Values are a fundamental part of life and play an important role in the way your life is played out.

Your personal values are what you are and who you are; they determine how you interact with
others and how you manage your relationships with your family, friends, and colleagues.

What are values?

Values are your own individual beliefs about what is most important to you. Values are specific
belief systems we have about what is right and wrong, good and bad for our lives. An
understanding of values is one of the most rewarding and challenging keys to achieving
excellence.

Your values will determine how you will react to a certain situation or experience in life. They are
the base of your decision-making in relation to all aspects of your life, like deciding what you
wear, where you live, what to study, what you choose to do for a living, whom you marry, and
how you raise your children.

Why Identify and Establish Your Values?

Your values are formed of everything that has happened to you in your life, and might comprise
influences from your family, your religious affiliation, your friends, your education, and your
experiences.
Some of your innate values will come from your childhood, from your parents, your cultural
background, while other values may emerge or develop over time as a result of your
experiences.
Identifying your personal values and respecting them will enable you to be in harmony with
yourself and with others; for instance if two people have the same values, they will immediately
get along better than if they were not.

How to identify and prioritize your values?

It is important to learn what your values are, in order to be able to understand your reactions,
your motives and to support yourself at the deepest level. Following are two steps to help you
discover your core values and prioritize them:

1. List 10 to 15 values such as: honesty, respect, collaboration, love, challenge, independence,
empathy, wisdom, development.

2. Rank them in the order of importance, with number one the most important. If you find this
difficult, compare values with one another to determine which are more important than the
others.

For example which is more important to you honesty or respect? If the answer is honesty, is it
more important than collaboration? You keep on comparing each value with other listed values in
order to attain your pyramid of values.

Eventually you need to go through the whole list and check if any listed value is more important
than the value you begin with.
When you identify your core values, you will be able to understand why you do certain things, or
why other people do what they do.

Values will act as a set of rules and guidelines for the events you encounter in life. Living your
values is one of the most powerful tools available to you to help you become the person you
want to be, to help you accomplish your goals and dreams, and to help you lead and influence
others.

 Introduction
 There was once a young American legislator who ran for the senate. He
needed to defeat two others who were in the fray, Joel Matteson and Lyman
Trumbull, to win the seat. He had 38% support, and Trumbull only 9%.
Matteson was leading, with 44%. But what was of greater concern to this
legislator about Matteson was not his vote base but his character. Matteson
was not a man of character (he was later charged with financial
fraud).Whereas the legislator shared a common vision for the country with
Trumbull. When it became clear that he could not win the election, he
withdrew from the race. Rather than splitting the votes and allowing
Matteson to win, he backed Trumbull and urged his supporters to do the
same. He wanted the right person in the senate, and not a man of
questionable character. Not himself, but the right person. Everyone, including
Trumbull, was surprised to see the young man giving up his great advantage,
but he only said, “I could not let the whole political result go to ruin, on a
point merely personal to myself.” Trumbull won the seat, and the legislator
won Trumbull. When he later contested the elections at the national level,
Trumbull was one of his loyal supporters. He was already known for his
honesty and ethical practice. As a lawyer, he took up cases only if he
believed the client was innocent. When he knew otherwise, he walked away
from considerable fees without a thought. This man happened to be Abraham
Lincoln, and we know where adopting high values took him.
All stories of great men and women, of successful organizations and
flourishing societies have one element in common – values. A study of
accomplishment shows a very close relationship between high positive values
and sustained success.

2. What is a Value?
"Crises often reveal latent capacities."
A value is a high principle, an ideal of conduct. When Abraham Lincoln
withdrew from the race, his ideal was the country’s welfare. He made his
own personal interest subservient to the national interest. No one forced him
to withdraw or even suggested it to him. If anything, they dissuaded him
from doing it. His principle of acting for the greater good was an act of self-
discipline.
Value is a discipline that is internalized as self-discipline. It provides an
internal reference for what is right, good, and important. It is an idealized
goal of perfection, perfection being the ultimate of every quality. Each
object, person or group can have a number of qualities. Take a computer, for
example. It can be powerful, easy to use, well designed, light and affordable.
When all these attributes are met, we call the computer perfect. Every one of
these attributes is a value. In the case of a company, what would its attributes
be? Reliability, quality products, good organization, customer service,
punctuality, safety, cleanliness and many more. Every one of these attributes
that contributes to its perfection is a value of that company. When the
positive values of hard work, sincerity, generosity, honesty, creativity, sense
of humor, patience - the list is endless - are expressed to the utmost degree,
the individual exhibits perfection in an infinite number of dimensions. And
each strand of that perfection expresses a value.
Values can also be seen as ever receding goals. One can never attain a
value; one is always in the process of practicing it. Take the simple quality of
cleanliness. Right after an object or a place has been made spotlessly clean it
takes non-stop effort to maintain it so. How long does it take before dust
settles in a spot that has just been cleaned, or something is dropped or
spilled? A person is good tempered or honest if he or she practices it all day,
every day. A single lie or an angry outburst is enough to mar the reputation
built up over years. If a parcel delivery company has achieved 100% on time
delivery in a whole year, it still has to begin all over again from the first day
of the next year, to maintain the record. Values are like the horizon, they
always beckon us to go further.
Crises often reveal latent capacities. When faced with a challenge, great
people, organizations and entire societies rise to the occasion. The pressure of
the very challenge releases the energy and aspiration and makes one rise to
heights one would not reach or even aim for otherwise. A crisis is a
compulsion of outer circumstances. Values are what one imposes on oneself.
Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple Computers, imposed the value of
elegant design upon himself or accepted it. The company’s phones were not
only great in their functionality; he made sure they felt good when held in the
hand. The music players were simple and easy to operate. Even the carton
that the computer came packed in, which people would throw away, and the
design of the printed circuit board inside the computer case that no user
would see were made to look good. When his engineers argued that no one
would ever see or admire the neat circuit lines, he said a cluttered circuit
board was an unfinished product. He was a perfectionist; such a component,
regardless of whether it did the job or not, whether anyone would ever see it
or not, was unacceptable. He wanted the title bar at the top of the windows
and dialog boxes to be beautiful, he wanted the built-in calculator to be
pleasing to the eye. At the end, when he was sick and barely able to speak, he
had an oxygen monitor put on his finger. He told the doctors that it was too
complex, and suggested ways in which it could be designed to be simple and
elegant! He set the industry standards, and in some cases, he created the
industry itself. Jobs attained perfect perfection when it came to the physical
value of the external appearance of his products – good looks, elegant design,
ease of use, simplicity. Such a value for perfection took him to the height of
not just one, but multiple industries – computer, animation film, music,
telephone, tablet computing, retail and digital publishing.
Without waiting for the external circumstances to prod one into action,
values make people excel themselves. They form the bedrock of
sustainability and resilience – at the individual, organizational, societal and
global levels.

3. Physical, Emotional and Mental Values

When Steve Jobs ensured that his company’s phone would fit snugly in the
palm, he focused on the value of physical appeal. What Abraham Lincoln
valued was the mental ideal of patriotism. Values are of different types, and
can be broadly classified into three categories -physical, emotional and
mental.
What pertains to the physical plane is plainly visible to the eye. It can be
the beautiful appearance of a product, the neatness of a place, the hard work
or skill of an individual. The value is a tangible, physical reality, unlike an
idea or feeling. The speed of airplanes, the efficiency of computers and the
precision of the atomic clock are the physical values that have made these
objects successful.
Speed, efficiency, precision and a few more values are rolled into one in the
character of Phileas Fogg in Jules Verne’s novel Around the World in Eighty
Days. In the story, Fogg is a wealthy Englishman who is so methodical,
organized and punctual that one can set one’s watch by Fogg’s routine. Every
one of his daily tasks is according to a fixed schedule. He wakes up at the
same hour every day, and has his bath, the temperature of his bath water
being constant all year round. He leaves the house, takes a certain number of
steps to reach his club, and has breakfast and lunch at mathematically fixed
hours, the menu unvarying from day to day. He never hurries or delays, is
economical of his energy and is always on time. One day at the club, his
friends discuss a newspaper report that claims that it is possible to go around
the world in eighty days. The friends dismiss it as impossible. In 1872, eighty
days seemed too short to go around the world! But Fogg, whose life revolves
around the clock, does not agree. The newspaper prints a schedule for each
leg of the journey, starting from England to Africa, and from there to Asia,
America and back. There isn’t a single day for unaccounted delays. But the
unexpected does not exist, says Fogg, to whom following schedules is the
way of life. He bets his entire fortune on completing the journey in eighty
days, and sets off on an adventure that sees delays, dangers and a lot of the
unexpected. But through it all, Fogg is collected, organized, and as usual,
punctual in the completion of his journey in the said time.
The physical value of punctuality in one’s actions can be measured by the
clock. There are other values, such as Lincoln’s love for the country and
aspiration of freedom for the slaves that cannot be measured by a tool. These
are values of the emotions, intangible, but just as real and powerful. The
generosity or goodwill of a friend, the cooperation among employees, the
integrity of the seller, the commitment of a company to its customers, the
harmony in a family, the empathy for another or the unity in diversity in a
country are emotional values that define the individual or group.
‘All for one, one for all’ is the refrain of the musketeers in Alexander
Dumas’ French novel The Three Musketeers. Athos, Porthos and Aramis, the
original three musketeers, along with their friend D’Artagnan, live and are
willing to die by their motto. Their unity, courage, taste for challenge, loyalty
to the group and the leader are evident throughout the novel. When the queen
entrusts them with the task of getting her diamonds back from the Duke of
Buckingham in England, the French Cardinal Richelieu tries to prevent them.
He sets up one obstacle after another, and attempts are made to attack the
musketeers and kill them. But they are united, brave, and deeply motivated to
fight for each other and their queen. They accomplish the task successfully,
and all of them go on to reach very high levels in society.
A subtle variant of the value that is non-physical but unemotional is the
value of the thinking mind. Accuracy in financial accounting in a company,
discipline in an army, the educational level of the population, creativity of an
artist, and knowledge or dynamism in individuals are some mental values
that contribute to success.
Literature is filled with men and women of values of all types. The prolific
English writer Anthony Trollope who has written forty seven novels besides
short stories and non-fiction has created hundreds of characters, some of
whom exemplify great values. Doctor Thorne, in the book with the same
name, is an honest, sincere man who lives with his niece Mary in a small
English town. He is not wealthy, but makes a comfortable living. He is
trusted by all who know him, and Roger Scatcherd, the wealthy businessman
in the town, makes him the executor of his will. By a turn of circumstances, it
turns out that Thorne’s niece, Mary, stands to inherit all of Scatcherd’s
wealth. The sum is enormous, and its consequences, greater still. It will
enable Mary to marry her lover, the local squire’s son, and reverse the
square’s family fortunes. But neither title nor fortune interests Thorne. He
places people above money, and values even above people. He treats
Scatcherd without a thought about the money. Scatcherd’s son is drinking
himself to death, and Thorne tries his best to cure the young man of his habit.
He not only keeps from talking or doing anything with reference to the
money, he is able to even keep from thinking about it. When he fails to save
Scatcherd’s son, he sincerely regrets the loss, and gives no thought to his
niece’s inheritance. Even when Mary becomes an heiress, the thought of any
personal benefit does not cross his mind. So completely immune is he to all
mercenary feelings that the fabulously wealthy Lady Dunstable, who is
chased by suitors who have an eye on her money, falls in love with him for
this very value. He is the only man of her acquaintance who does not value
her, or anyone else for their bank balance. She marries him, and the middle-
aged bachelor finds unexpected emotional fulfillment as well as great wealth.
There are some values that may be classified under more than one category.
Freedom may mean employees in a company can spend part of their time on
any project of their choice. In a family, it can translate as imposing less
authority and encouraging greater individuality. Freedom in society allows
each member to practice any religion or adopt any political ideology. It can
be freedom in act, feeling or thought. There are some other values that
transcend the physical, emotional and mental, and touch the spiritual-love,
faith, goodness, self-giving.

4. Values at the Individual, Societal and Organizational Level

‘The first thing [in credit] is character … before money or anything else,’
said J P Morgan. Individuals like Morgan who have internalized positive
values are guided in their every act, decision, word, even thought by these
values. These values are often seen raising these people to the peak of their
fields. Leonardo da Vinci’s creativity, William Shakespeare’s insight into
human nature, Abraham Lincoln’s idealism, Winston Churchill’s courage
and Nelson Mandela’s aspiration for equality were the guiding light of their
lives, which influenced not only their own future but that of their society,
sometimes the whole of humanity as well.
One such individual value was George Washington’s self-restraint.
Washington was one of the founding fathers of the US, the man who won the
Revolutionary War and led the country to freedom. It needed patriotism, self-
sacrifice, leadership qualities and immense courage to wage a war and free
the country. But what made him the first president of the independent country
was his ability to restrain himself, even under pressing circumstances.
 Abraham Lincoln would say later, ‘If you want to test a man’s character,
give him power’. Washington had this power. He led the continental army
against the British in America, and had all the military power that was to be
had. But when he wanted money for his army, he approached the US
Congress and waited for its sanction. When he and his soldiers were hungry,
cold and ill, he did not demand or take what was desperately needed. He
never once overruled the Congress or acted arbitrarily. He sought to establish
a democracy in the US, where the military would serve the elected
government, and not overrule it. This great self-restraint he expressed under
trying conditions, even when his soldiers were starving in the winter,
convinced everyone that he was a man they could trust with supreme power.
After the country became free of authoritarian foreign rule, the Americans
did not want any more authoritarianism, even if it was only domestic. They
were even reluctant to forge a central government. Having got rid of a
foreign monarch, they did not want another closer to home. Only one who
would not misuse power would be acceptable. They had seen that the one
man who could be absolutely trusted with power, regardless of the
circumstances, was George Washington. So they unanimously elected him
the President of America twice. He refused to contest a third time, a practice
that has been followed by Presidents in the US ever since.
Today, the American nation is known for the various types of freedom it
provides its people. The American value of freedom, Germany’s reputation
for engineering precision or the sense of honor among the Japanese are
values adopted collectively in society. Values when adopted at the level of
society or the whole nation generate enormous power for accomplishment.
When Mahatma Gandhi told the Indians that it was possible to obtain
freedom from the British colonists through peaceful means, he was only
voicing his strong conviction. His sincerity and idealism drew millions of
Indians to follow him. He asked them to give up their British government
jobs, boycott British goods and defy the government rules without violence.
And 300 million people obeyed him. His commitment to his values was so
intense and he was able to inspire the entire society to follow him. A half-
naked man, according to the British, Gandhi had no military, political or
financial power. But when he called on the Indian people to practice civil
disobedience, they responded in millions. His idealism and values of non-
violence and self-sacrifice became the values of the entire nation. The
strength of these values at the level of the whole society proved greater than
the political, military and financial might of the British.
 Values lead to unfailing success when coupled with the view of the whole.
High achieving companies and other organizations are distinguished by their
values. A narrow focus on profits is not the formula for sustained success.
Success stories are better known for one or more values instead -BBC’s
reliability, Walt Disney Company’s creativity, FedEx’s organization, Apple
Computers’ user-friendliness, Volvo Cars’ safety, Walmart’s value for
money, Google’s innovation, Wall Street Journal’s expertise, Amazon’s user-
friendliness. This is a very incomplete list of successful organizations that
follow values, and see profits follow.
This is true even when adopting a high value seems to be detrimental to the
annual balance sheet. Northwestern Mutual is a US financial services
organization that offers among other products, life insurance. Soon after it
was started 150 years ago, there was a train accident in Wisconsin, and the
fledgling company received its first two claims amounting to $3,500. The
company had only $2,000. So the company’s President and Treasurer
personally borrowed the needed funds to pay the claims immediately.
Following this, the company saw a rapid increase in sales and expansion into
new markets. It was seen that the company would always honor its policy,
regardless of its own monetary interests.
Northwestern Mutual came to be one of the most admired in its field. The
value of its Founder President is seen in the company even a century and a
half later. When a man died of gunshot wounds, the coroner’s investigation
found that it was a case of suicide. The man had taken out a Northwestern
Mutual life insurance policy, which did not provide coverage in the event of
suicidal death. But Northwestern Mutual was not quite satisfied by the
coroner’s report and decided to launch an investigation of its own. The
company concluded that there was a reasonable doubt about whether it was a
case of suicide and paid the full value of the policy to the deceased man’s
family!
There was another case where a 32-year-old stockbroker, a married man
with children, failed to pay the quarterly premium on his $100,000 life
insurance policy with Northwestern Mutual. In spite of repeated reminders
from the company, the policy owner allowed his policy to lapse. Six months
later the man’s wife phoned the Northwestern Mutual agent who had sold the
policy to her husband and informed that her husband had been hospitalized
with a brain tumor. The doctors said he had only one or two years to live. She
was informed by the agent that the policy had lapsed. Legally, there was
nothing more that was necessary or could be done by anyone.
 The company’s values permeate into each employee, who is motivated to
uphold them. The agent was quite upset. He had done what was officially
required of him. But he was not satisfied. He recalled a casual statement of
the man’s wife that her husband had been making irrational business
decisions for several months, perhaps because of the tumor. The agent
referred the matter to the Northwestern Mutual head office, asking if
anything could be done. The company agreed to reopen the case for
investigation. Months went by, and then one day the policy owner’s wife
received a call from the agent. The company had decided that her husband
had been disabled by his illness prior to the lapse of the policy and was
entitled to a waiver of premiums from that time. The policy was reinstated at
no cost! It is no wonder there is a joke about the company, you can recognize
a Northwestern Mutual agent by his halo. Apart from this halo, have the
company’s high ideals resulted in anything else? Yes, the admiration of
people and the corporate analysts and unsurpassed ratings for insurance
financial strength from all major rating agencies in the US. And the number
one position in individual life insurance in the country.

