How Important are Values within an Organizational Setting?

If you ever find yourself feeling out-of-line with your job and/or workplace, you might want to check yourself and see where you stand on your values as this is one of the biggest problems I see when I hear discontent in the workplace. When values clash, problems result.

Values can be defined as “important and lasting beliefs one has about what is good or desirable, and what is not; values have a major influence on a person’s attitudes and behaviors and serve as a guideline in situations.” (businessdictionary.com) Often, our beliefs are developed early and usually are those we take on from our family of origin; they can come from school or associations/clubs/groups we belong to.

The bottom-line is that beliefs are hard to change, so values lie deep and can cause friction or discontent when dealing with those who don’t share the same ones. In the workplace, values are often the mission statement and what the company stands for; however, leaders have their own as they manage the company or department which can lead to conflict. Coworkers and customers also have their own which can lead, again, to misalignment of some type.

The best way to deal with any misalignments that might lead to a level of unhappiness is to be sure you are aware of your values and how strong they are. Some values may be more strongly felt than others; for example, if your value is hard work and you see a coworker not doing their share then frustration will occur. If you’re not sure about your values, here are some samples to get you thinking deeper:

• Acceptance                       Determination                    Passion
• Abundance                        Directness                        Patience
• Accountability                    Empowerment                   Productivity
• Accuracy                           Enthusiasm                      Recognition
• Affection                            Excellence                       Respect
• Ambition                            Fairness                           Romance
• Awareness                         Flexibility                          Safety
• Balance                             Forgiveness                       Service
• Being the best                    Fun                                  Strength
• Belonging                           Happiness                         Tact
• Bravery                              Harmony                           Thankfulness
• Capability                           Humor                              Trust
• Caring                                Independence                    Timeliness
• Calm                                  Integrity                            Understanding
• Competence                       Kindness                            Wealth
• Competition                        Love
• Cooperation                        Loyalty

This is just a partial list but I’m sure this will give you an idea for you to check what your values are and how they may e leading to not just job unhappiness but to any and all relationships you have. Knowing this will definitely help to change your current status as well as ensure you find a company who ‘fits’ as you are in your job search. I encourage you to spend time uncovering your values and to look at situations that have been conflicted, even within yourself, to see when you might not have been honoring them. When you are aware and live by them, you will have career happiness. I’d love to see your thoughts on this!