Cultural Values

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine how personal, organizational, and cultural values affect decision making in my personal and professional life. My cultural, organizational and personal values represent my beliefs and traditions of my cultural environment. Through my research, I examined values and based them on how important they are within my personal, organizational, work, and cultural lifestyle. Based on the research, I came to the conclusion knowing the foundational elements of individual behavior can be very rewarding. Values do not act individually, but also relate with other values as well. The dynamic between individual values is almost as important as the values themselves. From what I learned between research and experience, values influence choices and provide framework for life goals. They are largely culturally oriented, and are formed through the example of others. I reviewed many articles from the University of Phoenix Library which included knowledgeable information. My main objective was to research and gather as much information, to get a better understanding and to implement the importance of values, and the effects values on individuals.

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Values may be viewed as individual sets of rules by which people live and are governed. They serve as a cornerstone for beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. Cultural values therefore have a pervasive and profound influence on the individual. Values are a universal feature of all cultures, although, the types and expression of values differ widely. Values are learned during childhood along with suitable behavior that reflects them. Personal values change over time just as organizational values need to, because the environment people live and work in is changing. Values are energizing, motivating and inspiring. When people care passionate about something they will urge themselves with great achievement. My personal values affect my way of thinking at work and at home. A value is a belief, a mission or philoshy that is really meaningful to a person (Nonis,2001).

Whether we are consciously aware of them or not, every individual has a number of personal values. My personal values range from a belief in hard work, self reliance, and punctuality, concerns for others, and trust in others as well. My personal values have

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propelled me to great success and achievement not only through work but within myself as well. Personal values help me become more self aware, helps prioritize my tasks, make ethical decisions, and develops credibility. What we value shapes our choices, and impacts the decision about what is believe we can do, how well we treat ourselves and the value. Organizational values often include such tradition virtues as trust, loyalty, and commitment, honesty, and respect for one another and avoiding conflicts of interest. Values are the active component and ever developing foundation behind all organizational decisions core organizational values can remain steadfast within an environment of constant change (Sessa,2002). Values are powerful determinants of personality and culture, but the depth of their contribution to individual and organizational behavior has been greatly underestimated. Research studies have consistently found a strong relationship between values and bottom-line performance, making an understanding of values essential for success in today's business climate (Sessa,2002).

Effective team leaders and business executives build common values among the people they lead (Articulo,2002). A person's environment and life experiences shape their values. Moreover, social systems such as business organizations, schools, and churches influence my personal values as well. Values are important at the workplace. It is also important for workers to understand values and their ideals and expectations in the workplace. The universal desire of

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workers to be satisfied in their job, in their career and even with their life, could be helped if they understood and if they could harmonize their personal, and workplace values (Articulo,2002).

My work values include, being creative, working my hardest, honesty, and loyalty to fellow coworkers. Knowing how my values influence decisions, has proven to be power benefit in

matching people to the right job, building Effective teams, developing realistic plans for personal and organizational growth,