5. The Power of Values

Values form a part of everyone’s education, starting from infancy. Fables,
fairy tales and folk tales are full of them. The thirsty crow that fills the pot
with stones to make the water level rise so it can drink the water is a lesson in
resourcefulness, the tortoise that plods slowly and steadily and overtakes the
sleeping hare is a testimony to the ultimate success of hard work and
perseverance. Proverbs and aphorisms do the same. ‘Pride comes before a
fall’ and ‘Fortune favors the brave’ contain the essence of profound values in
a few words. Religion and philosophy preach them. Motivational speakers,
books and movies too deal with them. Values are often seen as what makes
one good in a moral sense. But values are not simply ethical or moral issues.
They are of practical significance.
If you take any case of sustained success, at any level, in any field,
anywhere in the world, in the individual, organization or society,
accomplishment has always been accompanied by values. It may be one
value to the exclusion of all else, or it may be a number of values, each
practiced to different extents. But there has been no case of sustained success
in the absence of strong positive values.
Physical skills harness, direct and channel physical energy in a controlled
manner to generate precise movements and achieve high performance.
Similarly, values harness, direct and channel psychological energy to
generate remarkable results in personal and social life.
 Values spur us to excel ourselves, where we would have been satisfied
otherwise. When we set a high standard for ourselves, we follow it up with
action. Values give the sense of direction; they provide the energy for the
journey. The quality of the values and the intensity of our commitment to
them determine the level of accomplishment. Values translate as consistency
at a high level.

6. Integration of Values
"The power that the US enjoys today can be traced
to Lincoln’s reconciling and integrating the values
of unity and freedom."
It is very rare to see an individual or a group with only a single positive
value. When one value is raised, many others are raised in the process. When
we decide to practice punctuality, we find that it is necessary to be organized
as well. Our things have to be kept in order, so time spent on searching is
eliminated. Cleanliness results. We begin prioritizing our tasks better. Our
efficiency and productivity improve. What begins as the raising of one value
results in overall improvement. When a company decides that it will
minimize wastage of every type, it finds new uses for objects it would have
otherwise discarded. Creativity is spurred, money is saved. When it
minimizes the time spent on tasks, processes become faster and more cost
effective. Customers are better pleased. Business improves and greater
growth ensues. All values are integrated, such as cleanliness and health;
customer relations and prompt service; education and employment;
prosperity and communal harmony; women’s education and children’s
health; good governance and law & order. When one is adopted, the others
follow since they are interlinked. Sometimes, two values that seem mutually
exclusive can become powerful allies.
The United States at the time of Abraham Lincoln’s presidency was
disunited on the subject of slavery. Lincoln wanted all Americans to be free.
After his victory and even before he took office, the southern states that
wanted the continuation of slavery declared their secession from the union. It
seemed like Lincoln could either keep the nation united, or free the slaves.
He could have unity or freedom, but not both.
The American Civil War was waged. Lincoln tried to reconcile two values
that seemed contradictory. He also knew the deeper truth, that fundamentally
there is no unity without freedom, or vice versa. Lincoln preserved the union,
abolished slavery, strengthened the federal government, and the United States
came into its own. The power that the US enjoys today can be traced to
Lincoln’s reconciling and integrating the values of unity and freedom.

7. Value Implementation
A man once picked up his shopping bag and was leaving a store, when the
girl at the billing counter said something he did not catch. He asked her to
repeat it, and she snapped, ‘I said, have a good day’. She had been trained to
say ‘Have a good day’ to each customer as he or she left. She followed it, but
how?
The power of values issues from the intensity of our commitment to them
and the extent to which they actually influence our mental, emotional and
physical behavior. Seen at the individual level, good manners represent a
superficial external expression of values, which may not reflect any real inner
conviction or commitment. When we mentally endorse a value and are
determined to realize it, the value acquires the energy of a mental conviction.
When our emotions fully sanction the value and are determined to live by it,
the value acquires the power of character. The greater and deeper the
acceptance of the value, the more fully it expresses in external acts and the
greater the intensity it generates for achievement. Values that build the
individual also build the organization, society, and all humanity.
The most powerful corporate values are not the ones that are preached and
practiced by top management. They are the ones that penetrate through all the
layers of the organization down to the bottom, where they are implicitly
followed, often unconsciously. Implementation of the values in an
organization involves a multi-stage process of defining, communicating and
measuring performance on the value, assigning responsibility for it at
different levels of the organization, developing systems for monitoring and
feedback, and imparting the required knowledge, skill and attitudes to people.
The implementation of the value of safety at the DuPont chemical company
illustrates all these stages of value implementation.
Éleuthère Irénée du Pont immigrated to America from France in 1790 and
established a gunpowder mill. He started a safety tradition at his mill that has
long outlived its founder or the mill and become a core value of the company.
He designed his first powder mills to minimize the danger in the event of an
explosion. He tested new gunpowder formulations himself before permitting
other employees to handle them. He established a rule that no employee was
allowed to enter a new mill until he or his general manager had first operated
it safely. But more than all these precautions, he demonstrated his
commitment to safety by living with his family on the plant site beside the
mills along with his employees.
Nearly two hundred years later, in 1985, DuPont’s safety record was truly
impressive. Its workdays-lost rate (related to accidents) in the United States
was 69 times better than the average for all U.S. industry and 17 times better
than the average for the U.S. chemicals industry. In 2013, one DuPont site at
Towanda, Pennsylvania celebrated 40 consecutive years without an event-
related, lost workday case. The plant population has varied from 500 to 1,000
employees, and put in 57 million hours of work! Another plant at Stow, Ohio
set a workplace safety record in 2007 with 60 years without a lost workday
case.
How does DuPont do it? It begins by converting the corporate value of
safety into an explicit objective—zero accidents. This objective is based on
the belief that all accidents are preventable. At DuPont safety is a line
management responsibility. All managers, from the chairman of the board to
the supervisors who manage groups of workers in plants or offices around the
world, are responsible for safety in their departments. If an injury occurs in
any DuPont plant, it is reported to world headquarters within 24 hours. If a
death occurs, it is reported to the chairman. At DuPont the CEO is also the
Chief Safety Officer, and at all executive committee meetings, safety is first
on the agenda.
The same importance is given to safety by plant managers. Every plant
defines standards, sets goals, designs a safety program, and conducts regular
safety audits. Training is a key element. The first thing taught in every
training program is safety. Studies have shown that safety performance is
proportionate to the level of training of the workforce, so training is
continued as an ongoing activity. More impressive than all these things is the
fact that all supervisors in DuPont facilities must review one safety feature
every single day with each of their subordinates. Every sales and
administrative department also conducts regular safety meetings. An open
file drawer in a DuPont office is considered a safety hazard and attracts
immediate attention.
There is also a specific set of safety-related rules. Wearing seat belts in
company vehicles while on work-related business travel is mandatory.
Defensive-driving courses are given to employees who travel for the job by
car. When one traveling employee in Florida was identified by his manager
as a problem driver, an outside driving expert was flown in the next day to
give him special instruction.
 Safety is the responsibility of every employee at DuPont, not just
managers. Rules are enforced by discipline, and violations are a serious
matter. All employees know that the fastest and surest route to getting fired is
to repeatedly violate safety rules and procedures. The company tries to
positively involve workers in the safety program.

"Values form the bedrock of free, prosperous

resilient societies."
Safety at DuPont does not end at 5 P.M. There are off-the-job safety
programs, too. The company has managed to reduce off-the-job accidents
and raise the number of employees wearing seat belts during non-work hours.
Even visitors who drive out of a DuPont parking lot may have the guard
asking them to buckle up. Not only is implementation done through formal
systems and procedures but the value has become so fully institutionalized
that it is a custom or culture of the company. As a value becomes more
institutionalized, the formal structures for implementation fade out of use.
DuPont’s obsession with safety more than justifies the cost. It has saved the
company hundreds of millions of dollars, won the loyalty of its employees,
and earned it the best reputation in the chemicals industry. Safety is an
outstanding human relations tool. It shows concern for people. It pays in the
protection of the skills that they have built up and in the elimination of
suffering. It pays in the reduction of workers’ compensation and maintenance
rates and in the loss of property. A manager who manages safety well
manages quality, production and costs well, too. The technique that one
learns in managing safety applies to any parameter. There is a tremendous
payback, and the biggest payback is in the efficiency of management.
Striving for high values is not a luxury for the successful, it is a way to
become successful.

8. How do Values evolve over time?

High idealistic values are as ancient as humanity itself. But over time the
application and implementation of those values have changed enormously.
Values once applied to intimate family and local communities have gradually
been extended to the community, caste, class, nation and beyond to
encompass all of humanity. At one time the value of the individual was
narrowly limited to the divine right of kings. The lofty values of freedom and
equality enshrined in the American Declaration of Independence were
formulated by many eminent individuals who either owned or condoned
slavery. At the time it was drafted, the proclamation that “all men are created
equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights” was not applied to women
or blacks. The founding fathers of the US who signed the Declaration of
Independence were not insincere in their declaration, but their commitment
was limited and very narrowly defined. Slavery was only abolished in 1865.
Women obtained the right to vote only in 1922. It took a long Civil War and
two centuries of further social evolution for these lofty principles of freedom
and equality to be extended in law and partially in practice to all Americans
regardless of race, religion or gender. Values permeate gradually. That is the
process of social development.
Gradually, the application of values is being extended more broadly and
comprehensively. The rights of citizens in most countries were never
intended to protect foreigners or even non-citizens. Religions often applied
values only to members of their own sect and denied them to “non-
believers”.
The “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” adopted in 1948 marks a
new and greater stage in the social evolution of humanity in which the notion
that values must be uniformly applied universally to all humanity has been
accepted in principle even though we are a long way from doing so in
practice. Slavery, religious persecution, apartheid, holocaust and
untouchability are some ideas that appall us today. Caste system,
fundamentalism, human trafficking, corruption and many such negative
elements in the world today will similarly become part of our past someday.
Values and social organization evolve hand in hand. Values energize and
elevate the organization. The organization disseminates and reinforces the
values. The extension of values requires the evolution of legal, political,
social and cultural institutions capable of giving expression to the values, of
enforcing adherence and inculcating them in its members.

9. Conclusion
As societies evolve, so do values. Stated otherwise, society evolves in the
measure it adopts and extends in practice high values to its members and
expresses them in its relationships with other societies. Society is not built on
any physical structure. It is built on values. A relationship or an organization
without values becomes an oppression. It is values that decide whether an
organization stifles growth, freedom and individuality, or fosters them,
whether it is part of the problem or part of the solution.
Values represent the subtle psychological infrastructure on which cohesive,
sustainable, resilient societies are founded. So, if we need a global society,
we need universal values. Values form the bedrock of free, prosperous
resilient societies.

Understanding the power of Value

by Magnus Billgren
Topics: Product Value
In my work with product management I often see poorly designed Value
concepts that  become useless. This is because we turn the Value-work into a
philosophical discussion rather than a business driven. 

When asking people “What is Value?”, most would probably propose a valid

explanation. As a consequence of that, we could have thousands of potentially
good definitions of Value. Most definitions would be able to stress different
aspects of value, and would approach the word from different
angles. Therefore, we have seen a need to define the concept to make it
possible to work with. We have chosen to use the definition formulated by
James C. Andersson et al. in the book “Value Merchants”.

“Value, in business markets, is the worth in monetary terms of the technical,

economical, service and social benefits a customer firm receives in exchange
for the price it pays for a market offering.”
The definition gives us a starting point and allows us to develop principles and
processes. There are five main principles for working with Values (according
to Andersson et al. & Tolpagorni). Let’s analyze them:

1. All values can be more than what a single customer

needs
The intrinsic value of a product can be huge. A single customer will not benefit
from all Values. The Value delivery to a single customer is not the sum of all
values of the product, but a subset of them.

We will need to “Discover” all the values we are delivering. We need to get
beyond the simple value statement into the true logic of our value delivery.

2. All values must be adapted to a specific context.

The Value of a product is not found in the product. It is found in the customers’
processes and usages of it. We need to truly understand the different
customers’ business logic and their ways of working.

3. All values in a product must be compared with an

alternative
There is always an alternative for the customer. Either a customer finds a
competing product, builds one, develops a workaround or builds manual
processes. There are numerous alternatives. And our Values must be
 compared with the relevant alternative. These alternatives are essential to
“Define” the value we deliver.

4. All values can be expressed in monetary terms.

The key values of a product should be explained in a way easily understood
and processed by our customers. To do that we firstly need to “Connect” the
relevant value proposition with the target market. In addition, the product (and
the alternative) needs a financial analysis. How can the customer monetize on
our product?

5. All values in a product should be transferred to the

customer in an effective way, to secure the adequate
money recognition.
All sales processes are complex. There are triggers for pursuing procurement.
They vary over the buyer’s journey. They are also accompanied by
showstoppers. To communicate successfully we need to understand
and “Connect” the triggers, showstoppers and stakeholders, in the buyer’s
journey.

We need to support the sales force with specific tools to “Convey” the
relevant value of our product. The support tools should engage the customers
with a clear and effective message of the relevant value.

Based on these principles we can summarize the Value Development process

into two main phases:

 Value Design – This is where we initially Discover the value logic, and

then connect them to the target markets and the market insights. In the Value
Design phase, we also need to Define the resonating focus of the Value
Proposition for the different target markets.
 Value Communication – This is where we firstly Connect the key value
messages with the buyers’ journey and stakeholders. In the Convey phase we
choose how to support the customers buying our product, and how we support
the sales organization to sell our products.
To really experience this journey, it is not sufficient with a simple value
proposition or a good story line. It could be necessary to develop sales tools
like Value Tree to engage the customer in the total benefit experience. Feel
free to download our white paper that will guide you through how to build your
own value logic.

The Power of Personal

Values
Do you know your values?
The Thrive Global Community welcomes voices from many spheres on our open platform.
We publish pieces as written by outside contributors with a wide range of opinions, which
don’t necessarily reflect our own. Community stories are not commissioned by our editorial
team and must meet our guidelines prior to being published.

By 

 Sanja Tesic, A former war child refugee, qualified Neuro Linguistic Programming
Practitioner, lifestyle business owner, she is empowering young adults.


