Defining values
Generally speaking, values are deep-seated beliefs about what is right or wrong and about what is important or unimportant. They are principles, standards or qualities that people care about and that contribute to driving people’s behaviour. Values held by individuals are also supported by a set of unwritten rules or norms about what is socially acceptable behaviour – both personally and within society. Values operate at different levels: individuals, groups, organisations or even societies.
Values incorporate a degree of judgement, and this further implies that people’s values are based on what is important as well as how important it is to them. Therefore, once people have ‘internalised’ a set of values, it becomes a standard for understanding the world around them, directing and justifying their own actions, sustaining their attitudes and, inevitably, judging others’ actions. Values can be abstract, such as freedom of choice, or specific, relating to hunger, poverty or racism for example.
Activity 4
Figure 7 above shows some examples of values. Identify the values you think you uphold, as well as those that go against what you believe in.
Discussion
Your answer to this activity will depend on your own set of values. You may find that you share similar values with your friends or colleagues: values are one aspect of which job we choose, where we work and the people we enjoy spending time with.
If you are passionate about animals, you might choose not to work for a company that tests their products on animals. However, not everyone has a choice in where they work.
1.3 Values-based organisations