90 minutes (25 minutes for completion and scoring of survey; 15 minutes for lecturette; 20 minutes for small-group discussion; 20 minutes for large-group discussion; 10 minutes for debriefing)
General M–H P, T, O, D, M
1. To examine personal values in four separate orientations: activity, time, human relations, and nature
2. To identity how differences in these orientations across a workforce or team can affect workplace behaviors, perceptions, and relationships
3. To identify how differences in these orientations can affect families and cooperation in a work or campus setting
• Value Orientations Survey
• Value Orientations Survey Scoring Sheet
1. Ask participants to complete and score the “Value Orientations Survey.” (Note: It is important for participants to identify a “common other” before they begin to take the survey, e.g., work team, global organization, generational family, and so forth.)
2. Provide a lecturette on the four separate value orientations (refer to Appendix C, “Values Differences” handout on page 235 for information from which to draw lecturette material).
3. Place participants in small groups of 4–6 people and ask them to compare their responses, looking for areas of similarity and difference. Specifically discuss how both similarities and differences are likely to affect their workplace behaviors, perceptions of each other, and relationships.
4. While they are still in their small groups, ask participants to also discuss areas where each individual in the group believes he or she is different from most others in the organization. (Note: You may find differences based on articulated values versus observable behaviors.) Tell the groups to look for any implications this may have for how that person might modify behavior in the workplace and/or areas where she or he might feel either more or less comfortable in the organization.
5. Return to the larger group and discuss areas of similarities identified in the small groups. What advantages or disadvantages might this offer the team or the organization? Where did they find differences? What advantages or disadvantages does this offer the team or the organization?
1. Describe your experience in taking the “Value Orientations Survey.” Which questions were easier to answer? Harder? Why?
2. How do you feel about the values at the opposite ends of the continua from yourself? How might this relate to your experience of people who are culturally different as either co-workers or customers?
3. What values did you identify that might challenge you while working in this organization? With specific co-workers? Specific types of customers?
4. What have you learned?
5. How can you apply information from this experience to your work life?
1. Cultural values are often unconscious and frame our view of reality.
2. Value orientations can be described in terms of activity, time, relationships, and nature. These orientations can be described on a continuum.
3. When we encounter someone with different values or behaviors we are often confused, uncomfortable, or irritated.
4. Becoming aware of our own values and cultural perspectives can increase our understanding of the behavior of those who hold different values.
Adapted from the Kluckhohn “Value Orientations Survey” in Finding the Middle Ground: Insights and Applications of the Value Orientations Method, edited by Kurt W. Russo.
From each of the following general life situations please pick the best personal solution or choice for you. Also select the response that you believe most others in your organization (team, family, program) would choose as “best.” Record your choices on the “Value Orientations Survey Answer Sheet.”
You are in need of employment and have the opportunity to work for two different bosses. These two bosses are very different. Which would be the best one to work for?
A. One boss is fair with employees and offers a higher wage than others, but this boss expects employees to work hard and stick to the job. This boss does not like an employee to take unscheduled time off for a trip or to have a day of fun. Should that happen, this boss does not believe it is right to keep that employee on the job.
B. This boss pays an average wage but is not so strict. This boss understands that employees may need unscheduled time off to take a trip or to have a day of fun. Even when an employee does not show up for work, this boss keeps the employee without saying too much.
A group of individuals are discussing the way that children should be brought up. Here are three different ideas:
A. It is important for children to be taught the traditions of the past. We learn from the past, and the old ways have value. When children do not know or understand about the traditions of the past, they have no guide to follow and they get into trouble.
B. Children should be taught some of the old traditions, but it is wrong to insist that they stick to these ways. It is equally important for children to learn about new ways and to take on the ways that will best help them get along in today’s world.
C. It is not so important that children be taught much about past traditions except as an interesting story of what has gone before. It is best for children to learn new ways of doing things.
A landowner had a small herd of cattle. Over a short period of time, most of the animals died in different ways. When this was discussed, people had different things to say about what had happened.
A. Some people said the landowner was not to blame. Sometimes things like this just happen, and it is not possible to prevent such losses. It is important that we all learn to take the bad with the good.
B. Some people said it was the landowner’s fault that so many animals were lost. The landowner did not act to prevent the losses. Landowners who keep up with the new ways of doing things can almost always find a way to prevent such losses.
C. Some people said that it was probably because the landowner did not live “right”—had not acted in a way that promoted harmony with the forces of nature.
Two women were talking about the way they liked to live.