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One of my top values is Family (hands my mum and I)

Your values are the things that you believe are important in the way you
live and work.

They (should) determine your priorities, and, deep down, they’re probably
the measures you use to tell if your life is turning out the way you want it to.

When the things that you do and the way you behave match your values,
life is usually good – you’re satisfied and content. But when these don’t
align with your values, that’s when things feel… wrong. This can be a real
source of unhappiness.

This is why making a conscious effort to identify your values is so

important.

Making value-based choices may not always be easy. However, making a

choice that is aligned with your values will bring you inner and outer
happiness and satisfaction.

How Values Help You

Values exist, whether you recognize them or not. Life can be much easier
when you acknowledge your values – and when you make plans and
decisions that honour them.

If you value family, but you have to work 70-hour weeks in your job, will you
feel internal stress and conflict?

In these types of situations, understanding your values can really help.

When you know your own values, you can use them to make decisions
about how to live your life, and you can answer questions like these:

•What job should I pursue?

•Should I accept this promotion?

•Should I start my own business?

•Should I follow tradition, or travel down a new path?

So, take the time to understand the real priorities in your life, and you’ll be
able to determine the best direction for you and your life goals!

As you move through life, your values may change. For example, when you
start your career, success – measured by money and status – might be a
top priority. But after you have a family, work-life balance may be what you
value more.

As your definition of success changes, so do your personal values. This is

why keeping in touch with your values is a lifelong exercise. You should
continuously revisit this, especially if you start to feel unbalanced… and you
can’t quite figure out why.

Defining Your Values

When you define your personal values, you discover what’s truly important
to you. A good way of starting to do this is to look back on your life – to
identify when you felt really good, and really confident that you were
making good choices.

Step 1: Identify the times when you were happiest

Find examples from both your career and personal life. This will ensure
some balance in your answers.

•What were you doing?

•Were you with other people? Who?

•What other factors contributed to your happiness?

Step 2: Identify the times when you were most fulfilled and satisfied

Again, use both work and personal examples.

•What need or desire was fulfilled?

•How and why did the experience give your life meaning?

•What other factors contributed to your feelings of fulfilment?

Step 3: Determine your top values, based on your experiences of happiness

and fulfilment

Why is each experience truly important and memorable?

Step 4: Prioritize your top values

This step is probably the most difficult, because you’ll have to look deep
inside yourself. It’s also the most important step, because, when making a
decision, you’ll have to choose between solutions that may satisfy different
values. This is when you must know which value is more important to you.

•Write down your 10 top values, not in any particular order.

•Look at the first two values and ask yourself, “If I could satisfy only one of
these, which would I choose?” It might help to visualize a situation in which
you would have to make that choice. For example, if you compare the
values of career and travel, imagine that you must decide whether to apply
for a job which will give you that career promotion in your city, or travel the
world and gain some cultural and different life experiences.

•Keep working through the list, by comparing each value with each other
value, until your list is in the correct order.

Step 5: Reaffirm your values

Check your top-priority values, and make sure they fit with your life and
your vision for yourself.

•Do these values make you feel good about yourself?

•Would you be comfortable to tell your values to people you respect and
admire?

•Do these values represent things you would support, even if your choice
isn’t popular, and it puts you in the minority?

In Summary:

List your 10 values

List your top 5 values out of the 10 values previously identified
List your TOP 3 values from the 5 values previously identified
These 3 values are the ones that you truly believe are the way you wish to live and
work in this period of your life.
Start making decisions in line with your values. When your life is aligned
with your values you will achieve and enjoy balance and happiness

The Power of our Values and Beliefs

Posted on February 19, 2010 by Jane Barr-Thomson, One of Thousands of
Executive Coaches on Noomii.
What are the values and beliefs that shape your life? Understanding the impact our
beliefs have is crucial in making deep long-lasting changes.

_"Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. Human beings have the
awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that
disempowers them or one that can literally save their lives." _Tony Robbins

This is one of the most fascinating topics for me as a coach. The impact both
positively and negatively on our lives of our beliefs and values is continually
demonstrated for me both in my life and the lives of my clients.

This quote by the highly acclaimed motivational speaker and author Tony Robbins
says that “Beliefs have the power to create and to destroy” – wow!

It’s a big statement – how does that sit with you? Can you think of any examples in
your own life or in the lives of those close to you where by changing their beliefs has
literally changed their lives?

In this article I would like to explore:

1. what are values
2. what are beliefs
3. why examine them

What are Values?

It seems to me the clue to the distinction between values and beliefs lies in the
words themselves.

Values are literally what we value the most, hold dear to ourselves, what is precious,
important and what we couldn’t live without. A value is a principal, a quality
intrinsically important to you – it’s very personal and our core values are formed at
an early age.
Some common examples are: love, freedom, independence, fun, safety
Values help us to understand why we are here and for what purpose. They give
parameters for the meaning in our lives. They can also include our beliefs,
convictions and ethics.

What are Beliefs

Beliefs are the ideas and the concepts we have about who we are and about how
the world operates. Beliefs are the ideas that we live by either consciously or
unconsciously. Interestingly our beliefs are not necessarily based on objective proof
or evidence – yet form the basis of our convictions about life.

Beliefs can be broken down into two distinct categories

1. limiting beliefs- beliefs that limit us in some way – for example “I am too old to get
married”
2. empowering beliefs – beliefs that support us and inspire us to action – for example
“ Anything I put my mind to I can achieve”

I’d like to tell a true story that illustrates both types of beliefs in action:
Mr Wright was diagnosed with terminal cancer of lymph nodes. He was determined
to get well and had read about a new drug called Krebiozen. Convinced that it would
cure him he persuaded his doctor to give it to him and within a few days was well
and walking around – the tumours literally melting.

Mr Wright continued to recover until he happened to read an article casting doubt on

the new drug.His confidence undermined he relapsed and ended up back in hospital.
His well-intentioned doctor told him that the batch of drugs he’d been given was
substandard – and a new improved formula was being sent to him. The doctor just
gave him distilled water and within a couple of days Mr Wright was again making a
full recovery and was able to fly his own plane once again.

He was the very picture of health until he read an article that the American Medical
association had declared the drug useless in treatment of cancer. Mr Wright was
dead within two days. *

To me this story illustrates not only the power of our beliefs – but also the importance
of examining our underlying core beliefs.

As Tony Robbins said – it can literally save your life!

It seems to me that Mr Wright had an empowering belief that by taking this drug it
would make him well and quickly.

It also turns out that Mr Wright probably had a limiting belief that he was at the mercy
of his cancer without the drugs.

What could have happened if Mr Wright believed in the power of his own body to
heal the cancer?

Why examine our values and beliefs?

Most of us have a complex set of beliefs and values – and you may have found like
me that many of them are in conflict. We may believe it is important to spend quality
time with our families and yet highly value financial independence and freedom –
and its often our unconscious or underlying beliefs that can control how we live our
lives. This kind of values conflict can lead to all sorts of stress and unwelcome
results in our lives.

In actually taking the time to identify what we value, what we believe and why is a
wonderful way of understanding yourself at a deeper level and gaining clarity as to
who you are and why you do the things that you do!

A life based on a personal code of values brings meaning, purpose, and direction to
living.
• Life vision and goals are clear
• Decisions are easier
• Choices are clear
• Stress is reduced
• Life is easier
Great reasons I believe to get your values and beliefs clear!
Our thoughts and beliefs colour our vision and perception of the world. They
determine our actions or inactions. Thoughts affect feelings. Feelings affect
behaviour. Behaviour produces results (or the lack of them). It all begins with our
thoughts, since we have to accept a thought for it to become a belief.

It’s been said that whatever you believe becomes your reality. You do not believe
what you see; rather you see what you already believe.

What we can or cannot do, what we consider possible or impossible, is rarely a

function of our true capability. It is more likely a function of our beliefs about who we
are.

And yet so many of us don’t consistently live by our values. Have you ever
been in any of these situations?

 Someone said or did something that you strongly disagreed with, but
you didn’t speak up about it and felt ashamed afterwards.
 You set goals for yourself and then failed to meet them. 
 Your life or career haven’t worked out the way you wanted them to.
 What you want often clashes with what you've got to do or what’s
“practical.”
 You’re so busy pleasing other people that you’re not even sure what
your own true values are. 

If any of these resonate with you, then this tutorial will help you. In it, you’ll
learn what personal values are and why they’re important. Then we’ll go
through all the steps involved in defining and prioritising your values,
changing them as necessary, and living by them so that your actions are
aligned with your values.

When you live by your values, you feel better about yourself and are more
focused on doing the things that are important to you. In this tutorial, you’ll
see how to achieve that.

1. What Are Personal Values (And Why

Do They Matter)?
Let’s start with a personal values definition. Personal values are the things
that are important to us, the characteristics and behaviours that motivate us
and guide our decisions.

For example, maybe you value honesty. You believe in being honest
wherever possible and you think it’s important to say what you really think.
When you don’t speak your mind, you probably feel disappointed in
yourself.

Or maybe you value kindness. You jump at the chance to help other
people, and you’re generous in giving your time and resources to worthy
causes or to friends and family.

Those are just two examples of personal values out of many. Everyone has
their own personal values, and they can be quite different. Some people
are competitive, while others value cooperation. Some people value
adventure, while others prefer security.

Values matter because you’re likely to feel better if you’re living according
to your values and to feel worse if you don’t. This applies both to day-to-
day decisions and to larger life choices.

If you value adventure, for example, you’ll probably feel stifled if you let
yourself be pressured by parents or others into making “safe” choices like a
stable office job and a settled home life. For you, a career that involves
travel, starting your own business, or other opportunities for risk and
adventure may be more appropriate. 

On the other hand, if you value security, the opposite applies. What some
people would view as a “dream” opportunity to travel the world and be your
own boss may leave you feeling insecure and craving a more settled
existence. 

Everybody is different, and what makes one person happy may leave
another person feeling anxious or disengaged. Defining your personal
values and then living by them can help you to feel more fulfilled and to
make choices that make you happy, even if they don’t make sense to other
people. You’ll see how to go about doing that in the following sections.

How to Define Your Personal Values

What makes you feel good? That’s a good place to start when figuring out
what your values are.
No, “ice cream” isn’t a value. What we’re talking about here are
characteristics or ways of behaving in the world. As we saw above,
someone who values honesty will feel good when they tell the truth.

Conversely, that same person will feel bad about themselves when
they don’t tell the truth. So negative emotions can also be a good guide to
your values. When have you felt disappointed in yourself or like you were a
fraud? What behaviour led up to that?

Here are some more questions to get you started:

1. What's important to you in life?

2. If you could have any career, without worrying about money or other
practical constraints, what would you do?
3. When you’re reading news stories, what sort of story or behaviour
tends to inspire you?
4. What type of story or behaviour makes you angry?
5. What do you want to change about the world or about yourself?
6. What are you most proud of? 
7. When were you the happiest?

Take a blank sheet of paper and quickly brainstorm some answers to these
questions. Then use those answers as guides to figuring out your personal
values. 

In some cases, the values will be easy to figure out. If you wrote “a loving
relationship” in response to the question about what’s important to you,
then “love” is an important personal value for you. If you wrote “being
happy,” then you value happiness.

Others may require a bit more work, though. For example, if you’re inspired
by stories of successful entrepreneurs, maybe you value determination or
achievement, or maybe it’s wealth and success. If you’re inspired by
activists trying to change the world, maybe you value courage or integrity,
or maybe it’s justice or peace. Try to examine what exactly it is about those
stories or experiences that you relate to.

Advertisement

List of Personal Values

To help you, here’s a short list of personal values. 
 1. Achievement
2. Adventure 
3. Courage
4. Creativity
5. Dependability
6. Determination
7. Friendship
8. Health
9. Honesty
10. Independence
11. Integrity
12. Intelligence
13. Justice
14. Kindness
15. Learning
16. Love
17. Peace
18. Perfection
19. Security
20. Simplicity
21. Sincerity
22. Spontaneity
23. Success
24. Understanding
25. Wealth

This is by no means an exhaustive list of personal values. I’m sure you can
think of plenty more. The idea isn't to pick items from a list, but to come up
with your own based on your own experiences and personality, so please
use these as examples of personal values, but don’t feel limited by them.
Let your imagination run free!

When you’ve finished brainstorming, you may have half a dozen values, or
you may have a huge list of dozens. If you’re in the second camp, try to cut
the list down to something manageable—perhaps ten values that mean the
most to you. If you’re struggling, try assigning scores to each one and then
sorting the list in order.
3. How to Prioritise Your Personal
Values
Once you’ve come up with a list, it's important to prioritise your values. 

Why? Because prioritising can help you get even closer to defining what’s
important to you. 

Your overall list of values may include quite disparate values. If you value
honesty, health, kindness, adventure and half a dozen other things, it
doesn’t give you a clear direction. But if you put “health” right at the top of
your list, you’ll know that establishing a daily exercise routine and cutting
out the junk food should be priorities for you. If “adventure” is at the top, on
the other hand, maybe planning that trip to South America will come first.

Ideally, of course, you’ll live according to all the values on your list. But your
time and energy are limited. Prioritising helps you to ensure that you’re
spending them on the most important things that'll have the biggest payoff
in your life.

So take some time to reorder the items in your list by using the scoring
system we covered in the last section. Or you could compare each item in
turn and ask yourself which you would work on if you could do only one.
Take your time, and keep going until you end up with a final order you’re
happy with.

4. How to Live Your Values With

Integrity and Use Them to Make
Decisions
Having a list of values on a sheet of paper is nice, but it doesn’t change
anything. To see a difference in your life, you’ll have to start living by your
values. As we’ve seen, that can be easier said than done. So in this
section, we’ll look at how to use your values to actually live your life and
make decisions.

Use Your Values for Goal Setting

 First, let’s look at the big picture. Are you living according to your values in
your life as a whole? Does your career choice reflect your values? How
about your activities outside of work? Are you spending your time on things
that matter to you?

If not, don’t worry—it’s quite common for our lives to diverge from our
values for any number of reasons. Here’s how to get things back on track.

For each of your values, make a list of things you could do to put those
values into practice. For example, if you wrote “Learning,” you could go
back to college and do that degree you’ve always dreamed of. Or you could
commit to read a book every week on a subject that you care about. Or you
could take online training courses or sign up for classes at your local adult
education centre. There are so many possibilities.

Don’t be constrained by practical considerations at this stage. Just write

down possibilities, even if you think you can’t afford them or don’t have
time. Make a list of things you could do to live by your values.

You should end up with a long list of possible actions for each value. The
next step is to make them into goals for the next week, month, year, and
perhaps longer. For detailed instructions on how to do that, see the
following tutorials:

GOAL SETTING
 How to Set (+Reach) Your Personal Goals in Life and Work

Harry Guinness

GOAL SETTING

How to Set Goals With No Room For Excuses

David Masters

If you already have goals that you’ve set before, you’ll also need to take
one additional step. For each goal, ask yourself whether it aligns with any
of your personal values. If not, why are you doing it? Unless there’s a very
good practical reason, delete it and focus instead on the new goals that do
help you live according to your values. 

Make Decisions According to Your Values

Living your values is about more than the big, long-term goals, however.
It’s also about the small, day-to-day decisions. In the moment, do you react
to situations in ways that align with your values? 
If you value compassion, for example, do you regularly display compassion
towards others, or do you sometimes slip into judgment and blame? If you
value health, do you always take care of your body, or do you sometimes
end up eating burgers instead of bulgur?

It’s not always easy to make your actions align with your values. Anything
from force of habit to the lure of immediate gratification can be powerful
enough to make us forget those good intentions and act in ways that don’t
reflect our values.

You've got many techniques available to you to help you change your
reactions and live more consciously in accordance with your values. For
example, you could:

 Make a habit of reading your list of values every morning when you
wake up. 
 Visualise the day ahead and plan out how you'll live by your values
throughout the day. 
 Print out your values and keep them close to you to refer to through
the day.
 Make them the background on your mobile phone or computer. 
 Set up reminders to pop up on your phone.
 Whenever you find yourself straying from your values, analyse the
situation afterwards and ask yourself what you could have done
differently.

