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Personal values respresent the overarching goals that we consider most desirable. They influence our thoughts and actions, even when we’re not aware of it. Values also reflect preferences about what we consider worthy and important. Furthermore, a person’s values tend to be consistent across time and contexts. This differs from beliefs and attitudes which can change more readily. By living our values in the work environment we’re more likely to be engaged and experience higher job satisfaction.
We order values in a hierarchy according to their subjective importance. The more important a value is to us, the more we rely on it as a guiding principle. People find most values important to some degree, however the values that actually influence one’s actions differ from person to person.
If you value success you might choose a prestigious profession and invest the time and energy needed to become qualified. After landing a job, you’re likely to put in overtime, take on more responsibility and work diligently to get promoted quickly.
Where do values come from?
Personal values are formed by both inherited factors and social factors. Inherited factors include things such as our temperament or personal needs. Social factors include items like:
- How we were raised
- The family and cultural environment we grew up in
- Experiences we’ve had
- How we were educated
Rokeach’s Value Theory
In his book The Nature of Human Values Rokeach states that there are two kinds of values: terminal values and instrumental values.
Instrumental values refer to ways you prefer to act or behave such as being caring and kind. Other examples include exercising discipline and being compassionat. By living your instrumental values you’re able to reach your end goals.
Terminal values are the end goals themselves. They describe desired end states such as connection, community, status, freedom, or a comfortable life.
Schwartz’s Theory of Personal Values
Schwarz proposed that people are motivated to behave in ways that help them to express their most important values. He identified ten basic individual values that express distinct motivations. These values are categorized into four higher order values.
Schwarz’s theory has been studied in more than 70 countries using more than 200 samples. Research strongly supports how Schwarz defines and structures values, even across cultural settings. Regarding values research, Schwarz’s theory is currently the predominant model.
Self Enhancement
Power: Enjoying social status, prestige, influence and control / Having dominance over people and resources
Achievement: Exhibiting competence, excelling, and obtaining success based on social standards
Hedonism: Pursuing pleasure or sensuous gratification
Openness to Change
Stimulation: Pursuing challenges and novelty / Experiencing something new and different
Self-direction: Being independent in thoughts and actions / Having the ability to choose, create and explore
Self-transcendence
Universalism: Preserving and enhancing the welfare of those who you are connected to
Benevolence: Showing understanding, appreciation, and tolerance of others / Protecting the welfare of people and nature
Conservation
Tradition: Exhibiting respect and commit to cultural customs and ideas
Conformity: Restraining yourself from doing things that would upset others or violate social norms
Security: Pursuing safety, harmony, and stability for yourself and in society
According to Schwarz’s theory, some values are compatible while others conflict with each other. The four higher-order values present two basic conflicts:
Openness to change conflicts with conservation. For example, if you value approaching challenges at work in novels ways, but your company has a very traditional approach and does not want to innvoate, you’ll feel frustrated.
Self enhancement conflicts with self-transcendence. Let’s say you are someone who aims to help others succeed, but have a teammate who focuses exclusively on their own achievement. At some point you’ll feel like this person is not a team player.
Living Your Values at Work
Person-Environment Fit
Being in a work environment in which you can thrive is crucial for your personal well-being and development. The more you feel that you and your organization are a good match (person-environment fit), the more satisfied you’ll be at work. You’re also less likely to suffer burnout or think about quitting your job.
In Psychology several variables contribute to person-environment fit such as the organization, the job itself, your team, and your supervisor. However, one of the most crucial factors is values. When you are in an environment in which you can genuinely express your values or the organization itself represents the values that are most important to you, you’ll be able to unfold in ways that would not be possible elsewhere.
For example, if you value family time, but work 70 hours a week, you’ll have inward tension and stress. You’ll have the sense that something is not right. However, if you work for a company that is very family oriented, you’ll feel like your job is more meaningful and will probably perform better.
Another example is if you don’t value competition, but are in a highly competitive environment. It would be very hard for you to flourish, because you would constantly feel like you don’t belong.
Living Your Values in Conflicts
Being aware of your values and others’ values can also help you to better deal with conflict. When you understand your colleagues’ motivations and goals, you can more effectively deal with challenging situations that arise due to differing perspectives.
Instead of reacting right away or judging prematurely, you’ll be more understanding. You can say, “I get why they’re doing that.”
For example, I had a colleague who was very career driven and it bothered me a lot. I felt like she overexaggerated her contributions to look better in front of the management. However, after reflecting some on the situation, I realized that she had a lot of self-enhancement values.
Although I personally would not do things like she did, I understood her motivation. With this understanding as a basis, we talked more productively about issues that came up due to our differing perspectives. We were more cooperative and could ultimately work better together.
