision not to exert a high level of effort.
TYPES OF VALUES
There are two
sets of values. These are as follows:
Terminal values: Terminal values refer to desirable
end‑states of existence. These are the goals that a person would like to
achieve during his or her lifetime (self respect, family security).
Instrumental values: Instrumental
values refer to preferable modes of behavior or means of achieving the terminal
values. (Honest, responsible).
Example:
Terminal
values Instrumental
values
Self
respect Honest
Family
security Responsible
A
sense of accomplishment Ambitions
Happiness Independent
VALUES ACROSS CULTURE
One of the most widely referenced approaches for
analyzing variations among cultures has been done by Geert Hofstede. He found
that managers & employees vary on five value dimensions of national
culture. These are defined as follows
- Power
distance: The degree to which people in a country accept that power in
institutions and organizations is distributed unequally.
2. Individualism vs. Collectivism: Individualism
is the degree to which people in a country prefer to act as Individuals rather
than a member of groups. Collectivism is the equivalent of low Individualism.
3. Quantity of life vs. quality of life: Quantity of
life is the degree to which values like assertiveness, the acquisition of money
and material goods & competition prevail. Quality of life is the degree to
which people value relationships and show sensitivity and concern for the
welfare of others.
4. Uncertainty avoidance: A national
culture attribute describing the extent to which a society feels threatened by
uncertain and ambiguous situations and tries to avoid them.
5. Long term orientation vs. short term orientation: People in
cultures with long term orientations look to the future and value thrift and
persistence. A short term orientation values the post and present, and
emphasizes respect for tradition and fulfilling social obligations.
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MEANING OF ATTITUDE
Attitudes are evaluative statements ‑ either
favorable or unfavorable ‑concerning objects, people or events. They reflect
how one feels about something. On the other hand, attitudes can be defined as
the feelings and beliefs that largely determine how employee will perceive
their environment, commit them to intended actions, and ultimately behave.
Suppose an employee says, “I like my job.” Here, the
employee expressing his attitude about the work.
COMPONENTS OF ATTITUDES
There are three components of attitudes: cognition,
affect and behavior. These are discussed in the following:
- Cognitive
component: The belief that “discrimination is wrong” is a value statement.
Such an opinion is the cognitive component of an attitude. It is the
initial stage of feelings. It sets the stage for the more critical part of
the attitude.
- Affective
component: Affect is the emotional or feeling segment of an attitude and is
reflected in the statement “I don’t like Jon because he discriminate
against minorities.”
- Behavioral
component: The behavioral component of an attitude refers to an intention to
behave in a certain way towards someone or something. So, to continue our
example, I might choose to avoid Jon because of my feelings about him.
TYPES OF ATTITUDES
A person can have thousands of attitudes but
- Job
Satisfaction: The term job satisfaction refers to an
individual’s general attitude toward his or her job. A person with a high
level of job satisfaction holds positive attitudes toward the job, while a
person who is dissatisfied with his or her job holds negative attitudes
about the job.
- Job
Involvement: The term Job involvement is a more recent
addition to the
- Organizational
Commitment: Organizational Commitment measures the degree
to which an employee identifies with a particular organization and its
goal and wishes to maintain membership in the organization.