You can find plenty more ideas in the following tutorials. Although a
couple of them are about productivity, which is different from living by
your values, some of the techniques about overcoming distractions and
following up on good intentions are relevant here.

Possible Barriers to Overcome

So far, it sounds quite simple, doesn’t it? So why do so many of us still
struggle to live according to our values?

Sometimes it’s about lack of clarity or not knowing what your values really
are. The values exercises in this tutorial should deal with that problem quite
effectively.

But there are other possible barriers, too. What if your personal values
come into conflict with those of your family or the wider society? For
example, you may value tolerance, but the society you live in may stand
quite strongly against tolerance, at least of certain groups. 

Or perhaps you're facing a conflict between your personal values and the
practical situation you find yourself in. You may value creativity, but you've
got family members to take care of, so you can’t take the risk of embarking
on an art career. Or you may value honesty, but feel that there are certain
lies you need to tell in order to preserve important relationships, to keep
your job, or whatever else.

These are important barriers, and they're worth reflecting on seriously. But
it’s also worth remembering that there are many ways to live your values,
and you don’t have to reject all compromises and ignore practical
considerations. 

For example, it’s quite possible to live according to a value of honesty while
also inserting a caveat like “... as long as my honesty doesn’t hurt other
people.” That would help preserve those important relationships. And if
you've got to be dishonest in order to keep your job, maybe that’s a signal
that, in the long term, you need to find a new job. But in the short term, you
don’t need to get fired by telling your boss exactly what you think. You can
compromise for now, while moving in the long term towards a solution
that’s more in line with your values.

If your values come into conflict with those of others or the wider society,
you may face some difficulties, but you can still live with integrity in your
own life. If your circumstances allow, you can also fight to change society
according to your own beliefs. Look at many of the heroes of history like
Susan B. Anthony or Martin Luther King, Jr., and you’ll find people whose
personal values came into conflict with those of their time. But if you don’t
feel ready for that kind of struggle, then you could choose to focus on your
own actions and on living according to your own values, without
challenging those around you who live differently. 

5. How to Adapt and Change Your

Values When Needed
Your personal values aren't set in stone. While some of your core values
will probably stay the same throughout your life, others may change as
your life circumstances change or simply as you get older and start to have
a different view of what’s important. Or even if the values stay the same,
the order in which you prioritise them may shift.

For example, starting a family and having children to take care of may
cause you to value security and financial stability more highly than you did
when you were single. Or a divorce may result in a renewed desire for
freedom and self-discovery. 

So it’s worth checking in regularly to see if your values have changed.

Repeat the process of brainstorming, listing and prioritising, and see if your
results are different.

How often should you do this? At least once a year is probably a good idea,
and any time you go through a major life change like job loss,
bereavement, illness, divorce, etc.

Of course, you’ll also want to keep reading your values and referring to
them much more regularly than once a year, and if at any time you notice
that something just doesn’t feel right any more, feel free to revise your
values then and there.

Once you’ve come up with your new list, re-examine your goals and rewrite
them where necessary to reflect your new or newly prioritised values. And
start using your revised list of values to inform and direct your daily life, as
discussed in the previous section. 

Conclusion
We've covered a lot of ground in this tutorial, and I hope you're now much
clearer about what personal values are, why they're important, and how
you can do a better job of living in alignment with your values.

To read more about values, but from a business rather than a personal
perspective, see the following tutorials:

Definition

Personal Values are “broad desirable goals that motivate people’s actions
and serve as guiding principles in their lives". [1] Everyone has values, but
 each person has a different value set. These differences are affected by an
individual's culture, personal upbringing, life experiences, and a range of
other influences. [2]

Personal values are desirable to an individual and represent what is

important to someone. The same value in different people can elicit
different behaviours, eg if someone values success one person may work
very hard to gain success in their career whereas someone else may take
advantage of others to climb the career ladder.

A person can have many values with an individual assigning more

importance to some values over others. It has been shown that the values
that are most important to you often guide your decision making in all
aspects of your life such as career, religion, social circles, self-identity etc [1].

A personal value is a broad concept and one particular value can be applied
to various situations [1]. For example, if an important value to you is loyalty
this could be applied to your family, friends or work environment.

Schwartz in 1992 presented 10 motivationally distinct types of values as

listed below[1]. These values have been researched in many countries and
have been found to be universal in cross-cultural applications. [3][4]

Schwartz Theory of Basic Values

1. Self-direction eg freedom, creativity

2. Stimulation e.g. exciting life, daring
3. Hedonism e.g. pleasure, self-indulgent
4. Achievement e.g. ambitious, successful
5. Power e.g. wealth, authority
6. Security e.g. social order, family security, cleanliness
7. Conformity e.g. politeness, self-discipline, respect
8. Tradition e.g. respect for traditions, modest, humble, devout
9. Benevolence e.g. loyal, responsible, helpful, forgiving
10. Universalism e.g. equality, wisdom, world of peace, social justice,
protecting the environment

Lists of personal values can be indefinite but research has shown a value
will generally fit into one of those 10 types. There is no set of ideal values
and everyone will have their own list of values with unique importance
assigned to each one. [3] [5]

Personal values may and may not correlate with a person’s behaviour.
Some values may be practised by an individual and executed in daily life. A
personal value may be important to someone, but they are not
implementing it in their daily life, and they would like to implement it. And
an individual may have a set of personal values that is not in line with their
behaviour. [6]

Personal Beliefs

Definition

“Core beliefs are defined as fundamental, inflexible, absolute, and

generalised beliefs that people hold about themselves, others, the world,
and/or the future” [7]. We use beliefs to help us understand the world around
us. A person’s beliefs will guide them in their decision making and
response to situations. Beliefs are usually formed in childhood or any other
significant formative experience. [8].

Sources of Beliefs [6]

 Evidence - logical and rational formation of belief based on evidence

that proves causation
 Tradition - family and societal traditions
 Authority - normally developed from a parent but could also be a
religious leader, teacher or any other person in authority
 Association - beliefs can be formed through people or groups we
associate with
 Revelation - beliefs that are formed through ‘divine intervention” a
hunch, inkling or sixth sense
 Types of Beliefs – Enabling and Limiting

Beliefs can be seen as enabling (positive) or limiting (negative).

Enabling beliefs are ones that are optimistic and show good self-efficacy or
the belief in yourself that you can achieve something.

Examples of enabling/ positive beliefs

 I am intelligent
 I am worthy
 I always try my best
 I am hardworking

Negative beliefs are thought as limiting and they often hold one back in life.
Limiting beliefs are often seen in absolutes and are often inaccurate and
unhelpful. People with limiting beliefs can often be judgmental of oneself
or of others. [8]

Examples of limiting/ negative beliefs

 I am weak
 I am boring
 I am stupid
 I always fail
 I am worthless

Beliefs, positive or negative, are not always true and this can lead a person
to make poor decisions based on inaccurate beliefs. Research shows that
people with inaccurate negative beliefs about themselves can present with
symptoms of anxiety and depression [9].

Categories of Beliefs [6]

Beliefs can be categorised into beliefs about one’s self, about others, about
the world and the future. These beliefs can either be positive (enabling) or
negative (limiting).

1. Self
 “I am worthy of love and happiness”
 “I am flawed and unlovable”
2. Others 
 “Others like me and value my opinion”
 “People are generally hurtful and disloyal”
3. The World 
 “The world is my oyster!” 
 “The world is a dangerous place”
4. The Future
 “The future is bright, and opportunity awaits”
 “There is no hope – things will never get better”

Identification of Beliefs

It is not always an easy task to identify one’s core beliefs. It can require a
great amount of introspection and some people may need the facilitation
from a therapist to unlock their core beliefs. [8]

Modification of Core Beliefs

Once limiting beliefs have been identified modification of these beliefs will
help to reframe them into enabling beliefs. Reframing beliefs is not a
simple task as negative beliefs are often deeply rooted. Again, the need for
psychological therapy may be necessary for deeply ingrained beliefs.
Wenzel, 2012 [8] describes various strategies that can be applied to modify
core beliefs.

1. Define the core belief

 Explore how the belief fits into every aspect of your life
2. Examine the evidence
 Critical examination of the evidence that led you to develop the
initial belief. 
3. Advantages – Disadvantages analysis
 Review the advantages and disadvantages of a belief to help see
the usefulness of the belief in one’s life
4. Behavioural experiments
 Beliefs result in particular behaviour eg if you believe “people
don’t care what I think” you may not contribute when asked about a project
at work. By changing your behaviour e.g. contributing to a discussion, you
may change your belief by discovering that people do care about what you
think. 
 Behavioural experiments are used in Pain management
programmes where you would use graded exposure in someone with fear
 avoidance to show them that their belief that movement will make them
worse may not be true. 
5. Acting “as if”
 Similar to a behavioural experiment, you would act in
opposition to your negative belief.
6. Cognitive continuum
 Critical analysis of reframing all or nothing beliefs by using a
comparative scale with regards to other people
7. Historical tests
 Examine past incidents where one has implemented a negative
core belief and re-evaluate what actually happened. for example, if a belief
was “I am unimportant” you may look back at a time when your parents
prioritised your sibling over yourself, but on critical evaluation, you realise
that at that stage in life your sibling needed more help from your parent
rather than you are less important to them. 
8. Restructuring early memories
 Psychologists can be helpful in restructuring early memories to
reframe beliefs
9. Defining the “new self”
 Identify who they would like to be
10. Soliciting social support and consensus
 Use social support to help them 
11. Time Projection
 Imagine what life will be like if with their “new” beliefs

Additional Resources

How to Define Your Personal

Values and Live By Them for a
Fulfilling Life
Evelyn Marinoff

A wellness advocate who writes about the psychology behind confidence, happiness and well-being. Read
full profile

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   Email

When we think about the big questions, such who we are and what we want to
achieve in life, we often ponder things like our personality traits and goals. We try to
figure out if we are an introvert or extrovert, if we are agreeable or not, or how many
of our New Year’s resolutions we have managed to tick off our lists.

We rarely think explicitly about our moral standards and how they influence our
character and life.

But what if I tell you that our personal values were around long before everyone
started using goal-setting, Myers-Briggs personality tests, and self-awareness as
pathways to understanding what makes us tick and how we can use these revelations
to succeed.

So, let’s take a look under the hood and see how you can discover your own guiding
principles and utilize them to enhance your relationships, careers and everything in-
between.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. What are Personal Values?

2. Why Are Personal Values Important?
3. How to Find and Nurture Your Personal Values
4. Final Thoughts

What are Personal Values?

Personal values are part of the moral code that guides our actions and defines who
we are. They are what we consider important, the things that matter to our well-
being and happiness.

The simplest way to describe what personal values are is to think in terms of your
personality and behaviors. Ultimately, your values become woven into your
personality and become part of You.

Some of these are more of a universal rule of conduct—think along the lines of
religion and the morals it teaches us. Then, there are some values that each of us
decides to adopt, depending on what we hold dear in our lives and what we want to
achieve and become. For instance, I may value kindness and compassion over fame
and popularity.

To give you an idea of some person values you may have, here is a good list: [1]

 Authenticity
 Achievement
 Adventure
 Beauty
 Boldness
 Compassion
  Challenge
 Curiosity
 Determination
 Fairness
 Faith
 Fame
 Friendships
 Happiness
 Honesty
 Kindness
 Learning
 Loyalty
 Meaningful Work
 Openness
 Optimism
 Pleasure
 Popularity
 Recognition
 Respect
 Self-Respect
 Spirituality
 Stability
 Success
 Status
 Trustworthiness
 Wealth
 Wisdom

As you can imagine, the above can play out differently for each of us—there are
varied combinations and priorities we use to adopt these. The end result? The writer
and poet Robert Zend greatly put it:

“People have one thing in common: they are all different.”

Before we delve further into the So Whats and Hows of our moral principles, there’s
one more important thing to remember. Values are often more or less visible to
others and are expressed through our current actions, words, behaviors, but more
importantly, they also carve the people that we are striving to become in the future.

That is, our personal values are not only an extension of ourselves, but they also
shape our characters. They are us—who we are and what we stand for.

Why Are Personal Values Important?

Why does it all matter so much anyway?

Personal values are the main driver behind our personality and actions, and any
endeavor to re-invent ourselves will have to tap into our current moral principles to
give ourselves a chance at a more fulfilling life.

Knowing our moral principles can aid us in a variety of ways. It can help us find our
purpose, ease decision-making, increase our confidence, and guide us through
difficult situations.
Here are few other benefits of how knowing our own codes of conduct can help us
turn our lives around.

Personal Values Help with Self-awareness

Self-awareness has earned a lot of attention in recent years. Indeed, its advantages
are undeniable. It has been linked to enhanced personal development and better
relationships, among a plethora of other gains.[2] It helps us make sounder decisions,
communicate more effectively, get more promotions, and be less likely to lie, cheat,
or steal.[3

Simply put, self-awareness is a must-have skill we should all nurture.

Self-awareness is basically an awareness of your personality. There is certainly value

to be had—personally and professionally—in what the Greats have wisely taught us:
Know Thyself.

How would you otherwise know what you want to achieve, what you are capable of,
or how far you can push yourself if you don’t have a clue who the person staring back
in the mirror really is?

Understanding who we are begins with an awareness of what drives us, what makes
us tick, and what we hold dear—that is, it starts with knowing our personal values.

Personal Values Influence Our Outcomes

What do you do with all the self-knowledge, though?

The coaches and gurus often advise that, in order to succeed and get everything we
want in life, we need to play to our strengths.[4] Using our powers instead of dwelling
on our foibles can make us happier and less depressed. Of course, this implies that
we know what these are to start with.

There is another, equally important side to why knowing ourselves and what we
value in life can be beneficial. Yes, I’m talking about personal reinvention, self-
improvement, life enhancement, and all the similar buzzworthy concepts of late. But
it all comes down to change. Bluntly speaking, you can’t change what you don’t know.
[5]

When we talk about personal reinvention, we usually mean creating new habits, new
behaviors, new ways of thinking, and, of course, adopting new personal values.

To change our outcomes and, ultimately, our lives, we need to change our actions
and mindset. In order to do this, we need to weed out the trifles and decide what
truly matters.

How to Find and Nurture Your Personal Values

To discover exactly what your personal values are, there are questions and
techniques you can use. Here are a handful to help you get started.
1. Ask “Who Am I Today?”
As adults, we all have a certain set of values (adopted knowingly or not), which guide
our actions and define the people we are today.

So, a good starting point is to make a list of 10-15 values we believe we live by. Use
the list I provided at the beginning or find online a more detailed one. Pick the ones
that best define you. Be honest with yourself.

To get a 360-degree picture of yourself, I would recommend that you do the same
exercise with your family and friends. Show them the full list and ask them to pick
the values that they think are synonymous with your personality. Do the two lists
match?

The goal of this activity is to draw a realistic portrait of who you are. It is the starting
point of the bigger pursuits of self-awareness, self-reinvention, and leading a more
fulfilling life.

2. Prioritize Your Values

Not all we deem of importance is created equally in our minds. That is, some values
are more significant to us than others. This is what determines your primary and
secondary behaviors. For instance, you may value family and career, but we all know
that a balance is hard to achieve. In your mind, one tops the other. Therefore, you
would always take steps to advance what is dearer to you.

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Our current lives and the behaviors that guide them are structured according to our
values and their rank in our own rules of conduct list. Therefore, one way to change
our results and draft a different version of ourselves is to re-shuffle the list. If you
want to spend more time with family, put it at the top, above anything else.

Read your list often. It’s also a way to reinforce your identity. Sometimes you can get
so caught-up in the web of your busy everydays that you forget to focus on the most
important person in your life: you.

Get to know yourself so that you can like yourself and avoid sabotaging your own
efforts to change the things you want to.

3. Complete a Values Audit

The beautiful thing about personal values is that we all have a say and a choice in the
people we evolve to become.

That’s what the gurus always trumpet: If you don’t like your life, change it.

Of course, this is easier said than done.

