What are Values?

Generally speaking, value refers to

the relative worth of an object
Value is what makes something
desirable or preferable
Values are beliefs that a person
holds about things and aspects of
life
Values are guiding principles that
shape ones behavior all through the
life

What are Values?

A value is a belief that is meaningful.
Whether we are consciously aware of
them or not, every individual has a
set of core personal values
Values can range from the
commonplace, such as the belief in
hard work and punctuality, to the
more psychological, such as selfreliance, and concern for others

What are Values?

Values are what you move towards
and away from. They are like a
compass that directs your life
Values motivate and de-motivate,
and they justify ones behaviour
Through applying our personal
values (usually unconsciously) as
benchmarks, we continually make
subjective judgments about a
whole number of things

What are Values?

We are more likely to make choices of our
actions that support our value system
than choices that do not
Values are guiding principles and when a
person is in a dilemma as to what
direction he should take at any particular
moment in his life, it is these values that
guide his action and behavior.
People have their own value systems
which act as the lens through which they
view the world around them and make
judgments based upon this value system.

What are Values?

When we think of our values, we think of
what is important to us in our lives, for
example;
security, independence, wisdom, success,
kindness, pleasure.
Each one of us holds numerous values with
varying degrees of importance. A particular
value may be very important to one person,
but less or unimportant to another, for
example;
innovation vs. conformity, adventure vs.
security

What are Values?

Though values are essentially personal in
nature, a person at times tends to follow
the values held by the society he is part
of, as culture and social norms are a
significant source of personal values
For example in the US, the values of
liberty and freedom, individualism and
independence hold great significance and
the behavior of people in that society are
guided by these values
Compared to these, among Indians the
values of family bond, interdependence
and co-existence hold great significance

Value System
Value System -- a hierarchy based on a
ranking of an individuals values in
terms of their intensity and significance
A coherent and consistent set of values
adopted and/or evolved by aperson,
organization, or society as astandard
to guide itsbehaviorin almost all
situations.

Characteristics of Values
Values are beliefs. But they are beliefs tied
inseparably to emotions, not objectivity
Values are a motivational construct. They
refer to the desirable goals people strive to
attain
Values provide the broad preferential
framework of an individuals behaviour
Values transcend specific actions and
situations. They are an abstract concept
which distinguishes them from concepts
like norms and attitudes, that usually refer
to specific actions, objects, events or
situations.

Characteristics of Values
Values guide the selection or
evaluation of actions, policies, people,
and events. They serve as standards
or criteria against which options are
weighed
Values can be universal as well as
personal and are actually beliefs a
person has that help him behave in a
particular manner all his life
Values are ordered by importance and
intensity relative to one another

Characteristics of Values
Peoples values form an ordered
system of value priorities that
characterize them as individuals
The hierarchical feature of values
distinguishes them from tangible
concepts like norms, standards and
attitudes

Sources of Values

Genetics/Heredity
Family
Friends and Peers
School
Religion
Community/Society
Media

Values Development Stages

Ages 1-7 --- parents, family
Ages 8-13 --- teachers, heroes
Ages 14-20 --- friends, peers
(values because of peers or peers
because of values?)
Ages 21+ your values are
established, but you may test and
modify your values from time to
time.

Values Development Stages

Values are formed during three
significant periods:
Imprint period from birth to 7 years of
age
Modeling period from 8 -14 years.
Socialization period from 15 -21 years.
Some of the most important values are
formed around the age of ten years
By 21, values get established. Of
course, some modification takes place
after testing and retesting

Categories of Values
Towards-values
Away-from values
Towards-values are what you move
towards and 'away-from values' are what
you move away from
An away-from value may either prevent the
fulfillment of a towards-value or act as
driver towards fulfilling a towards-value

Categories of Values
There are two main types of values:

Ends values
Means values
An ends value is the ultimate state of
emotion you want to experience in
life, for example, enjoying power &
authority
A means value will lead you towards the
fulfillment of an ends value.
Money is a means value which many
people believe will bring happiness, an
ends value.

