Values, Attitudes and Sociocultural Dimensions of Countries

Damodar Suar

 Why

to Study Values,Attitudes and crosscultural Dimensions?

(a)

Most theories developed in western culture

(Europe, north America, Australia) where 30% of
people live. That cannot be applied to the rest of
the globe where 70% people live. Understanding
and reflecting on values, attitudes and cultural
dimensions would help to modify the theories in
OB.
(b) It would help to absorb the cultural shock.
Help to deal with the employees from different
cultures.

Values, Attitudes
Values are desirable ideals. They determine how one ought to or ought not to behave or act.
According to Rokeach (1973), a value is an enduring belief that a specific mode of conduct or
end-state of existence is personally or socially preferable to an opposite or converse mode of
conduct or end-state of existence. Rokeach (1973, p. 24) mentions that the consequences of
values are manifested in virtually all phenomena. Values influence every facet of human
behavior-- attitude, behavior, ideology, evaluations, social action, moral judgment and
justification of self and others, comparison of self with others, presentation of self to others,
and attempts to influence others-- because of their centrality to individuals personality and
cognitive structure (Mindell and Gorden, 1981; Pitts and Woodside, 1991; Schmidt and Posner,
1982). Values, being the intrinsic qualities, guide all our outer activities (Super, 1970, p. 4).
Attitudes are evaluative statements. Cognitive, affective and behavioral components. All
measures emphasizes on feeling component. Values are spoken up differently by different
authors.This is the contextual use of the term, socio-cultural context, socio-culture values,
work context, work values, organizational context, organizational values.
Values are fewer in number. Many attitudes stem from a fewer number of basic values.
Both rating and ranking scales are used to measure values. Because there is a hierarchy of
values, they are measured in terms of importance.
Attitudes can be positive or negative but values are desirable attributes and positive.
Attitudes are easy to chane than values
Laws: emphasize on don'ts and values on dos. Ethics is a broader canvas of values.

Sources of Value
and Attitude Acquisition
and Change

Family,friends, relatives, membership in school, club, organizationoccupational socialization. Organization hires people whose values
match with the job profile, such people can be easily groomed.Values
and behavioral traits are difficult to change but new knowledge and
skills can be learnt easily.
Two processes for value Acquisition: 1. Social Comparison Theory:
Everyone wants to hold a positive image of himself/herself and
compares with significant others and their moral self concepts.
Congruency-retention of attitudes and values.Incongruence- change.
2.Informational Influence: Gains access to new,
persuasive,valid(true)information and authoritative views on certain
issues. Form or change attitudes and values accordingly.
Core values are difficult to change.

Dominant Work Values in Todays

Workforce
Veterans

1950s or early 1960s

Approximate
Current Age
60+

Boomers

1965-1985

40-60

Success, achievement,
ambition, dislike of authority
loyalty to career

Xers

1985-2000

25-40

Work/life balance, team

oriented, dislike of rules;
loyalty to relationships

Nexters

2000 to present

Under 25

Confident, financial success

Self-reliant but team oriented
loyalty to both self and
relationships

Cohort

Entered the Workforce

Dominant
Work Values
Hard working, conservative
conforming; loyality to the
organization

Rokeach Value survey

Terminal Values: desirable end states(18) Instrumental Values:preferable modes of behavior(18)
A comfortable life
Ambitious(hardworking)
An exciting life
Broad-minded(open-minded)
A sense of accomplishment
Capable(competent)
A world at peace
Cheerful(joyful)
A world of beauty
Clean(neat)
Equality
Courageous
Family security
Forgiving
Freedom
Helpful
Happiness
Honest(sincere)
Inner harmony
Imaginative(creative)
Mature love
Independent(self-reliant)
National security
Intellectual(reflective)
Pleasure
Logical(rational)
Salvation
Loving(tender)
Self-respect
Obedient(dutiful)
Social recognition
Polite(courteous)
True friendship
Responsible(reliable)
Wisdom
Self-controlled(restrained)

Work Values, Super (1968)

45 Items 15 Values
Altruism
Aesthetics
Creativity
Intellectual Stimulation
Independence
Achievement
Prestige
Management
Economic Returns
Security
Surroundings
Supervisory Relations
Associates
Variety
Way of life

Socio-cultural Values,
Sinha & Sinha (1974)

Lack of commitment: Wide gap between what one promise and

what one actually does.
Lack of team orientation: Preference to work alone rather than to
work in a group.
Preference for personalized relationship: Maintaining a strong
relationship with own people and distancing from others.
Dependence proneness: Tendency to lean for advice, support,
guidance and help and protection from supervisors in a situation
which does not warrant such leanings.
Aram: Rest and relaxation without doing any hard work.
Showing-off: To show off oneself greater than actual in order to
prove superiority over others.