A good starting point is to have your values list, ranked by importance, and to re-
assess it regularly—say semi-annually or annually. As our life circumstances change,
so may the things we consider important to us. For instance, when you are fresh out
of college, financial security may not be a top guiding principle as it may be for
someone married with kids.

Read your existing list often and change it around as needed. Your primary behaviors
will follow what you find significant.

But there is another side to this—it’s the process of adding of new values, embracing
and making them part of our lives. One way to find such new values is to look at the
people we respect and want to be like. Listen and watch them carefully— what
principles do they live by? Can you emulate them?

Once you find a new guiding value you want to adopt, you must own it. As the
popular author and entrepreneur Mark Manson writes:

“So, here’s the catch: sitting around thinking about better values to have is nice. But
nothing will solidify until you go out and embody that new value. Values are won and
lost through life experience. Not through logic or feelings or even beliefs. They have
to be lived and experienced to stick. This often takes courage.” [6]
Therefore, a value audit is an essential part of the process, both to re-examine our
current priorities and to find new mountains to climb.

“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.”
Change is part of the re-invention process.

Final Thoughts

In the end, our personal values are our moral compass of what to say, how to behave,
how to treat ourselves and others, and what life choices to make.

Knowing what someone finds important can help you draw an accurate picture of
their inner landscape, and it can also guide how you treat them, speak to them,
appeal to them, or convince them to go your way. It is a valuable insight to have.

Research confirms this:

“Personal values reflect what people think and state about themselves.
Understanding personal values means understanding human behaviour.” [7]
Like our personalities, what we believe to matter in our lives is highly subjective,
nuanced, and sometimes even self-contradicting. And it’s dynamic—it largely follows
our life trajectory, but it can be further colored by the people that we meet, the goals
we set, and the events that enter our lives.

But what we believe in, our personal values, are ultimately what shapes us as
individuals.
 If you want to make any kind of change, you must decide what to value and where
your priorities lie.

That’s the surest path to self-renovation.

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master of your own life.

Core Values List

Below is a list of core values commonly used by leadership institutes
and programs. This list is not exhaustive, but it will give you an idea
of some common core values (also called personal values). My
recommendation is to select less than five core values to focus on—if
everything is a core value, then nothing is really a priority.

Core Values List

 Authenticity

 Achievement

 Adventure

 Authority
 Autonomy

 Balance

 Beauty

 Boldness

 Compassion

 Challenge

 Citizenship

 Community

 Competency

 Contribution

 Creativity

 Curiosity

 Determination

 Fairness

 Faith

 Fame

 Friendships

 Fun

 Growth

 Happiness

 Honesty
 Humor

 Influence

 Inner Harmony

 Justice

 Kindness

 Knowledge

 Leadership

 Learning

 Love

 Loyalty

 Meaningful Work

 Openness

 Optimism

 Peace

 Pleasure

 Poise

 Popularity

 Recognition

 Religion

 Reputation

 Respect
 Responsibility

 Security

 Self-Respect

 Service

 Spirituality

 Stability

 Success

 Status

 Trustworthiness

 Wealth

 Wisdom

Note: many of the personal values listed above came from a list I
received while working with The LeaderShape Institute.

Integrity Reports

I use my core values to create my annual Integrity Reports. Writing

these reports is a yearly ritual that forces me to think about how I am
living out my core values in real life.

Examples of Core Values

Core values are the fundamental beliefs of a person or organization. These guiding principles
dictate behavior and can help people understand the difference between right and wrong.
Core values also help companies to determine if they are on the right path and fulfilling their
goals by creating an unwavering guide. There are many different examples of core values in
the world, depending upon the context.

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Core Values About Life

Often, when you hear someone discuss why they fell in love with their other half, they will
mention that they have the same values. In this case, they are often talking about core values,
or internal beliefs that dictate how life should be lived.

Some examples of core values people might have about life include the following:

 A belief, or lack thereof, in God or an affiliation with a religious/spiritual institution

 A belief in being a good steward of resources and in exercising frugality
 A belief that family is of fundamental importance
 A belief that honesty is always the best policy and that trust has to be earned
 A belief in maintaining a healthy work/life balance

Parents also try to instill these types of positive core values in children in an effort to give
them guiding principles for living a good life.

Of course, core values aren’t always positive. Some people may be driven by self-interest or
greed, and these are core values, too, if they dictate the way the people live their
lives. Negative attitudes and core values can also develop when people live in fear or
insecurity and are forced to focus on survival in difficult circumstances.

Some examples of negative core values include the following:

 A belief that the world is a fundamentally brutal place and that only the strong survive
 A belief that people are powerless to change their fates or personal situations
 A belief that you don’t deserve good things or relationships in life
 A belief that other people are fundamentally untrustworthy and unloving
 A belief that life is meaningless

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Corporate Core Values

Companies can have core values as well. These are the guiding principles that help to define
how the corporation should behave in business and perhaps beyond, if they have an
additional mission to serve the community. Core values are usually expressed in the
corporation's mission statement.

Some examples of core values for a company include:

 A commitment to sustainability and to acting in an environmentally friendly way. Companies

like Patagonia and Ben & Jerry's have environmental sustainability as a core value.
 A commitment to innovation and excellence. Apple Computer is perhaps best known for
having a commitment to innovation as a core value. This is embodied by their "Think
Different" motto.
 A commitment to doing good for the whole. Google, for example, believes in making a great
search engine and building a great company without being evil.
 A commitment to helping those less fortunate. TOMS shoe company gives away a pair of
shoes to a needy person for every pair it sells in an effort to alleviate poverty and make life
better for others.
 A commitment to building strong communities. Shell oil company donates millions of dollars
to the University of Texas to improve student education and to match employee charitable
donations.

As you can see, often the core values that companies have are similar to those that individuals
might choose as guiding principles as well.

Some Types of Core Values

There are countless types of core values, as you can see, so you will need to choose the ones
that are right for you or your organization. It’s natural to want to choose a long list of core
values in an effort to be the best you can be, but limiting your selection to two or three helps
you focus on your mission in life without becoming distracted.

Here are some examples of core values from which you may wish to choose:

 Dependability
 Reliability
 Loyalty
 Commitment
  Open-mindedness
 Consistency
 Honesty
 Efficiency
 Innovation
 Creativity
 Good humor
 Compassion
 Spirit of adventure
 Motivation
 Positivity
 Optimism
 Passion
 Respect
 Fitness
 Courage
 Education
 Perseverance
 Patriotism
 Service to others
 Environmentalism

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Identifying Core Values

While some people or organizations might expressly share their core values, often the best
way to identify these values is to watch how they behave. For example, a tobacco company
that emphasizes profits over public health acts in a way that is not consistent with a stated
core value of caring for others.

No company will advertise negative core values, of course, but you can judge what really lies
at the heart of a business’ mission by examining how they act when it counts. A core value is
only true if it has an active influence and if the people or company manage to live by it, at
least most of the time.

It’s also important to remember that individuals don’t necessarily choose their core values.
Many people have these values instilled in them by the way their parents and the community
around them. You may already live by strong core values without realizing it.

To get a sense of what your core values are, ask yourself what activities bring you the most
joy, or what you couldn’t live without. What gives your life meaning or what do you want to
achieve? If you can articulate those answers, you’ll likely see a pattern that you can boil
down into a single concept, such as a consistently positive attitude or using your creativity to
make the world a better place

The Importance of Personal Values

What do you consider when you’re making decisions? Money? The expectations of friends,
family or wider society? Fear of the unknown or failing? What’s quick and easy? These are all
 common factors that can influence our choices and behaviour. But they’re not necessarily
conducive to happiness or fulfilment. That’s because they won’t always match up to our
personal values.
Your values are about what’s important to you; how you want to live your life, including your
career, your relationships, and the impact you want to have. Identifying personal values and
the blockers that prevent them from being fully expressed is an important goal for many of
the people I coach.
If your decisions, choices and actions don’t align with these values, you may feel a niggle of
dissatisfaction and unease. You may be struggling with an internal conflict between your
values and the day to day reality of your life. Making decisions and living life in line with your
values means you’re more likely to feel a sense of purpose, fulfilment and happiness.
For example, you may take a promotion at work because of the salary and status that
comes with it. But if your true personal values are about your personal relationships or
freedom, you may find that the 60-hour working week it involves starts to get you down.
Put the theory into practice
The first step is to know what your values are. Pinpointing the specific principles that you
want to live your life by will provide you with a well-defined framework in which making
decisions such as ‘Should I change my career?’  or ‘Should I run my own business?’, even ‘Where
should I live?’ much easier.
To start identifying your personal values, try asking yourself the following questions:
 When did I feel happiest?
 When did I feel proudest?
 When did I feel most satisfied and fulfilled?

When you’ve got your answers, try to find the common themes between each situation.
What was happening? What was your role? Were you acting alone or with others? How were
you using your skills? For example were you happiest in situations where you were in
control or when you were collaborating with others? Did you feel most proud when you
came up with an innovative solution or when you came top of the class? Did it matter how
you achieved a goal, or just that you achieved it? The answers to these questions will give
you your core personal values.

Keep in mind that as you move through life your values are likely to change. Experiences
such as becoming a parent, travelling, or losing a loved one can alter your perspective.
Checking in regularly and keeping track of your changing priorities will ensure that wherever
life takes you, you’re able to make decisions with confidence and live a life that reflects the
person you really are.

If you’re struggling to identify your personal values or make them the focus of your
decisions, coaching could help. Give yourself the time and space to work out how you want
to live your life.  Get in touch  to arrange your free telephone consultation

Why Values are Important

Our values inform our thoughts, words, and actions. 
Our values are important because they help us to grow and develop. They
help us to create the future we want to experience.

Every individual and every organization is involved in making hundreds of

decisions every day. The decisions we make are a reflection of our values and
beliefs, and they are always directed towards a specific purpose. That
purpose is the satisfaction of our individual or collective (organizational)
needs.

WHEN WE USE OUR VALUES TO MAKE DECISIONS, WE MAKE A DELIBERATE

CHOICE TO FOCUS ON WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO US.   WHEN VALUES ARE
SHARED, THEY BUILD INTERNAL COHESION IN A GROUP.  

LEARN MORE:  ABOUT THE BARRETT MODEL

There are four types of values that we find in an organizational setting:

individual values, relationship values, organizational values, and societal
values.
INDIVIDUAL VALUES
Individual values reflect how you show up in your life and your specific needs-
the principles you live by and what you consider important for your self-
interest. Individual values
include enthusiasm, creativity, humility, and personal fulfillment.
RELATIONSHIP VALUES
Relationship values reflect how you relate to other people in your life, be they
friends, family, or colleagues in your organization. Relationship values
include openness, trust, generosity, and caring.

LEARN MORE:  THEORETICAL SUPPORT FOR THE BARRETT MODEL

ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES
Organizational values reflect how your organization shows up and operates in
the world. Organizational values include financial
growth, teamwork, productivity, and strategic alliances.
SOCIETAL VALUES
Societal values reflect how you or your organization relates to society.
Societal values include future generations, environmental
awareness, ecology, and sustainability.

What are personal values?

The Oxford dictionary defines ‘values’ as ‘principles or standards of behaviour;
one’s judgement of what is important in life.’
It’s not just about things we might normally think of as ‘values’ like truth and
honesty, but is also about the things we value, our priorities.

These are personal to each person although they have often been influenced by
parents and/or significant others in one’s life.
Why do personal values
matter?
Identifying and understanding our personal values helps us to prioritise what is
important to us and what we want to spend our time and energy on (and
influence our goals).

We will be better motivated to commit to and achieve goals based on or aligned

with our personal values.

Our values are an important element in providing a yardstick to how we judge

the quality of our lives.  If we live lives in keeping or alignment with the values we
hold dear, then we are likely to be happier than if we don’t.

So what would your list look like?

Values: Definition, Characteristics, Importance,

Types of Values

Generally, value has been taken to

mean moral ideas, general conceptions or orientations towards the world
or sometimes simply interests, attitudes, preferences, needs, sentiments
and dispositions.

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But sociologists use this term in a more precise sense to mean “the
generalized end which has the connotations of rightness, goodness or
inherent desirability”.

It is important and lasting beliefs or ideals shared by the members of a

culture about what is good or bad and desirable or undesirable.

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It has a major influence on a person’s behavior and attitude and serves as

broad guidelines in all situations.

Actually, the value represents basic convictions 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.

Values Definition – What is Values?

Values defined in Organizational Behavior as the collective

conceptions of what is considered good, desirable, and proper or bad,
undesirable, and improper in a culture.

Some common business values are fairness, innovations and community

involvement.

According to M. Haralambos, “A value is a belief that something is good

and desirable”.

According to R.K. Mukherjee, “Values are socially approved desires and

goals that are internalized through the process of conditioning, learning or
socialization and that become subjective preferences, standards, and
aspirations”.

According to Zaleznik and David, “Values are the ideas in the mind of men
compared to norms in that they specify how people should behave. Values
also attach degrees of goodness to activities and relationships”

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According to I. J. Lehner and N.J. Kube, “Values are an integral part of the
personal philosophy of life by which we generally mean the system of
values by which we live. The philosophy of life includes our aims, ideals, and
manner of thinking and the principles by which we guide our behavior”

According to T. W. Hippie, “Values are conscious or unconscious motivators

and justifiers of the actions and judgment”

A value is a shared idea about how something is ranked in terms of

desirability, worth or goodness. Sometimes, it has been interpreted to mean
“such standards by means of which the ends of action are selected”.

Sometimes, it has been interpreted to mean “such standards by means of

which the ends of action are selected”.

Thus, values are collective conceptions of what is considered good,

desirable, and proper or bad, undesirable, and improper in a culture.

Familiar examples of values are wealth, loyalty, independence, equality,

justice, fraternity and friendliness.

Familiar examples of values are wealth, loyalty, independence, equality,

justice, fraternity and friendliness. These are generalized ends consciously
pursued by or held up to individuals as being worthwhile in them.

It is not easy to clarify the fundamental values of a given society because of

their sheer breadth.
Characteristics of Value

Values are different for each person.

These can be defined as ideas or beliefs that a person holds desirable or

undesirable.
 The variability in that statement is, first, what a person could value, and
second, the degree to which they value it.

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Values may be specific, such as honoring one’s parents or owning a home

or they may be more general, such as health, love, and democracy. ‘Truth
prevails”, “love thy neighbor as yourself, “learning is good as ends itself are
a few examples of general values.

Individual achievement, personal happiness, and materialism are major

values of modem industrial society.

It is defined as a concept of the desirable, an internalized creation or

standard of evaluation a person possesses.

Such concepts and standards are relatively few and determine or guide an
individual’s evaluations of the many objects encountered in everyday life.

The characteristics of values are:

 These are extremely practical, and valuation requires not just

techniques but also an understanding of the strategic context.
 These can provide standards of competence and morality.
 These can go beyond specific situations or persons.
 Personal values can be influenced by culture, tradition, and a
combination of internal and external factors.
 These are relatively permanent.
 These are more central to the core of a person.
 Most of our core values are learned early in life from family, friends,
neighborhood school, the mass print, visual media and other sources within
the society.
 Values are loaded with effective thoughts about ideas, objects,
behavior, etc.
 They contain a judgmental element in that they carry an individual’s
ideas as to what is right, good, or desirable.
 Values can differ from culture to culture and even person to person.
 Values play a significant role in the integration and fulfillment of
man’s basic impulses and desire stably and consistently appropriate for his
living.
 They are generic experiences in social action made up of both
individual and social responses and attitudes.
 They build up societies, integrate social relations.
 They mold the ideal dimensions of personality and depth of culture.
 They influence people’s behavior and serve as criteria for evaluating
the actions of others.
 They have a great role to play in the conduct of social life. They help
in creating norms to guide day-to-day behavior.

The values of a culture may change, but most remain stable during one
person’s lifetime.

Socially shared, intensely felt values are a fundamental part of our lives.
These values become part of our personalities. They are shared and
reinforced by those with whom we interact.

Since values often strongly influence both attitude and behavior, they serve
as a kind of personal compass for employee conduct in the workplace.