A. One woman said she liked to find extra things to do that were of interest to her. She said she was happiest when she kept busy and got many things done.
B. The other woman said she was willing to work, but she didn’t like to spend too much time doing extra things. She liked to have free time to visit friends, take trips, and talk with whomever was around.
Three young people shared their thoughts on what their own families would have one day as compared with their mothers and fathers. They each had different things to say.
A. The first person said, “I expect my family’s circumstances to be about the same as my parents’ family circumstances. It is best to work hard and plan ways to keep things as they have been in the past.”
B. The second person said, “I don’t know whether my family will be better off, the same, or worse off than my parents’ family. Things always go up and down. Even if people work hard, you can never really tell how things will go.”
C. The third person said, “I expect my family will be better off in the future than my parents’ family. If I work hard and plan well, I can expect that things will continue to get better in relation to how hard I try.”
There are different ways of thinking about God (or the gods) in relation to people, the weather, and all other natural conditions that cause crops or animals to live or die. Here are three possibilities.
A. We cannot really know how God (or the gods) will use power over all of the natural conditions that affect the crops and animals. It is useless to think we can change conditions very much or for very long. It is best to take conditions as they come and to do the best we can with them.
B. God (or the gods) does (do) not directly control all of the conditions that affect the growth of crops or animals. It is up to us to figure out the ways to understand the conditions and to try to control them.
C. God (or the gods) and people work together all the time. The good or bad conditions that affect the crops and animals depend on whether we make choices that keep us in harmony with God (or the gods) and with the forces of nature.
A family has just had a severe loss in the stock market. They are going to need help from someone to get through the next several months. There are several options for getting the help they need. Here are three possible choices.
A. It would be best to go to the boss or a close, older relative who is used to managing things and to ask for help until things get better.
B. It would be best to try to earn some extra money on their own.
C. It would be best to depend on brothers, sisters, or other relatives to help out as much as possible.
Here are three different ways that families who are related and live close together can arrange work.
A. Families that are closely related work together, and the oldest able person is responsible for and takes charge of most of the important things.
B. Close relatives in families work together to take care of whatever problems come up. Whenever a problem arises, the most able person is chosen to handle the problem, regardless of age.
C. Each family member (husband, wife, and children) looks after his or her own business and is not responsible for the other family members.
An organization similar to yours is going to send a delegate or representative to a meeting. How should the delegate be chosen?
A. It is important for the older, influential leaders to take responsibility for deciding who should represent the organization. After all, they have the most experience in such matters.
B. It is best to call everyone together for a meeting to discuss the situation until almost everyone agrees prior to taking a vote to elect the representative.
C. It is best to call a meeting, ask for names of likely representatives, then vote for the best candidate. The person winning the majority of the votes will represent everyone, even though there may be many people still opposed to this person.
Three vegetable gardeners have different ways of planting and taking care of crops.
A. One puts the plants in and works sufficiently hard but does not do more than necessary. This person believes that the results depend mainly on the weather conditions and nothing that people do can change things very much.
B. One person puts in crops and then works hard to have a good harvest, making use of all of the scientific advances available. This person believes that by using scientific methods, many of the bad conditions can be prevented.
C. One puts in crops, works hard, and tries to live in a proper way. This person believes that keeping in harmony with the forces of nature has the greatest effect on the condition of the crops.
People often have very different ideas about what has gone on before and what we can expect from life. Here are three ways to think about life.
A. Some people believe that the ways of the past (traditional ways) are the best. Things get worse as they change. These people believe that it is important to keep the old ways alive, and when those ways are lost, they try to bring them back.
B. Some people believe it is most important to pay attention to the present. They say the past is gone and the future is too uncertain. When things change, it is sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. These people see value in some of the old ways but are ready to accept new ways that make life easier and better.
C. Some people believe that the new and future ways are almost always best in the long run. They believe that the best way to live is to look ahead and give up things in the present so that the future will be better.
People may choose to work in many different ways. Here are three ways they might work.
A. Some people prefer to work for a boss who owns his own business and has been running things for a long time. People working in this situation may not take part in deciding how the business should be run, but they know that they can depend on the boss to help them in many ways.
B. Some people like to be part of a group in which everyone has something to say in the decisions that are made and everyone can count on each other.
C. Some people like to work on their own, as individuals. People working in this situation make their own decisions and expect to take care of themselves.
Three people from different geographical areas were discussing things that affect the weather and control other conditions. Here is what they said.
A. “We have never controlled the weather or other natural conditions, and we probably never will. There have always been good years and bad years. It is wisest to take things as they come and just do the best we can.”
