"My Definition Of Values"

"Values"

****Values****

Important And Enduring Beliefs Or Deals Shared By The Members Of A Culture About What Is Good Or Desirable And What Is Not. Values Exert Major Influence On The Behavior Of An Individual And Serves As Broad In All Situations.

****Values And Ethics****

Values Can Be Defined As those Things That Are Important To Or Valued By Someone. That Someone Can Be An Individual Or, Collectively, An Organization. One Place Where Values Are Important Is In Relation To Vision. One Of The Imperatives For Organizational Vision Is That It Must Be Based On And Consistent With The Organization's Core Values. In One Example Of A Vision Statement We'll Look At Later, The Organization's Core Values - In This Case, Integrity, Professionalism, Caring, Teamwork, And Stewardship - Were Deemed Important Enough To Be Included With The Statement Of The Organization's Vision.

Values Are The Embodiment Of What An Organization Stands For, And Should Be The Basis For The Behavior Of Its Members. However, What If Members Of The Organization Do Not Share And Have Not Internalized The Organization's Values? Obviously, A Disconnect Between Individual And Organizational Values Will Be Dysfunctional. Additionally, An Organization May Publish One Set Of Values, Perhaps In An Effort To Push Forward A Positive Image, While The Values That Really Guide Organizational Behavior Are Very Different. When There Is A Disconnect Between Stated And Operating Values, It May Be Difficult To Determine What Is "Acceptable." For Example, Two Of The Army's Organizational Values Include Candor And Courage. One Might Infer That Officers Are Encouraged To "Have The Courage Of Their Convictions" And Speak Their Disagreements Openly. In Some Cases, This Does Work; In Others It Does Not.

The Same Thing Works At The Level Of The Society. The Principles By Which The Society Functions Do Not Necessarily Conform To The Principles Stated. Those In Power May Covertly Allow The Use Of Force To Suppress Debate In Order To Remain In Power. ("Death Squads" Are An Example.) In Some Organizations, Dissent May Be Rewarded By Termination-The Organizational Equivalent Of "Death Squad" Action. In Others, A Group Member May Be Ostracized Or Expelled.