Do Something About Value Orientation

As we continue our discussion on values, a critical review of ethical decision making is warranted.  In addition to its benefits for self-understanding, awareness of your own level of values maturity also has important practical implications for ethical decision making.  By and large, the American public rates the honesty, integrity, and concern for moral values of American business executives as abysmal.  A large majority of the public indicates that they think executives are dishonest, overly profit-oriented, and willing to step on other people to get what they want (Andrews, 1989; Harris & Sutton, 1995; Lozano, 1996).

As we continue to discuss the importance of understanding a candidate’s value system prior to employment consideration, we have to integrate the value system of the organization.  Values have to be driven and maintained from the top of the organization and then supported by employees who share a congruent belief system. 

As we make moral and ethical choices, the following standards could be used to test our own principles:

·         Front Page Test: Would I be embarrassed if my decision became a headline in the local newspaper?  Would I feel comfortable describing my actions or decisions to a customer or stockholder?

·         Golden Rule Test: Would I be willing to be treated in the same manner?

·         Dignity and Liberty Test: Are the dignity and liberty of others preserved by this decision?  Is the basic humanity of the affected parties enhanced?  Are their opportunities expanded or curtailed?

·         Equal Treatment Test: Are the rights, welfare, and betterment of minorities and lower status people given full consideration?  Does this decision benefit those with privilege but without merit?

·         Personal Gain Test: Is an opportunity for personal gain clouding my judgment?  Would I make the same decision if the outcome did not benefit me in any way?

·         Congruence Test: Is this decision or action consistent with my espoused personal principles?  Does it violate the spirit of any organizational policies or laws?

·         Procedural Justice Test:  Can the procedures used to make this decision stand up to scrutiny by those affected?

·         Cost-Benefit Test: Does a benefit for some cause unacceptable harm to others?  How critical is the benefit?  Can the harmful effects be mitigated?

·         Good Night’s Sleep Test:  Whether or not anyone else knows about my action, will it produce a good night’s sleep?

Few of us watch the news without total disdain from the countless examples of zero leadership, deceit, self-centeredness, and so forth exhibited from our businesses, governmental processes, and citizenship.  The importance of value orientation cannot be over emphasized.  Your personal life, your family, your relationships within the community, and your allegiance to the collective whole depend on it.

Stop, think, and help fix the bigger picture.

Why Are Values So Important?

Values are among the most stable and enduring characteristics of individuals.  Much of what we are is a product of the basic values we have developed throughout our lives.  Values are important, and we all proclaim to possess them; however, unless a person’s values are challenged, the values being held remain largely undetected.  In other words, until people encounter a contradiction or a threat to their basic values, they seldom articulate their values or seek to clarify them.

Rokeach (1973) argued that the total number of values people possess is relatively small and that all individuals possess the same values, but in different degrees.  For example, everyone values peace, but some make it a higher priority than others.  Two general types of values were identified by Rokeach, instrumental values and terminal values.

Instrumental values prescribe desirable standards of conduct or methods for attaining an end.  Two types of instrumental values related to morality and competence.  Violating moral values (for example, behaving wrongly) causes feelings of guilt, while violating competence values (for example, behaving incapably) brings about feelings of shame.  Of course the real question remains concerning evaluating those we have social and personal relations with, what end of the emotional spectrum does each identify with for each of the values that are important to your organization (for example, I behave badly but may only experience minor feelings of guilt, which is not much of a self-motivated deterrent to unacceptable behavior)?

The experiences of life also cement our values.  Kohlberg (1969) identified that people progress from one level of maturity to another, and as they do, their value priorities change.  Individuals who have progressed to more mature levels of values development possess a qualitatively different set of instrumental values than individuals who are at less mature levels.  Kohlberg’s model is the best known and most widely researched approach to values maturity.  It focuses on the kind of reasoning used to reach a decision about an issue that has value or moral connotations.   The model consists of three major levels: (1) a preconventional level (self-centered) where moral value resides in external factors, and consequences, not persons or relationships; (2) conventional level (conformity) where moral value resides in duty, maintaining social contracts, and keeping commitments; and (3) postconvential (principled) where moral value resides in commitment to freely selected standards, rights, and duties.  An individual’s stage of development using this model ranges from the extremes of right is determined by avoiding punishment and not breaking an authority’s rules to right is guided by internal, universal ethical principles – when laws violate principles, the laws are ignored.  The middle ground encompasses the thought that right is being concerned about others’ feelings and maintaining trust by keeping expectations and commitments – the Golden Rule is relevant.

One of the problems of interviewing potential employees about organizational values is that people can usually tell you what you want to hear, or basically give you the more socially acceptable answer.  Although values are stable and enduring, unless behaviors are observed over time or more rigid psychological testing is utilized, an individual’s value orientation is difficult to determine.

If organizational or personal values are important to the strategic management of your organization, then much thought should be employed to determining who works for you and who doesn’t.  All too often we are disappointed in some aspect of our business performance, when the real root of the problem has more to do with choices of who you put on your team and who you don’t.