List of Values

Achievement
Advancement
Adventure
Affection
Competitiveness
Cooperation
Creativity
Economic
Security

Fame
Family Happiness
Freedom
Friendship
Health
Helpfulness
Inner Harmony
Integrity

List of Values

Involvement
Loyalty
Order
Personal Dev.
Pleasure
Power

Recognition
Responsibility
Self-respect
Spirituality
Wealth
Wisdom

List your Values

List the top 10

List the top 5
List the top 3
List the top 1 ?
Prioritize and draw your
value hierarchy
Make trade-offs

Classification of Values

Personal values
Family values
Social-cultural values
Material values
Spiritual values
Moral values

Gordon Allports

Classification of Values
Theoretical: Interest in the discovery of truth
through reasoning and systematic thinking
Economic: Interest in usefulness and practicality,
including the accumulation of wealth
Aesthetic: Interest in beauty, form and artistic
harmony.
Social: Interest in people and human
relationships
Political: Interest in gaining power and
influencing other people
Religious: Interest in unity and understanding
the cosmos as a whole.

Classification
of Values

Milton Rokeachs

Terminal Values
Instrumental Values

Terminal values are end result values

describing what you want to get out of life
Terminal Valuesrefer to desirable endstates of existence.
These are the goals that a person would
like to achieve during his or her lifetime.
These values vary among different groups
of people in different cultures.

Rokeachs Classification
Instrumental values are the ways
you seek to accomplish your
terminal values
Instrumental valuesrefer to
preferable modes of behavior.
These are preferable modes of
behavior or means of achieving the
terminal values.

Terminal Values

True Friendship
Mature Love
Self-Respect
Happiness
Inner Harmony
Equality
Freedom
Pleasure
Social
Recognition

Wisdom
Salvation
Family Security
National Security
A Sense of
Accomplishment
A World of Beauty
A World at Peace
A Comfortable Life
An Exciting Life

Instrumental Values

Cheerfulness
Ambition
Love
Cleanliness
Self-Control
Capability
Courage
Politeness
Honesty

Imagination
Independence
Intellect
Broad-Mindedness
Logic
Obedience
Helpfulness
Responsibility
Forgiveness

Classification
of Values

Shalom Schwartzs

Ten motivationally distinct, broad and

basic values are derived from three
universal requirements of the human
condition:
Needs of individuals as biological
organisms
Requisites of coordinated social
interaction, and
Survival and welfare needs of groups

Classification
of Values

Shalom Schwartzs
1.Self-Direction:

Independent thought and action; choosing,

creating, exploring.
2. Stimulation:
Excitement, novelty, and challenge in life
3. Hedonism:
Pleasure and sensuous gratification for
oneself
4. Achievement:
Personal success through demonstrating
competence
according to social standards

Classification
of Values

Shalom Schwartzs
5. Power:

Social status and prestige, control or

dominance over people and resources.
6. Security:
Safety, harmony, and stability of society, of
relationships, and of self.
7. Conformity:
Restraint of actions, inclinations, and
impulses
likely to upset or harm others
and violate social
expectations or
norms.

Classification
of Values

Shalom Schwartzs
8. Tradition:

Respect, commitment, and acceptance of

the customs
and ideas that the
traditional culture or religion provide

9. Benevolence:
Preserving and enhancing the welfare of
those with whom one is in frequent
personal contact

10. Universalism:
Understanding, appreciation, tolerance, and
protection for the welfare of all people and
for nature

Structure of Value
RelationsRelations of Congruity and
Conflict

Difference between values

& ethics

"Values motivate, morals and ethics constrain."

In other words values describe what is
important in a person's life, while ethics and
morals prescribe what is or is not considered
appropriate behaviour in one's life.
Values are guiding principles in life and every
person has his own value system which helps
him in his behavior and action throughout his
life.
On the other hand, ethics are moral codes of
conduct that decide what is wrong and what is
right about the behavior of an individual or a
group in a society.

 Values can be universal as well as personal

and are actually beliefs a person has that
help him behave in a particular manner all
his life.
Ethics are unwritten code of
conduct/behaviour that a person follows to
achieve his values. These are the standards
by which behaviors are evaluated for their
rightness or wrongness.
So values determine the behaviour, and
ethics shape the behaviour and reflect the
ways values are acted out.