These help to determine whether an employee is passionate about work

and the workplace, which in turn can lead to above-average returns, high
employee satisfaction, strong team dynamics, and synergy.
Types of Values

The values that are important to people tend to affect the types of
decisions they make, how they perceive their environment, and their actual
behaviors.

There are two types of values;

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1. Terminal Values.
2. Instrumental Values.

Learn more about types of values.

Importance of Values

Values are the enduring beliefs that a specific mode of conduct or end-
state of existence is personally or socially preferable.

These are more difficult to change or alter.

As ethical conduct receives more visibility in the workplace, the importance

of values is increased as a topic of discussion in management.
 Values are general principles to regulate our day-to-day behavior. They not
only give direction to our behavior but are also ideals and objectives in
themselves.

They are the expression of the ultimate ends, goals or purposes of social
action.

Our values are the basis of our judgments about what is desirable,
beautiful, proper, correct, important, worthwhile and good as well as what
is undesirable, ugly, incorrect, improper and bad.

Pioneer sociologist Durkheim emphasized the importance of values

(though he used the term ‘morals’) in controlling disruptive individual
passions.

He also stressed that values enable individuals to feel that they are part of
something bigger than themselves.

E. Shils also makes the same point and calls ‘the central value system,’ (the
main values of society) are seen as essential in creating conformity and
order.

Indian sociologist R.K. Mukherjee writes: “By their nature, all human
relations and behavior are embedded in values.

 Value is the foundation for understanding the level of motivation.

 It influences our perception.
 Value helps to understand what ought to be or what ought not to be.
 It contains interpretations of right or wrong.
 These influence attitudes and behavior.
 It implies that certain behaviors on outcomes are preferred over
others.
 These allow the members of an organization to interact
harmoniously. These make it easier to reach goals that would be impossible
to achieve individually.
 These are goals set for achievements, and they motivate, define and
color all our activities cognitive, affective add connective.
 They are the guideposts of our lives, and they direct us to who we
want to be.
 Values and morals can not only guide but inspire and motivate a
person, give energy and a zest for living and for doing something
meaningful.

Actually, values are important to the study of organizational behavior

because they lay the foundation for the understanding of attitudes and
motivation.

Individuals enter an organization with preconceived notions of what

“ought” or what “ought not” to be. Of course, these notions are not value
free.

These are part of the makeup of a person. They remind us as to what is

important in our lives, such as success or family, but also, by virtue of their
presence, they provide contrast to what is not important.

That is not to say that, over time, values cannot change.

As we grow and change as individuals, we will begin to value different

aspects of life.

If we value- family when we are younger, as our children get older, we

might start to value success in business more than the family.
Sources of Values

Sources of value are a comprehensive guide to financial decision-making

suitable for beginners as well as experienced practitioners.

It treats financial decision-making as both an art and a science and

proposes a comprehensive approach through which companies can
maximize their value.
 Generally, no values tend to be relatively stable and enduring.

A significant portion of the values we hold is established in our early years

from parents, teachers, friends, and others. There are so many sources from
which we can acquire different values.

Sources of values are;

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 Family: Family is a great source of values. A child leams his first value

from his family.
 Friends & peers: Friends and peers play a vital role in achieving
values.
 Community or society: As a part of society, a person leams values
from society or different groups of society.
 School: As a learner, school and teachers also play a very important
role in introducing values.
 Media: Media such as – Print media, Electronic media also play the
role of increasing values in the mind of people.
 Relatives: Relative also helps to create values in the minds of people.
 Organization: Different organizations and institutions also play a
vital role in creating value.
 Religion.
 History.
 Books.
 Others.
Values and Beliefs

Values are socially approved desires and goals that are internalized through
the process of conditioning, learning or socialization and that become
subjective preferences, standards, and aspirations.

They focus on the judgment of what ought to be. This judgment can
represent the specific expression of the behavior.
 They are touched with moral flavor, involving an individual’s judgment of
what is right, good, or desirable.

Thus-

 Values provide standards of competence and morality.

 These are ideas that we hold to be important.
 They govern the way we behave, communicate and interact with
others.
 They transcend specific objects, Situations or persons.
 These are relatively permanent and there is resistant to change them.

Beliefs are the convictions that we generally hold to be true, usually without
actual proof or evidence.

They are often, but not always connected to religion. Religious beliefs could
include a belief that Allah is alone and created the earth.

Religions other than Islam also have their own set of beliefs.

Nonreligious beliefs could include: that all people are created equal, which
would guide us to treat everyone regardless of sex, race, religion, age,
education, status, etc with equal respect.

Conversely, someone might believe that all people are not created equal.
These are basic assumptions that we make about the world and our values
stem from those beliefs.

Our values are things that we deem important and can include concepts
like equality, honesty, education, effort, perseverance, loyalty, faithfulness,
conservation of the environment and many, many other concepts.

Our beliefs grow from what we see, hear, experience, read and think about.

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From these things, we develop an opinion that we hold to be true and

unmovable at that time.
 From our beliefs, We derive our values, which can either be correct or
incorrect when compared with evidence, but nonetheless hold true for us!
Everyone has an internalized system of beliefs that they have developed
throughout their lives.

These may stem from religion or may develop separately to religion.

 Beliefs are concepts that we hold to be true.

 These may come from religion, but not always.
 Beliefs determine our attitudes and opinions.
Values in Workplace
Values can strongly influence employee conduct in the workplace. If an
employee values honesty, hard work, and discipline, for example, he will
likely make an effort to exhibit those traits in the workplace.

This person may, therefore, be a more efficient employee and a more

positive role model to others than an employee with opposite values.

Conflict may arise, however, if an employee realizes that his co-workers do

not share his values.

For example, an employee who values hard work may dislike co-workers
who are lazy or unproductive without being reprimanded.

Even so, additional conflicts can result if the employee attempts to force his
own values on his co-workers.

Values and Attitudes

We can control our behavior in a way that does not reflect our beliefs and
values, which in order to embrace a diverse culture and behaviors as a
successful manager; we have to adapt our behavior in a positive manner.

There are some similarities and differences between values and attitudes.

Conclusion

Values help to guide our behavior. It decides what we think as for right,
wrong, good, or unjust.

Values are more or less permanent in nature. They represent a single belief
that, guides actions and judgment across objects and situations. They
derived from social and cultural mores.

Cultural Values
A culture's values are its ideas about what is good, right, fair, and just. Sociologists
disagree, however, on how to conceptualize values. Conflict theory focuses on how values
differ between groups within a culture, while functionalism focuses on the shared values
within a culture. For example, American sociologist Robert K. Merton suggested that the
most important values in American society are wealth, success, power, and prestige, but
that everyone does not have an equal opportunity to attain these values. Functional
sociologist Talcott Parsons noted that Americans share the common value of the
“American work ethic,” which encourages hard work. Other sociologists have proposed a
common core of American values, including accomplishment, material success, problem‐
solving, reliance on science and technology, democracy, patriotism, charity, freedom,
equality and justice, individualism, responsibility, and accountability.

A culture, though, may harbor conflicting values. For instance, the value of material
success may conflict with the value of charity. Or the value of equality may conflict
with the value of individualism. Such contradictions may exist due to an
inconsistency between people's actions and their professed values, which explains
why sociologists must carefully distinguish between what people do and what they
say.Real culture refers to the values and norms that a society actually follows,
while ideal culture refers to the values and norms that a society professes to
believe.

Cultural Values
Culture is a pattern of responding to basic needs for food, shelter, clothing, family
organization, religion, government, and social structures. Culture can be further
described as discrete behaviors, traditions, habits, or customs that are shared and
can be observed, as well as the sum total of ideas, beliefs, customs, knowledge,
material artifacts, and values that are handed down from one generation to the next
in a society. Cultural artifacts are the objects or products designed and used by
people to meet reoccurring needs or to solve problems. Institutions are structures
and mechanisms of social order and cooperation governing the behavior of two or
more individuals. Cultural norms are rules that are socially enforced. Social
sanctioning is what distinguishes norms from values.

Values are core beliefs and practices from which people operate. Each culture
possesses its own particular values, traditions, and ideals. Integrity in the application
of a “value” over time ensures its continuity, and this continuity separates a value
from simple beliefs, opinions, and ideals. Cultural groups may endorse shared
values. However, a given individual within that culture may vary in agreement with
the group cultural values.
Role of Cultural Values

Cultural universalism asserts that all human beings create culture in response to
survival needs. Only humans rely on culture rather than instinct to ensure survival of
their kind. What seems unique to humanity is the capacity to create culture. Cultural
relativism informs us that each culture possesses its own particular traditions,
values, and ideals. Judgments of what is right or wrong, good or bad, acceptable or
taboo are based on particular cultural values. Values underlie preferences, guide
choices, and indicate what is worthwhile in life. Values help define the character of a
culture, but they usually do not provide a specific course of action. Values generally
prescribe what one “should” do but not how to do it. Because values offer viewpoints
about ideals, goals, and behaviors, they serve as standards for social life. All groups,
regardless of size, have their own values, norms, and sanctions.

Although it may seem obvious that values are rooted in the culture from which they
originate, this has not always been the way values have been operationalized.

For many years in the United States, the fundamental values of White European
American males were often accepted as universal rather than culturally specific.
Deviations from mainstream values were labeled as abnormal and inferior rather
than merely different. Psychologist Gilbert Wrenn challenged the notion that White
European American culture was universal by writing about the “culturally
encapsulated counselor,” and the multicultural counseling movement has expanded
the notion of culturally bound values.

Formation of Cultural Values

Cultural values are formed through environmental adaptations, historical factors,

social and economic evolution, and contact with other groups. Individuals develop
cultural perceptual patterns that determine which stimuli reach their awareness.
These cultural perceptual patterns also determine judgments of people, objects, and
events. When the individual or society prioritizes a set of values (usually of the
ethical or doctrinal categories), a value system is formed.

Values dictate what is important. They serve as a guide for the ideals and behavior
of members of a culture. As guided by its values, culture can be seen as a dynamic
system of symbols and meanings that involves an ongoing, dialectic process where
past experience influences meanings, which in turn affects future experience, which
in turn affects subsequent meaning. Cultural values provide patterns of living and
prescribe rules and models for attitude and conduct.

For example, several culture-specific values have been identified for specific groups.
It should be noted, however, that there is considerable within-group variability in
what is valued. In traditional Hispanic and Latino/a cultures, the following have been
identified as shared cultural values among many of its members: an emphasis on
family unity, welfare and honor (familismo), a preference for close personal
relationships (personalismo), and respect (respeto) for elders and authority figures.
Traditional African American values have been identified as including the following:
an emphasis on collectivism, kinship, the importance of extended families, the
centrality of spirituality, and holistic thinking. Commonly among African Americans,
both the nuclear family (parents and children) and the extended family (relatives,
friends) are important. The concept of familismo among African Americans generally
includes both biological and nonbiological members.

Another shared cultural value of African American families is that of role flexibility.
The head of the household may not necessarily be the father, as many African
American homes are headed by the mother or grandparents.

Traditional “American” values (derived from a White European male perspective)

include individualism, competition, accumulation of material possessions, nuclear
families, the separation of religion from other aspects of culture, and mastery over
nature. It is important to recognize that these values may not be internalized equally
among all European Americans; thus, a great deal of variability exists in the adoption
and expression of traditional “American” values.

Cultural values guide interactions, and these values can come into conflict with the
values of a dominant cultural group and can lead to acculturative stress. Cultures are
not confined to racial or ethnic groups. Cultural values can be found in diverse
groups by gender, sexual identity, class, country of origin, disability, or a variety of
variables. Therefore, an individual can belong to a host of cultures simultaneously,
and the issue of navigating cultures with incompatible value systems (e.g., religion
and sexual identity) may lead to a fragmented sense of identity or self-hatred.

Categories of Cultural Values

Some researchers suggest that cultural values can be divided into six main
categories: (1) ethics (notions of right and wrong, good and evil, and responsibility);
(2) aesthetics (notions of beauty and attractiveness); (3) doctrinal (political,
ideological, religious, or social beliefs and values); (4) innate/inborn (values such as
reproduction and survival; this is a controversial category); (5) non-use/passive
(includes the value based on something never used or seen, or something left for the
next generation); and (6) potential (the value of something that is known to be only
potentially valuable, such as a plant that might be found to have medicinal value in
the future).

In multicultural societies, cultures may come into conflict. Parochialism occurs when
members of a given culture believe their way is the “only” way. They do not
recognize other ways of living, working, or doing things as being valid. Equifinality
has been suggested as a more appropriate assumption to make in a multicultural
world. This assumption asserts that the way of any given culture is not the only way.

Instead, there are many culturally distinct ways of reaching the same goal or living
one’s life. Another conflict may involve ethnocentrism. This occurs when members of
a culture recognize the existence of other cultures and yet believe their way is the
“best” way and all other cultural valuations are inferior. The notion of cultural
contingency may be a more appropriate response in a multicultural world; that is,
cultural values are seen as choices that are equally valid for the individuals involved.
Role of Psychologists

Psychologists are charged with dealing with cultural values in several ways. First,
they are compelled to understand their own cultural values and how these values
affect their work and worldview. Therefore, psychologists should be aware of their
own cultural values, and in cases where their cultural values may lead to harm with
culturally different clients, psychologists must refer these clients to culturally
competent practitioners. In addition, psychologists should actively learn about the
cultural values of their clients and, where possible, work with these cultural values as
strengths rather than as liabilities or pathological beliefs. For example, psychologists
might involve cultural spiritual leaders in the treatment of culturally different clients.
The notion of cultural competence extends to all other professional arenas of
psychologists, including education, teaching, research, and consultation.

The importance of cultural values — both for society and

individuals — cannot be overstated. Cultural values are what
shape society, and shape and influence the people who live
within that society; differences in cultural values between
society and the individuals within can lead to problems such as
culture clash, disagreements, and more.

That is why it’s vital that you not only understand the
importance of cultural values as a whole but that you
understand the cultural values themselves.

The following are 4 common cultural values examples that you

need to know.

Being vs. Doing

A culture that values “being” focuses on simply being in the

world; that is, understanding the world and valuing concepts
such as living together in harmony and peace, rather than
attempting to exploit or alter the world to fit a certain view.

If your cultural values align with ‘doing,’ you are likely a more
assertive person who believes they not only can but should, alter
the world to achieve your goals.

A culture that values “doing” focuses on changing the world

around them through direct action. In other words, valuing the
development of changes to the world in order to achieve goals
both as a whole and for individuals.

If your cultural values align with ‘being,’ you are likely someone
who values understanding people and living with them in
harmony rather than changing the world to suit your beliefs.

Humane Orientation

A culture that values humane orientation emphasizes the

importance of viewing others humanely; this includes
promoting empathy, altruistic behaviors, and harmony among
different races, cultures, and religions.

High humane orientation values also emphasize the importance

of people helping out other people as a natural element of
society, rather than relying on intervention from outside
governments or powers.
For example, societies with a high level of this cultural value will
often expect children to support their parents in their old age.

A culture that has lower humane orientation values emphasizes

individuals solving their own problems and issues themselves.

For example, societies with a low level of this cultural value will
not expect children to support their parents in their old age.

Indulgence vs. Restraint

A culture that values indulgence emphasizes the importance of

personal enjoyment and pleasure. Personal pleasure seeking,
such as partying, drinking, pursuing passions, etc, is encouraged
and considered a norm.

A culture that values restraint emphasizes the importance of

restricting luxurious indulgence. Pleasure-seeking activities are
generally discouraged, especially if they are focused on personal
enjoyment rather than group activities.

Individualism vs. Collectivism

A culture that values individualism emphasizes Independence

and individual goals over the group as a whole. People are
expected to focus more on individual goals, pursuits, and
passions; families and groups are limited and more exclusive.
A culture that values collectivism emphasizes group harmony
and group living over individual passions and pursuits. People
are expected to view themselves through the lens of society as a
whole, and families and social groups are broader and more
inclusive

What Are Cultural Values?

