The Significance of Values in an Organization

The formation of values

We start forming values in our childhood. First we learn to appreciate things that fulfill our
basic needs, but we value especially those people that provide them to us. Their behavior
towards us becomes the main reference of what is valuable.
Thus, our character and personality are molded through the attitudes and behavior of the
people who raise us, whether theyre our parents or other relatives. Their behaviors determine
in large part what will subsequently become our most important beliefs and principles.
We learn to value the substance and the form of everything they say and do, and what they
dont say and dont do. Each gesture or comment affects how we learn to make choices We
also learn to differentiate between the theory and practice of values. The latter is what marks
us the most.
So the consistency and coherence of our parents behavior is what strengthens our
formation. If they practice what they preach, our personality will be stronger than if they
dont.
Later, when we are students, we start feeling social pressures and the pressure of values that
are different from ours, as we relate to other people. The strength of the values formed
through our parents is put to the test.
Values are often confused with habits, and many parents hope that school will form the values that
were not instilled at home. This is not possible, because school does not fulfill the basic needs of
life that is the responsibility of those who raise us.
Teachers, leaders, and value models at school can reinforce what was formed at home, but they
cannot replace them. If the convictions formed at home are not solid, they will soon be exposed to an
intense social competition against other beliefs.
Why is it so difficult to form values? Because, unlike norms, values are convictions; they are
behaviors we gladly decide to follow and produce satisfaction. We can follow norms against our will,
but values have the support of our will. We have learned their importance due to the benefits they
produce, individually and collectively.
Those who play a leadership role in our lives are most powerful at conveying to us their values. They
are our parents, elder siblings, grandparents, some relatives, teachers, peers we admire, professors,
and bosses.
However, to convey something, we must first possess it. Values are only conveyed through the
example of our daily attitudes and behaviors. They can seldom be formed by explaining them or
through a list of what is considered correct or incorrect. Memorizing their theoretical meaning does
not guarantee their implementation.

VALUE FORMATION AND EDUCATION

Accomplishment by an individual in any field of activity depends on the level of skill which the person
has acquired. Skill converts physical energy into useful productive force for achievement. Before the
advent of public education and vocational training, individual skills were limited to what could be
acquired from the family, by long apprenticeship and through personal experience. Opportunities for
the individual were similarly restricted by the limited access to skills through these means. The
formalization of curricula enabled society to impart much higher levels of skill to many more people

(e.g. mechanics, engineering, medicine, etc.) thereby geometrically increasing the opportunities for
individual accomplishment and the general social progress.
Accomplishment in any field also depends on the attitudes, understanding, decisiveness and values
with which the individual acts. The simple act of writing depends not only on the physical skill for
forming letters and words, but also the attitude of the writer toward the act of writing, the subject
matter and the readership. It depends on the writer's understanding of the subject and decision to
communicate. In addition it depends on the values with which the writer performs the act of writing.
Physical values such as cleanliness and orderliness determine the neatness of the writing and
sequence of thoughts. Social values determine how tactfully the writer communicates his message.
Psychological values such as patience, honesty and humility determine how both the author and the
message are received and interpreted. Without the necessary attitude, understanding, decisiveness
and values, the act of writing has minimal effect.
Every act in every field has its own requirements for accomplishment. All these elements are needed
in order for the act to lead to accomplishment and fulfillment. Carrying on a discussion requires not
only the ability to speak, but also the ability to listen, a cooperative and open-minded attitude, the selfdiscipline not to interrupt or change the subject, the capacity to understand what is spoken and
quickly decide what should or should not be said, as well as the tolerance, honesty, humility and
patience needed to gain the confidence and sympathy of the listener. Without these other elements,
speaking one's thoughts has minimal effect and can often be counterproductive.
The more complex, sophisticated and significant the act, the greater is the importance of these
elements in determining its outcome. The act of selling, winning an election, managing an
organization, negotiating an agreement, or leading a group depend more for their success on the
person's values, attitudes and decisiveness than on the skills which the individual possesses. Every
successful person exhibits these qualities. Every failure lacks them in some measure.
Formal education and training programs focus almost exclusively on imparting physical, social and
mental skills. They place very little conscious emphasis on the attitudes, the mental understanding
and decisiveness, and the psychological values needed for these skills to result in accomplishment
and fulfillment. Therefore, the overall effectiveness and accomplishments of the individual and the
society are extremely limited compared to the opportunities that are available. If the requirements for
success in each field of life are analyzed, most people would be found possessing only 25% of what
is required for high achievement. Thus, the scope for improving personal effectiveness is enormous.
Values represent the highest and most powerful individual capacity for accomplishment. As skills
direct the use of physical energy, values direct the use of the psychological energy of the personality.
Therefore the highest levels of individual and social accomplishment demand very high values.
It is possible to evolve a formal curricula that does impart the values, attitudes, understanding and
decisiveness necessary for achievement and personal fulfillment. In order to do so, it is necessary to
fully understand the process of value formation and the ways in which values are acquired.