For me the takeaway is we should not look down on others with differing values. Rather, we should try to understand each other, but at the same time realize we don’t have to comprimise our own values. As a result, we’ll be less frustrated and enjoy a better team atmosphere.
Living Your Values in Making Decisions
Knowing what your values are can also help you to make decisions that are more in line with your goals and motivations. You’ll ultimately be more confident about the decisions you make.
- What job would be a good fit?
- Should I accept this promotion?
- Am I able to compromise on this point?
- Should I start my own business?
- Should I ask for more responsibility at work?
- Will I approach this problem the way it’s always been done or try something new?
Exercise: Identifying Core Values
Step 1: Reference a Values List
Look at a list of personal values and identify which ones resonate most with you.
Examples of Core Values:
| Achievement |
| Collaboration |
| Communication |
| Creativity |
| Dignity |
| Discipline |
| Faith |
| Family |
| Forgiveness |
| Friendship |
| Hard work |
| Honesty |
| Humor |
| Integrity |
| Loyalty |
| Mercy |
| Respect |
| Success |
| Transparency |
Here is a rather thorough list of personal values from the Berkely Wellbeing Institute.
Write down the values that resonated most with you:
Step 2: Consider People you Admire
Consider a few people that you truly admire. The point is not to compare yourself, but to consider why you look up to them. For instance, you liked a certain teacher as a student because they were very patient and patience is something that’s important to you. We often prefer people with similar traits to us. This is referred to as the “similar to me” effect.
Step 3: Consider Your Experience of Living Your Values
Use the following questions to reflect on how your values helped shape some of your most crucial life experiences. You can also consider what these life experiences showed you about living your values.
For example, a time when I was most happy in my career was when I could build up a service from the ground up. This is because my core values include stimulation and self-direction. I was able to do something new and challenging in the way that I wanted.
- What are times in your career and personal life when you were most happy?
- What are times in your career and personal life when you were most proud?
- When did you feel most fulfilled and satisfied?
- What were some of the most painful times in your life and why?
Step 4: Categorize and Rank Your Values
Based on the values you came up with in steps 1 through 3 choose up to 10 values that are most important to you.
If you notice that some of the values are quite similar you can put them into one category and give that category a name. For example, let’s say three of your values are charity, kindness, and service. You can combine them and call the category “service to others”.
Rate each value/category on a scale of 1 (resonates with me) to 10 (crucial to my identity). This may not be that easy, but don’t overthink it. Rate each value based on your spontaneous feeling. Go with your gut.
What are you top three values (highest scores)?
| 1.) |
| 2.) |
| 3.) |
Step 5: Reaffirm Your Values
Reflect on your top three values:
- Are these something you are proud of?
- Do you feel good about these values?
- Would you support these values, even if it was not popular?
Working through this exercise takes some time and a lot of self-reflection, but it’s worth it. You’ll understand yourself better and will be more confident about making decisions that are in harmony with your goals and motivations, even when it’s difficult.
Step 6: Consider Living Your Values More
Are there certain areas at work in which you feel inner conflict. This is an opportunity to ask yourself if you’re living your values in these areas. Reflect and consider how you can express your values more. If it’s not possible, you may need to change roles.
For example, let’s say you’re in a job that requires lots of overtime, but you value spending time with your family. One solution would be to take on a less demanding role within the company. If this is not possible, then it would probably be best to find another job.
Write down how you can live your values more at work?
Values Assessments: Living Your Values
The (Schwartz) Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ)
This assessment consists of 40 questions that help you to identify which of the 10 basic individual values are most important to you. The following wiki page gives an overview of the questions in the long format assessment (male and female versions) along with the coding key to help you identify which questions correspond to which values.
There is also a shorter version called the PVQ-21 (21 questions) which lists portrait values from which you choose the ones that influence you most.
Personal Value’s Assessment (PVA)
The PVA characterizes values into three broad categories:
Personal Values: Determine who we are, what our desires are and influence why we think the way that we do
Social Values: Govern our connections with others
Universal Values: Determine cultural standards and how we process life experiences
The Barrett Values Center offers a free values assessment to help identify what’s important to you, how you’re motivated and why you do what you do.
Summary: Living Your Values
In this post we learned what values are and how to identify them. Knowing your personal values takes a certain degree of self-awareness, but it’s worth reflecting on. Research shows that working in an environment that is in line with your values leads to more work satisfaction and less burn out. By being clear about what’s important to you, you can be more confident about the decisions you make and have a more meaninful work experience.
We learned about two prominment values theories to help us gain a deeper understanding of how personal values influence our lives, even when we’re not aware of it. We also covered six simple steps you can use to identify your values and live them even more.
If you would like some professional support in this area please feel free to reach out here. We can do a few coaching sessions to make sure that you are aligned with what’s really important to you. This is quite helpful if you want to feel more motivated and improve your performance at work.
I look forward to hearing from you soon!
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