Mapping Espoused Organizational Values

Abstract

This paper develops an inventory and conceptual map of espoused organizational values. We suggest that espoused values are fundamentally different to other value forms as they are collective value statements that need to coexist as a basis for organizational activity and performance. The inventory is built from an analysis of 3112 value items espoused by 554 organizations in the UK and USA in both profit and not-for-profit sectors. We distil these value items into 85 espoused value labels, and these are assessed in terms of their similarity and difference through judgements made by 53 experienced individuals. The resulting conceptual map facilitates the evaluation of values which are espoused at the organizational level, as opposed to aggregations of personal values, an important distinction that is often ignored in the literature. This analysis identifies a number of distinct areas of emphasis occupied by espoused values. In particular, the richness of value labels that relates to broader ethical issues may be aimed at external stakeholder management, but also may have an increasing influence on organizational behaviour as they are embedded into organizational practices. By advancing our understanding of espoused values, through an analysis of those being used in practice, we provide a means by which future research into organizational values and ethical issues can progress.

Designing job ads to stimulate the decision to apply: a discrete choice experiment with business students

“…In practice, the actual recruitment message often becomes blurred in two ways. First, by inflation of the impression management message through exaggerated accounts of the company 'against the villain of mundanity or boring business' (Engstrom et al, 2017, p. 365) and by a general tendency for an excessive display of espoused values (Bourne et al, 2019). Second and related to the first, by conflation of benefits and attributes in the recruitment message.…”

Impact of cultural values on leadership roles and paternalistic style from the role theory perspective

“…These cultural values of individuals can form the espoused organizational values that have a significant effect on how leaders perform and behave in a specific way (Bourne et al, 2019;Bourne and Jenkins, 2013). As a result, the leader will adopt or improve their leadership roles.…”

Leveraging human resources management (HRM) practices toward congruence of values

“…Values become an organization's core values when the impact they have on behavior and what people do goes beyond the influence of the other values in a value system (Bourne, H. & Jenkins, M. & Parry, E., 2019). The intrinsic meaning drawn from core values motivates people to perform their tasks.…”