A hungry Hindu man will let himself starve rather than slaughter and eat a cow, despite the
fact that there are old cows roaming all over his village, blocking the streets for cars to pass.
To the average adult American man, who eats over 50 pounds of beef each year, this seems
illogical. If you have been hungry for months, then you should eat the cow! There are old
cows roaming all over India, no one else owns the cows, and you know how to slaughter a
cow! What's stopping the Hindu man from killing the cow?

Sacred Cows Blocking Traffic

The answer to that question is simple, if you understand his cultural values. The Hindus,
who make up over 80% of India's population, believe that cows are sacred and should not
be slaughtered. From the outside, a group's cultural values are often difficult to understand.
For members inside the group, cultural values are the core principles and ideals upon which
the entire community exists.
Defining My Cultural Values
No matter what school district you teach in or how diverse it looks on paper, students in
every school and classroom across America are unique. After learning about cultural values,
students will reflect on and write about what they value.

Begin by giving each student a piece of copy paper and coloring materials. In the center of
the paper, each student should draw an image of himself. Encourage them to do their best
work, but even a student who can only draw a stick figure will get value from this.

After drawing the person, they will surround that image with things that they identify with
for their culture. They will want to put things near the body part related to it (or symbolically
related). Some ideas include:

 Near the heart: Images/ descriptions of their belief systems, traditions important to
their family, etc.
 Near the mouth: Images/ descriptions of the language they speak, their heritage
 Near the legs: Images/ descriptions of what they like to do for fun and how it ties
into their culture

For older students, the assignment can be completed on a computer using the same basic
criteria. As appropriate, older students should also include a reflective paragraph that
describes their cultural values and how this makes them unique.

Students can include additional things as they see fit.

Prior to teaching this lesson, you may want to create an example so that students have an
idea of what they are looking to create.

ultures have visible and hidden elements. Visible cultural

features include artifacts, symbols, and practices; art and
architecture; language, colour, and dress; and social
etiquette and traditions.
But visible cultural differences are only ten percent of our cultural identities:
hidden cultural differences including values, assumptions, and beliefs
represent the remaining ninety percent of our cultural identity.

Values are the central feature of a culture. They shape tangible cultural

differences. For example, a cultural emphasis on success is reflected in
achievement-orientated characteristics like competitive economic systems
—for example, capitalism—, child-rearing practices that encourage and
reward achievement, a high prevalence of status symbols such as luxury
goods, heroes who have accumulated great wealth or fame, and the
acceptance and promotion of assertive and ambitious behaviour.
The value in values
Focusing on a tangible culture feature (for example, dress) captures only a
narrow aspect of a culture. Certain cultural values are emphasised in some
elements, different cultural values in others. Collectively, the entire
cultural system encourages, legitimises, and rewards a set of core cultural
values. Thus, comparing differences in cultural values is the most efficient
method of understanding cultural differences.

Cultural problems cannot be resolved at the surface.  Focusing on the

visible features of culture alone will not prevent misunderstandings and
conflict. The less obvious elements of culture create the most difficulty
when we interact with others, yet these are typically invisible and
subconscious and are often overlooked.

Nine national cultural value differences

National values are shared ideas of what is good, right, and desirable in a
society. They are a national society’s preferences for managing external
adaptation and internal integration challenges that threaten its
survival. National values sit on a continuum between two contrasting
approaches to a societal problem. Every nation sits somewhere between the
opposing alternatives.

1. Individualism vs. Collectivism 

In Individualistic societies, people define themselves in terms of ‘I’ and their
unique attributes. Autonomy and independent thought are valued and the
interests and goals of the individual prevail over group welfare. Personal
attitudes and needs are important determinants of behaviour. Ties between
members are loose. Nuclear families are more common than extended
families. Love carries greater weight in marriage decisions and divorce rates
are higher. Members of Individualistic cultures are likely to engage in
activities alone and social interactions are shorter and less intimate,
although they are more frequent.

In Collectivistic societies, people define themselves in terms of ‘we’ and

their group memberships. Members are integrated into strong, cohesive in-
groups. Social interdependence and collective harmony are
valued. Relational ties and obligations are important determinants of
behaviour; group goals take precedence over individual goals.  Shared living
is emphasised.  Extended families (with uncles, aunts, and grandparents)
provide protection in exchange for unquestioning loyalty. There are lower
divorce rates yet love carries less weight in marriage decisions. Members of
Collectivistic cultures are likely to prefer group activities. Social interactions
are longer and more intimate.

2. Power Distance
In high Power Distance societies, hierarchical systems of assigned roles
organise behaviour. Power Distance is defined from below rather than
above. In high Power Distance cultures, the less powerful members expect
and accept inequalities. Power is perceived to provide social order,
relational harmony, and role stability. The social hierarchy needs no further
justification.

High Power Distance societies are differentiated into classes. They have
stable and scarce power bases (for example, land ownership). Upward social
mobility is limited. Only a few people have access to resources, knowledge,
and skills. Different social groups have differential involvement in
governance.

In low Power Distance societies, members believe that inequalities should

be minimised. Power is seen as a source of corruption, coercion, and
dominance. People recognise one another as moral equals with shared basic
human interests. Members care about the welfare of others and cooperate
with one another.

Low Power Distance societies have large middle classes. They have
transient and shareable power bases (for example, skill, knowledge). There is
high upward social mobility and a mass availability of resources and
capabilities. Different social groups enjoy equal involvement in governance.

3. Uncertainty Avoidance
In weak Uncertainty Avoidance societies, members are comfortable
with ambiguous and unknown situations. They are tolerant of change.
Members hold multiple ideas as valid and accept different viewpoints. They
are contemplative, emotionally stable, and relaxed.
Members of weak Uncertainty Avoidance societies prefer fewer rules. Rule-
breaking is allowed. Exchanges are informal. Members prefer to rely on the
word of others they trust rather than enter into contractual relationships.
They are not concerned with orderliness and keeping written records.

In strong Uncertainty Avoidance societies, members are threatened by

uncertainty, have an emotional need for predictability, and exhibit a high
resistance to change. This resistance is expressed through nervousness,
stress, and attempts to control the environment. Members formalise their
interactions with others, verify communications in writing, and take more
relatively more moderate and calculated risks.

In strong Uncertainty Avoidance societies, members hold rigid beliefs. There

are strict behavioral norms, formal rules and law, and an intolerance of rule-
breaking or unorthodox ideas or behaviours.

4. Orientation to Time
Cultures with a Future Orientation have a strong tendency and willingness
to imagine future possibilities. Members set long-term goals, develop plans,
and work hard and persevere to achieve their ambitions. They delay
gratification and display a strong propensity to save and invest.

Members of Future Orientated societies are psychologically healthy and

socially well adjusted because they feel in control of their lives, but they
may neglect current social relationships and obligations, and can fail to ‘stop
and smell the roses’.

Members of Short-Term Orientated societies are more focused on the

present and past than on the future. They value instant satisfaction.
Members spend now rather than save for the future. They live in the
moment and are not concerned with past or future anxieties.

On the flip side, members of Short-Term Orientated societies may engage

in risky, pleasure-seeking pursuits and fail to recognise the negative longer-
term implications of their indulgences.
5. Gender Egalitarianism
Biological constraints in childbearing have long dictated societal norms
about the roles of men and women in many societies. But outside
childbearing, sex-role distinctions are purely social constructions. Societies
differ with respect to the extent to which they define different social and
emotional roles for males and females.

In Low Gender Egalitarianism cultures, male social and emotional roles are
different from females. Men are assertive, tough, competitive, and focused
on material success. Women are modest, tender, and concerned with
quality of life.

Low Gender Egalitarianism societies have few women in positions of

authority, a low percentage of women in the labour force, and occupational
sex segregation. In these societies, females have lower levels of education
and literacy relative to males. In addition, women hold a lower status in
society and play a smaller role in community decision-making compared
with men.

In high Gender Egalitarianism cultures, male social and emotional roles are
similar to female roles. Both men and women are modest, cooperative,
tender, and concerned with quality of life and caring for the weak.

Compared to low Gender Egalitarianism societies, there are more women in

positions of authority, a higher percentage of women participating in the
labour force, and less occupational sex segregation. In addition, in high
Gender Egalitarian cultures, females and males have similar levels of
education and literacy. Women hold higher status and play a greater role in
community decision-making compared with low Gender Egalitarianism
cultures.

6. Assertiveness
Societies with low Gender Egalitarianism typically display high
Assertiveness. These societies value assertive, dominant, and ‘tough’
behaviour in both genders. Strength is admired. Aggression is viewed
positively (for example, aggression is associated with winning).
Members of high Assertiveness societies value competition and success.
They expect demanding and challenging targets. Performance is rewarded
and results are stressed over relationships. Members of high Assertiveness
societies value what you do more than who you are. Members think of
others as opportunistic. In communication, members of high Assertiveness
cultures are direct and value expressing true thoughts and feelings.

In contrast, high Gender Egalitarianism overlaps with low

Assertiveness. These societies view assertiveness as socially unacceptable.
Members of low Assertiveness cultures emphasise modesty and tenderness.
They associate competition with defeat and punishment. They stress
equality and social solidarity. Low Assertiveness cultures value people,
warm relationships, and cooperation. Members care more about who you
are than what you do. In these societies, integrity, loyalty, and cooperation
are stressed. People think of others as inherently worthy of trust.

In the workplace, low Assertiveness cultures emphasise seniority and

experience. Merit pay is destructive to harmony.

Members from low Assertiveness cultures speak indirectly; they prefer

‘face-saving’ and subtlety, and value detached and self-possessed conduct.

7. Being vs. Doing

High Doing Orientated societies believe that people have control over their
destiny—anyone can succeed if they try hard enough. A Doing Orientation
encourages self-assertion to master, direct, and change the natural and
social environment to achieve group or individual goals.

High Doing Orientated societies value initiative; members display a ‘can-do’

attitude. Societies with a Doing Orientation stress performance and
encourage and reward innovation and excellence. These societies have a
monochromatic (linear and limited) view of time and a high sense of
urgency.

High Doing Orientated societies believe that schooling and education are
critical for success. They value training and development.
A Being Orientation stresses fitting into the world as it is. Members focus
on appreciating and understanding the world rather than trying to change,
direct, or exploit it. Important values include world peace, unity with nature,
and protecting the environment.

Members of Being Orientated societies have a high regard for quality of life
and feel being motivated by money is inappropriate. These societies have a
polychromic approach to time (unending and circular) and a low sense of
urgency.

8. Humane Orientation
Members of high Humane Orientation societies believe that others are
important. That concern extends to all people and all nature. High priority is
given to altruism, benevolence, and love. Members are urged to be sensitive
to all forms of racial discrimination. The need for belonging and affiliation
motivates.

Members of high Humane Orientation societies are responsible for

promoting the well-being of others.  Personal and family relationships
offer protection; the close social circle receives material, financial and social
support and the state does not provide welfare. The children of high
Humane Orientation societies participate in the labour force to help out
their families. Children are expected to be obedient and parents closely
control them.

As a general rule, members of high Humane Orientation societies are

psychologically healthy.

Members of low Humane Orientation societies believe the self is important.

They feel a predominant concern for self-enhancement and a high priority is
given to personal pleasure and comfort.

Members of low Humane Orientation societies are less sensitive to racial

discrimination and are motivated by power and possessions.

Individual members of low Humane Orientated cultures do not support

others. Individuals are expected to solve personal problems on their own
and the state (rather than friends or family) provides economic protection
when needed.

The children of low Humane Orientation societies do not support their

parents in their old age. In these societies, children are autonomous and
family members independent.

Members of low Humane Orientation societies report more psychological

and pathological problems than members of high Humane Orientation
societies.

9. Indulgence vs. Restraint

Indulgence orientated societies encourage pleasure-seeking. Members
pursue fun activities for the sake of personal enjoyment.

In contrast, Restraint societies believe that hedonistic pleasure needs to be

curbed and regulated by strict social norms.

The danger in stereotyping

No cultural group is homogenous: there are individual differences in the
thoughts and behaviours of members of every cultural group.

Cultural values do not allow one to predict the behaviour and responses of
individuals with certainty, yet a working knowledge of how members of a
cultural group, in general, think and behave provides a useful starting point
for navigating intercultural interactions.

As we interact with diverse others using Cultural Intelligence, we test and

reflect on the appropriateness of our cultural assumptions and experiment
with alternative responses, actively constructing a cultural profile for each
unique exchange.

Cultural Values
A culture's values are its ideas about what is good, right, fair, and just. Sociologists disagree,
however, on how to conceptualize values. Conflict theory focuses on how values differ between
groups within a culture, while functionalism focuses on the shared values within a culture. For
example, American sociologist Robert K. Merton suggested that the most important values in
American society are wealth, success, power, and prestige, but that everyone does not have an
equal opportunity to attain these values. Functional sociologist Talcott Parsons noted that
 Americans share the common value of the “American work ethic,” which encourages hard work.
Other sociologists have proposed a common core of American values, including accomplishment,
material success, problem‐solving, reliance on science and technology, democracy, patriotism,
charity, freedom, equality and justice, individualism, responsibility, and accountability.

A culture, though, may harbor conflicting values. For instance, the value of material
success may conflict with the value of charity. Or the value of equality may conflict
with the value of individualism. Such contradictions may exist due to an
inconsistency between people's actions and their professed values, which explains
why sociologists must carefully distinguish between what people do and what they
say.Real culture refers to the values and norms that a society actually follows,
while ideal culture refers to the values and norms that a society professes to
believe.

PREVIOUSSociological Research Methods

The Elements of Culture

Learning Objectives

1. Distinguish material culture and nonmaterial culture.

2. List and define the several elements of culture.
3. Describe certain values that distinguish the United States from other nations.

Culture was defined earlier as the symbols, language, beliefs, values, and artifacts that are
part of any society. As this definition suggests, there are two basic components of culture:
ideas and symbols on the one hand and artifacts (material objects) on the other. The first type,
called nonmaterial culture, includes the values, beliefs, symbols, and language that define a
society. The second type, called material culture, includes all the society’s physical objects,
such as its tools and technology, clothing, eating utensils, and means of transportation. These
elements of culture are discussed next.

Symbols
Every culture is filled with symbols, or things that stand for something else and
that often evoke various reactions and emotions. Some symbols are actually
types of nonverbal communication, while other symbols are in fact material
objects. As the symbolic interactionist perspective discussed in Chapter 1
“Sociology and the Sociological Perspective” emphasizes, shared symbols make
social interaction possible.

Let’s look at nonverbal symbols first. A common one is shaking hands, which is
done in some societies but not in others. It commonly conveys friendship and is
used as a sign of both greeting and departure. Probably all societies have
nonverbal symbols we call gestures, movements of the hands, arms, or other
parts of the body that are meant to convey certain ideas or emotions. However,
the same gesture can mean one thing in one society and something quite
different in another society (Axtell, 1998). In the United States, for example, if
we nod our head up and down, we mean yes, and if we shake it back and forth,
we mean no. In Bulgaria, however, nodding means no, while shaking our head
back and forth means yes! In the United States, if we make an “O” by putting
our thumb and forefinger together, we mean “OK,” but the same gesture in
certain parts of Europe signifies an obscenity. “Thumbs up” in the United States
means “great” or “wonderful,” but in Australia it means the same thing as
extending the middle finger in the United States. Certain parts of the Middle
East and Asia would be offended if they saw you using your left hand to eat,
because they use their left hand for bathroom hygiene.

The meaning of a gesture may differ from one society to another. This familiar gesture means “OK” in the United States, but
in certain parts of Europe it signifies an obscenity. An American using this gesture might very well be greeted with an angry
look.
d Wang – ok – CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Some of our most important symbols are objects. Here the U.S. flag is a prime
example. For most Americans, the flag is not just a piece of cloth with red and
white stripes and white stars against a field of blue. Instead, it is a symbol of
freedom, democracy, and other American values and, accordingly, inspires
pride and patriotism. During the Vietnam War, however, the flag became to
many Americans a symbol of war and imperialism. Some burned the flag in
protest, prompting angry attacks by bystanders and negative coverage by the
news media.