 Imagine a person who has a strong value of

achievement and success
Knowing his value gives us a general
expectation of his behaviour, i.e. we would
expect the person to be goal oriented,
hardworking, diligent etc.
However, we cannot know whether the
person will cheat to get what he wants or
indulge in honest and fair conduct
The first dimension i.e achievement and
success is a value and the latter dimension
i.e quality of conduct and bahavior towards
the value is a matter of ethics/morality

Values across Cultures

As we are living in a global age,
technology has brought people closer,
crossing regional and cultural barriers.
Thus people of different cultures find
themselves working together and
communicating across the globe more
and more.
This is exciting, but it can also be
frustrating and fraught with
uncertainty, breakdown and failures.

Values across Cultures

(Hofstedes Framework)
How can we understand cultural
differences? Are we to learn from our
experiences, or are there generalized
guidelines to follow?
Psychologist Geert Hofstede asked
himself this question in the 1970s.
What emerged after a decade of research
and thousands of interviews is a model of
cultural dimensions that has become an
internationally recognized one

Values across Cultures

(Hofstedes Framework)

Hofstede collected cultural data from over

40 countries and analyzed his findings
Initially identified four distinct cultural
dimensions that served to distinguish one
culture from another
Later he added a fifth dimension, and that
is how the model stands today
He scored each country using a scale of
roughly 0 to 120 for each dimension. The
higher the score, the more that dimension
is exhibited in the society

Values Across Cultures

Geert Hofstedes value dimensions
Power Distance
Individualism vs Collectivism
Masculinity/femininity

(Quantity or Quality of

Life)

Uncertainty Avoidance
Long-Term or Short-Term Orientation

Values across Cultures

(Hofstedes Dimensions)
1. Power Distance (PD)
This refers to the degree of inequality that
exists (and is accepted) among people with
and without power (centralization vs
dispersion of power)
A high PD score indicates that society
accepts an unequal distribution of power,
and that people understand "their place" in
the system
Low PD means that power is shared and well
dispersed. It also means that society
members view themselves as equals

Power Distance (PD)

Tall and centralized organizations

Strong hierarchies
High on PD
Large gaps in reward & authority
Acknowledging a leader's power

Flatter organizations
Supervisors & operatives treated
almost as equals
Low on PD
Emphasis on teamwork
Involve as many people as possible
in decision making

Values across Cultures

(Hofstedes Dimensions)
2. Individualism vs Collectivism (IDV)
This refers to the strength of ties people have to
others within the community.
A high IDV score indicates high autonomy and
loose connections
In countries with a high IDV score there is a lack
of interpersonal connection, and little sharing of
responsibility beyond family and perhaps a few
close friends
A society low on IDV has a strong group
cohesion, loyalty and respect for members of the
group, and people take more responsibility for
each other's well being

Individualism vs Collectivism
(IDV)
High valuation on people's time and
need for freedom and autonomy
Enjoyment of challenges, and an
High on ID
expectation of rewards for hard
work
Respect for privacy
Acknowledge personal accomplishments
Emphasis on building group skills
Work for intrinsic rewards
Harmony more important than honesty High on ID
Show respect for age and wisdom
Respect traditions and introduce change slowly

Values across Cultures

(Hofstedes Dimensions)
3. Masculinity/femininity (MAS)
This refers to how much a society sticks with, and
values, traditional male and female roles
It also refers to the value society attaches to
material objects and money as compared to
emotions and relationships
High MAS scores are found in countries where men
are expected to be tough, assertive and provider.
If women work outside the home, they tend to
have professions that emotion and care based
In a low MAS society, the roles are simply blurred.
Women and men working together equally across
many professions. Men are allowed to be sensitive
but women can work hard for professional success

Masculinity/femininity (MAS)
Men are masculine and women are feminine
There is a well defined distinction between
men's work and women's work
Male and female roles are expected to
be
High on MAS
distinct
Men avoid discussing emotions or making
emotionally based decisions or arguments
A woman can do anything a man can do
Powerful and successful women are admired
and respected
High on ID
Job design and practices are not
discriminatory on the basis of gender
Treat men and women equally