Socio-cultural Values,
Kanungo & Bhatnagar (1978)

Francophone managers-Survival
Anglophone managers-Self-actualization

Facets of Societal and

Organizational Culture,
Sinha & Others (2004)

Four major societal dimensions-hypocrisy, corruption,

inaction, and respect to power-were shared across
locations. Three additional dimensions-quick rich
disposition, face keeping, and non-work orientationwere differently endorsed at different
locations.Organizations were perceived to have high
dimensions:entrepreneurial, exploitative, familial,
bureaucratic, growth-oriented, patronising,
professional, and parochial. All managers were
positive about their work, although locations had an
impact on hoe managers rated their achieving
behaviours and job satisfaction.

Organizational Values Suar and

Khuntia, 2005

Organizational leadership
Organizations reputation
Employee welfare
Budget stability
Organizational growth
Profit maximization
Product quality
Customer service
Quality in personnel
Cost consideration
Participative management
Obedience to organizational rules
Maintenance of physical work conditions
Protection of the surrounding environment
Reward for employees worthy contribution
Tolerance for diversity
Service to the general public
Development of the community
Innovation
Honesty
Sincerity
Transparency

Three hundred forty middle-level managers from two

private and two public sector companies rated the 22values as guiding principles to them that identified the
personal values. Top-level managers of the same
organizations were asked to rate how important such
values were to the organization that indexed
organizational values. Value congruence was the
degree to which value ratings of the middle-level
manager matched the value ratings of top-level
managers. Value congruency was more in private than
in public sector. The important shared values among
managers were product quality and customer service
in both the sectors. Values of personal virtues more
inhibited unethical practices than value congruence.
Values embodying organizational excellence and
virtues increased work behavior compared to value
congruence.

The Kluckhohn-Strodtbeck
Framework
1.

Relationship to the environment

2. Time orientation
3. Nature of people
4. Activity orientation
5. Focus of responsibility
6. Concept of space

Hofstedes Framework
(a) Individualism/ Collectivism
(b) Power distance
(c) Uncertainty avoidance
(d) Masculinity/Femininity
(e) Long-term vs. short-term orientation,
Confucian dynamism, 1991, Bond and his
associates ( Chinese Culture Connection
1987) : Long-term vs. short-term orientation

Characteristics of Organizations in
Developing Countries

A..

External Environment : Economic/Political/ Legal

i) Low predictability of events
ii)Greater difficulty in obtaining resources
B. External Environment:Socio-cultural
i) High uncertainty avoidance
ii) High power distance
iii) Low individualism/ high collectivism
iv) Low masculinity/ high femininity
v) Low abstractive/ high associative thinking
C. Internal Environment: Internal Work Culture
(a) Descriptive assumptions about what people are like
i) External locus of control
ii) Limited and fixed potential
iii) Past and present orientation
iv) Short-term perspective
(b) Perspective assumptions about how to behave
i) Passive/reactive task orientation
ii) Moralistic orientation in judging success
iii) Authoritarian/paternalistic
iv) Context dependent orientation to environment

Globe Project
Dimensions

Assertiveness
Future orientation
Gender differentiation
Uncertainty avoidance
Power distance
Individualism/Collectivism
In-Group collectivism
Performance orientation
Humane orientation

Types of Attitudes

Job satisfaction: The attitude towards the job.

Job involvement: The degree to which a person identifies
psychologically with his/her job and considers his/her perceived
performance level important to self worth.
Commitment; continuance with the organization. A willingness to exert
high effort, emotional attachment, identification, and involvement;
belief and acceptance of values and goals of the organization, OC is a
better predictor of turnover than JS. Occupational commitment more
important than than OC because of todays work force.

Value and attitude change

Individual:Self talk, Mind stilling exercise, Ethical

awareness:Training,Discussion on Ethical Dilemmas, Spiritual
Knowledge dissemination:Gita, Mahabharat, Ramayana
Group:Awareness about vision and mission-Formulation of
vision, discussion and rationalization, Ethical leadership,Group
Discussion and decision
Organizational:Reinforcing ethical norms, Ethics code, Ethical
benchmarking
Satisfaction-productivity, absenteeism(.40), poor performs stay
than superior performers.
Dissatisfaction: Exit, voice, loyalty, Neglect

Next Steps
Describe

Research the ideas generated?

Follow up with larger group?

Generate

what happens next:

action items for follow-up:

Start turning ideas into reality.