B. “We believe it is our job to find ways to overcome weather and other conditions. We believe we can succeed in overcoming droughts and floods just as we have overcome many other things.”
C. “We can keep things going by working with the forces that cause weather and other conditions. It is when we live in the proper way—doing what we can to keep the land, water, and so on in good condition—that all goes well.”
People in your community have begun to notice that religious traditions are changing.
A. Some people are unhappy with the change. They feel that religious traditions should be kept exactly as they have been in the past.
B. Some people prefer the old religious traditions, but they realize that hanging on to them causes too many problems. It is easier to accept the changes as they happen.
C. Some people are really pleased with the changes to the religious traditions. They believe that the new ways are usually better than the old ways, and they like to keep things moving ahead.
Two people were talking about how they liked to live.
A. One person said, “What I care about most is accomplishing things. I like to get things done, to see results.”
B. The other person said, “What I care most about is having time to myself. The best way for me to live is to be true to my own nature and enjoy life.”
A woman who recently died left some land to her sons and daughters. All of these sons and daughters are adults, and they all live near each other. Here are three choices for how they might handle the property.
A. The oldest son or daughter is expected to take charge of the land and to manage it for himself or herself as well as for the others in the family who have a share.
B. All of the sons and daughters should make use of the land together. When a leader is needed, they choose one (not necessarily the oldest) to take charge.
C. Each son or daughter should take his or her share of the land and do with it what he or she wants. Alternatively, they may all decide to sell the property and split the profits equally.
There were two farmers who lived differently.
A. One farmer always put in extra time to keep the fields clear of weeds and in fine condition. Because of this extra work, the farmer did not have much time left for friends, for vacations, or for enjoying life in other ways.
B. The other farmer kept the crops growing but didn’t do any more work than absolutely necessary. This farmer did have time to spend with friends, go on vacations, and enjoy life.
Three people were talking about whether it is possible for doctors and scientists to significantly lengthen the lives of men and women.
A. One person said, “I really do not believe that there is much that human beings can do to make their lives longer. Every person has a set time to live, and when the time comes to die, it comes.”
B. Another person said, “Doctors and scientists are already finding ways to help people live longer by discovering new medicines, introducing vaccines, and studying diet. If people pay attention to new scientific discoveries, they will likely live longer.”
C. The third person said, “I believe that there is a plan to life that works to keep all things moving together. If people learn to live their lives according to that plan, they will live longer than other men and women.”
The government plans to help a community get more water by redrilling and cleaning out a community well. The government officials suggest that the community develop its own plan for dividing the additional water. Since the amount of extra water is not yet known, people feel differently about planning.
A. Some say that whatever water becomes available should be divided just as it was in the past.
B. Others want to wait until the extra water becomes available before deciding how it will be divided.
C. The rest want to work out a plan ahead of time for dividing whatever extra water becomes available.
Two men spend their time in different ways when they are not working.
A. One man spends most of his time learning new things or trying things that will help him in his work.
B. The other man spends most of his time talking with friends and visiting new places.
*** END OF SURVEY ***
Adapted from the Kluckhohn “Value Orientations Survey” in Finding the Middle Ground: Insights and Applications of the Value Orientations Method, edited by Kurt W. Russo.
Directions: Enter the letter that represents your choices (you/others in your organization, team, family, program) for each situation. At the bottom of each column, total the number of each letter (e.g., A=3, B=2, C=3) in that column. The totals will give you your values tendency for each dimension. You will then be able to compare similarities and differences with “others” in each of the four dimensions.
Doing: Work hard, apply yourself, and you will be rewarded.
Being: It is enough to just “be”; it’s not necessary to accomplish great things to be worthy.
Lineality: Some are born to lead; there are leaders and followers.
Collaterality: Consensus decision making is your preference.
Individualism: The individual should have complete control over his or her own destiny.
Past: Learn from history and emulate the past.
Present: The present moment is everything; enjoy today, don’t worry about tomorrow.
Future: Plan and set goals; sacrifice today for a better tomorrow.
Subjugation to Nature: Humans cannot alter conditions. Life is externally determined by fate, God, genetics.
Harmony with Nature: Humans should strive to live in complete harmony with nature.
Mastery over Nature: Humans’ challenge in life is to conquer and control nature.
Adapted from the Kluckhohn “Value Orientations Survey” in Finding the Middle Ground: Insights and Applications of the Value Orientations Method, edited by Kurt W. Russo.