Values across Cultures

(Hofstedes Dimensions)
4. Uncertainty Avoidance (UA)
This relates to the degree of the society
members preference for certainty, rules and
absolute truths
High UAI-scoring cultures try to avoid
ambiguous situations whenever possible. They
are governed by rules and order and they seek
a collective truth
Low UAI scores indicate that the society enjoys
novel events and values differences. There are
very few rules, and people are encouraged to
discover their own truth, deviate from
traditions and take risks

Uncertainty Avoidance (UA)

Formal business conduct with lots of
rules and policies
Need and expect structure & formality
High on UAD
Clarity about expectations and parameters
Plan, prepare & communicate often &
candidly
Informal business attitude
Focus on long term strategy than what
is happening on a daily basis
Low on UAD
Acceptance of change and risk
No unnecessary imposition of rules or
structure

Values across Cultures

(Hofstedes Dimensions)
5. Long Term/short term Orientation
(LTO)
This is the fifth dimension that Hofstede added
in the 1990s, after finding that Asian countries
with a strong link to Confucian philosophy
acted differently from Western cultures
This refers to how much society values longterm (as opposed to short-term) traditions and
values
In countries with a high LTO score, delivering
on social obligations and avoiding short-term
rewards are considered very important

Long Term/short term Orientation

(LTO)
Family is the basis of society and values
Parents and men have more authority
than young and women
High on LTO
High value placed on education & training
Respect for traditions, perseverance ,
loyalty and commitment

Promotion of equality
High creativity, individualism
Treat others as you would like to be treated
High on LTO
Be respectful of others
Introduction of quick change

Differences between cultures

on the values dimensions
Putting together national scores
(from 1 for the lowest to 120 for
the highest), Hofstede's five
dimensions model allow
international comparison
between cultures and values
ingrained therein.

Power Distance Scores

Power distance index shows very high scores for
Latin and Asian countries, African areas and the
Arab world. On the other hand Anglo and
Germanic countries have a lower power distance
(only 11 for Austria and 18 for Denmark)
For example, the United States has a 40 on the
cultural scale of Hofstede's analysis. Compared
to Guatemala where the power distance is very
high (95) and Israel where it is very low (13), the
United States is in the middle. In Europe, power
distance tends to be lower in northern countries
and higher in southern and eastern parts: for
example, 68 in Poland and 57 for Spain vs. 31
for Sweden and 35 for the United Kingdom.

Individualism Scores
Regarding the individualism index, there is a clear
gap between developed and Western countries on
one hand, and less developed and eastern countries
on the other.
North America and Europe can be considered as
individualistic with relatively high scores: for
example, 80 for Canada and Hungary. In contrast,
Asia, Africa and Latin America have strong
collectivistic values: Colombia scores only 13 points
on the IDV scale, and Indonesia 14. The greatest
contrast can be drawn comparing two extreme
countries on this dimension: 6 points for Guatemala
vs. 91 points score for the United States. Japan and
the Arab world have middle values on this dimension.

Masculinity Scores
Masculinity is extremely low in Nordic
countries:
Norway scores 8 and Sweden only 5. In
contrast, Masculinity is very high in Japan
(95), and in European countries like Hungary,
Austria and Switzerland influenced by German
culture.
In the Anglo world, masculinity scores are
relatively high with 66 for the United Kingdom
for example. Latin countries present
contrasting scores: for example Venezuela has
a 73 point score whereas Chile's is only 28.

Uncertainty Avoidance
Scores

Uncertainty avoidance scores are the

highest in Latin American countries,
Southern and Eastern Europe countries
including German speaking countries,
and Japan. They are lower for Anglo,
Nordic, and Chinese culture countries.
However few countries have very low
UAI. For example, Germany has a high
UAI (65) and Belgium even more (94)
compared to Sweden (29) or Denmark
(23) despite their geographical proximity.

Long term Orientation

Scores
High long term orientation scores
are typically found in East Asia,
with China having 118, Hong Kong
96 and Japan 88. The scores are
moderate in Eastern and Western
Europe, and low in the Anglo
countries, the Muslim world,
Africa and in Latin America.

India s Score on Hofstedes Cultural

Dimensions

Discuss?
Hofstedes Cultural
Dimensions and
impact on ethical
decision
making????