Other objects have symbolic value for religious reasons. Three of the most
familiar religious symbols in many nations are the cross, the Star of David, and
the crescent moon, which are widely understood to represent Christianity,
Judaism, and Islam, respectively. Whereas many cultures attach no religious
significance to these shapes, for many people across the world they evoke very
strong feelings of religious faith. Recognizing this, hate groups have often
desecrated these symbols.

As these examples indicate, shared symbols, both nonverbal communication

and tangible objects, are an important part of any culture but also can lead to
misunderstandings and even hostility. These problems underscore the
significance of symbols for social interaction and meaning.

Language
Perhaps our most important set of symbols is language. In English, the
word chair means something we sit on. In Spanish, the word silla means the
same thing. As long as we agree how to interpret these words, a shared language
and thus society are possible. By the same token, differences in languages can
make it quite difficult to communicate. For example, imagine you are in a
foreign country where you do not know the language and the country’s citizens
do not know yours. Worse yet, you forgot to bring your dictionary that
translates their language into yours, and vice versa, and your iPhone battery has
died. You become lost. How will you get help? What will you do? Is there any
way to communicate your plight?

As this scenario suggests, language is crucial to communication and thus to any

society’s culture. Children learn language from their culture just as they learn
about shaking hands, about gestures, and about the significance of the flag and
other symbols. Humans have a capacity for language that no other animal
species possesses. Our capacity for language in turn helps make our complex
culture possible.
 Language is a key symbol of any culture. Humans have a capacity for language that no other animal species has, and
children learn the language of their society just as they learn other aspects of their culture.
Bill Benzon – IMGP3639 – talk – CC BY-SA 2.0.

In the United States, some people consider a common language so important

that they advocate making English the official language of certain cities or
states or even the whole country and banning bilingual education in the public
schools (Ray, 2007). Critics acknowledge the importance of English but allege
that this movement smacks of anti-immigrant prejudice and would help destroy
ethnic subcultures. In 2009, voters in Nashville, Tennessee, rejected a proposal
that would have made English the city’s official language and required all city
workers to speak in English rather than their native language (R. Brown, 2009).

Language, of course, can be spoken or written. One of the most important

developments in the evolution of society was the creation of written language.
Some of the preindustrial societies that anthropologists have studied have
written language, while others do not, and in the remaining societies the
“written” language consists mainly of pictures, not words. Figure 3.1 “The
Presence of Written Language (Percentage of Societies)” illustrates this
variation with data from 186 preindustrial societies called the Standard Cross-
Cultural Sample (SCCS), a famous data set compiled several decades ago by
anthropologist George Murdock and colleagues from information that had been
gathered on hundreds of preindustrial societies around the world (Murdock &
White, 1969). In Figure 3.1 “The Presence of Written Language (Percentage of
Societies)”, we see that only about one-fourth of the SCCS societies have a
written language, while about equal proportions have no language at all or only
pictures.
Figure 3.1 The Presence of Written Language (Percentage of Societies)
 Source: Data from Standard Cross-Cultural Sample.

To what extent does language influence how we think and how we perceive the
social and physical worlds? The famous but controversial Sapir-Whorf
hypothesis, named after two linguistic anthropologists, Edward Sapir and
Benjamin Lee Whorf, argues that people cannot easily understand concepts and
objects unless their language contains words for these items (Whorf, 1956).
Language thus influences how we understand the world around us. For
example, people in a country such as the United States that has many terms for
different types of kisses (e.g. buss, peck, smack, smooch, and soul) are better
able to appreciate these different types than people in a country such as Japan,
which, as we saw earlier, only fairly recently developed the word kissu for kiss.

Another illustration of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is seen in sexist language, in

which the use of male nouns and pronouns shapes how we think about the world
(Miles, 2008). In older children’s books, words like fireman and mailman are
common, along with pictures of men in these jobs, and critics say they send a
message to children that these are male jobs, not female jobs. If a teacher tells a
second-grade class, “Every student should put his books under his desk,” the
teacher obviously means students of both sexes but may be sending a subtle
message that boys matter more than girls. For these reasons, several guidebooks
promote the use of nonsexist language (Maggio, 1998). Table 3.1 “Examples of
Sexist Terms and Nonsexist Alternatives” provides examples of sexist language
and nonsexist alternatives.
Table 3.1 Examples of Sexist Terms and Nonsexist Alternatives

Term Alternative

Businessman Businessperson, executive

Fireman Fire fighter

Chairman Chair, chairperson

Policeman Police officer

 Term Alternative

Mailman Letter carrier, postal worker

Mankind Humankind, people

Man-made Artificial, synthetic

Waitress Server

He (as generic pronoun) He or she; he/she; s/he

“A professor should be devoted to his

“Professors should be devoted to their students”
students”

The use of racist language also illustrates the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. An old
saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt
me.” That may be true in theory but not in reality. Names can hurt, especially
names that are racial slurs, which African Americans growing up before the era
of the civil rights movement routinely heard. According to the Sapir-Whorf
hypothesis, the use of these words would have affected how whites perceived
African Americans. More generally, the use of racist terms may reinforce racial
prejudice and racial stereotypes.

Sociology Making a Difference

Overcoming Cultural and Ethnic Differences

People from many different racial and ethnic backgrounds live in large countries such as
the United States. Because of cultural differences and various prejudices, it can be
difficult for individuals from one background to interact with individuals from another
background. Fortunately, a line of research, grounded in contact theory and conducted by
sociologists and social psychologists, suggests that interaction among individuals from
different backgrounds can indeed help overcome tensions arising from their different
cultures and any prejudices they may hold. This happens because such contact helps
disconfirm stereotypes that people may hold of those from different backgrounds (Dixon,
2006; Pettigrew & Tropp, 2005).

Recent studies of college students provide additional evidence that social contact can help
overcome cultural differences and prejudices. Because many students are randomly
assigned to their roommates when they enter college, interracial roommates provide a
“natural” experiment for studying the effects of social interaction on racial prejudice.
Studies of such roommates find that whites with black roommates report lowered racial
prejudice and greater numbers of interracial friendships with other students (Laar, Levin,
Sinclair, & Sidanius, 2005; Shook & Fazio, 2008).

It is not easy to overcome cultural differences and prejudices, and studies also find that
interracial college roommates often have to face many difficulties in overcoming the
cultural differences and prejudices that existed before they started living together (Shook
& Fazio, 2008). Yet the body of work supporting contact theory suggests that efforts that
increase social interaction among people from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds
in the long run will reduce racial and ethnic tensions.

Norms
Cultures differ widely in their norms, or standards and expectations for
behaving. We already saw that the nature of drunken behavior depends on
society’s expectations of how people should behave when drunk. Norms of
drunken behavior influence how we behave when we drink too much.

Norms are often divided into two types, formal norms and informal norms.

Formal norms, also called mores (MOOR-ayz) and laws, refer to the standards
of behavior considered the most important in any society. Examples in the
United States include traffic laws, criminal codes, and, in a college context,
student behavior codes addressing such things as cheating and hate speech.
Informal norms, also called folkways and customs, refer to standards of behavior
that are considered less important but still influence how we behave. Table
manners are a common example of informal norms, as are such everyday
behaviors as how we interact with a cashier and how we ride in an elevator.

Many norms differ dramatically from one culture to the next. Some of the best
evidence for cultural variation in norms comes from the study of sexual
behavior (Edgerton, 1976). Among the Pokot of East Africa, for example,
women are expected to enjoy sex, while among the Gusii a few hundred miles
away, women who enjoy sex are considered deviant. In Inis Beag, a small island
off the coast of Ireland, sex is considered embarrassing and even disgusting;
men feel that intercourse drains their strength, while women consider it a
burden. Even nudity is considered terrible, and people on Inis Beag keep their
clothes on while they bathe. The situation is quite different in Mangaia, a small
island in the South Pacific. Here sex is considered very enjoyable, and it is the
major subject of songs and stories.

While many societies frown on homosexuality, others accept it. Among the
Azande of East Africa, for example, young warriors live with each other and are
not allowed to marry. During this time, they often have sex with younger boys,
and this homosexuality is approved by their culture. Among the Sambia of New
Guinea, young males live separately from females and engage in homosexual
behavior for at least a decade. It is felt that the boys would be less masculine if
they continued to live with their mothers and that the semen of older males
helps young boys become strong and fierce (Edgerton, 1976).

Although many societies disapprove of homosexuality, other societies accept it. This difference illustrates the importance of
culture for people’s attitudes.
philippe leroyer – Lesbian & Gay Pride – CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Other evidence for cultural variation in norms comes from the study of how
men and women are expected to behave in various societies. For example, many
traditional societies are simple hunting-and-gathering societies. In most of
these, men tend to hunt and women tend to gather. Many observers attribute this
gender difference to at least two biological differences between the sexes. First,
men tend to be bigger and stronger than women and are thus better suited for
hunting. Second, women become pregnant and bear children and are less able to
hunt. Yet a different pattern emerges in some hunting-and-gathering societies.
Among a group of Australian aborigines called the Tiwi and a tribal society in
the Philippines called the Agta, both sexes hunt. After becoming pregnant, Agta
women continue to hunt for most of their pregnancy and resume hunting after
their child is born (Brettell & Sargent, 2009).

Some of the most interesting norms that differ by culture govern how people
stand apart when they talk with each other (Hall & Hall, 2007). In the United
States, people who are not intimates usually stand about three to four feet apart
when they talk. If someone stands more closely to us, especially if we are of
northern European heritage, we feel uncomfortable. Yet people in other
countries—especially Italy, France, Spain, and many of the nations of Latin
America and the Middle East—would feel uncomfortable if they were standing
three to four feet apart. To them, this distance is too great and indicates that the
people talking dislike each other. If a U.S. native of British or Scandinavian
heritage were talking with a member of one of these societies, they might well
have trouble interacting, because at least one of them will be uncomfortable
with the physical distance separating them.

Rituals
Different cultures also have different rituals, or established procedures and
ceremonies that often mark transitions in the life course. As such, rituals both
reflect and transmit a culture’s norms and other elements from one generation to
the next. Graduation ceremonies in colleges and universities are familiar
examples of time-honored rituals. In many societies, rituals help signify one’s
gender identity. For example, girls around the world undergo various types of
initiation ceremonies to mark their transition to adulthood. Among the Bemba
of Zambia, girls undergo a month-long initiation ceremony called the chisungu,
in which girls learn songs, dances, and secret terms that only women know
(Maybury-Lewis, 1998). In some cultures, special ceremonies also mark a girl’s
first menstrual period. Such ceremonies are largely absent in the United States,
where a girl’s first period is a private matter. But in other cultures the first
period is a cause for celebration involving gifts, music, and food (Hathaway,
1997).

Boys have their own initiation ceremonies, some of them involving

circumcision. That said, the ways in which circumcisions are done and the
ceremonies accompanying them differ widely. In the United States, boys who
are circumcised usually undergo a quick procedure in the hospital. If their
parents are observant Jews, circumcision will be part of a religious ceremony,
and a religious figure called a moyel will perform the circumcision. In contrast,
circumcision among the Maasai of East Africa is used as a test of manhood. If a
boy being circumcised shows signs of fear, he might well be ridiculed
(Maybury-Lewis, 1998).
Are rituals more common in traditional societies than in industrial ones such as
the United States? Consider the Nacirema, studied by anthropologist Horace
Miner more than 50 years ago (Miner, 1956). In this society, many rituals have
been developed to deal with the culture’s fundamental belief that the human
body is ugly and in danger of suffering many diseases. Reflecting this belief,
every household has at least one shrine in which various rituals are performed to
cleanse the body. Often these shrines contain magic potions acquired from
medicine men. The Nacirema are especially concerned about diseases of the
mouth. Miner writes, “Were it not for the rituals of the mouth, they believe that
their teeth would fall out, their gums bleed, their jaws shrink, their friends desert
them, and their lovers reject them” (p. 505). Many Nacirema engage in “mouth-
rites” and see a “holy-mouth-man” once or twice yearly.

Spell Nacirema backward and you will see that Miner was describing American
culture. As his satire suggests, rituals are not limited to preindustrial societies.
Instead, they function in many kinds of societies to mark transitions in the life
course and to transmit the norms of the culture from one generation to the next.

Changing Norms and Beliefs

Our examples show that different cultures have different norms, even if they
share other types of practices and beliefs. It is also true that norms change over
time within a given culture. Two obvious examples here are hairstyles and
clothing styles. When the Beatles first became popular in the early 1960s, their
hair barely covered their ears, but parents of teenagers back then were aghast at
how they looked. If anything, clothing styles change even more often than
hairstyles. Hemlines go up, hemlines go down. Lapels become wider, lapels
become narrower. This color is in, that color is out. Hold on to your out-of-style
clothes long enough, and eventually they may well end up back in style.

What are Social

Values?
Home » Accounting Dictionary » What are Social Values?
Definition: Social values are a set of moral principles defined by society
dynamics, institutions, traditions and cultural beliefs. These values are
 implicit guidelines that provide orientation to individuals and corporations to
conduct themselves properly within a social system.
What Does Social Values Mean?
Values are progressively formed in the lives of people and in corporate
culture. They shape society’s behavior to guarantee adequate coexistence
between participants. These values provide the boundaries between what
is right and what is wrong, what is permissible, prohibited, illegal, desirable,
legitimate or punishable and, the only way they can positively function is by
a collective agreement, either explicit or implicit, that clarifies rules in a way
that everybody knows and understands the boundaries.

In business, social values are essential to maintain healthy relationships

between co-workers and between the company and the society. A
company that conducts itself by contradicting well-established social values
will encounter severe conflicts that will isolate the business from its
consumers and it will surely lead to disappearance, since businesses must
act towards developing benefits for society. Governments and laws are
normally established to preserve social values through enforcement
procedures. The judiciary system and government institutions are therefore
created to maintain society’s proper functioning.

Example
BioGenics Co. is a company that develops farming technologies to
increase the speed of agricultural processes through genetic
manipulations. The company has created different methods to increase
crops resistance, size, color and glow among other factors that have a
positive effect in the agricultural industry.

Nevertheless, there has been a lot of rumors about the company’s

unethical practices and the society as a whole seems to be concerned
about the negative effects these biotechnologies will have in human health.
The government established a commission to investigate these violations
and after reviewing most of the cases they found that the company was
implementing illegal procedures to develop some of their technologies.
These findings led to the company’s dismantling and further disappearance
since it contradicted essential social values.

Contents [hide]
 1 What Does Social Values Mean?
 2 Example
What is social value? Social value is the quantification of the  relative importance that people
place on the changes they experience in their lives. Some, but not all of this value is
captured in market prices. It is important to consider and measure this social value from the
perspective of those affected by an organisation’s work.

Examples of social value might be the value we experience from increasing our confidence,
or from living next to a community park. These things are important to us, but are not
commonly expressed or measured in the same way that financial value is.

At Social Value UK, we believe that social value has a huge potential to help us change the
way we understand the world around us, and make decisions about where to invest
resources. By changing the way we account for value, we believe that we will end up with a
world with more equality and a more sustainable environment. You can join us on this
journey by becoming a member.

We believe anyone can start to account for their social value, no matter the size of the
organisation or the amount of resources available. Click on the following links to find out mo

Etiquette
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to navigationJump to search

For other uses, see Etiquette (disambiguation).

For Wikipedia's guidelines on etiquette, see Wikipedia:Etiquette.

"Common Courtesy" redirects here. For the 2013 A Day to Remember album, see Common
Courtesy (album).

"Good Manners" redirects here. For the 2017 film, see Good Manners (film).

"Manners" redirects here. For other uses, see Manners (disambiguation).

"Courteousness" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Courtesy.

In Company Shocked at a Lady Getting up to Ring the Bell (1805) James Gillray caricatured "A widow and her suitors,
who seem to have forgotten their manners in the intensity of their admiration." [1]

Etiquette (/ˈɛtɪkɛt/ and /ˈɛtɪkɪt/; French: [e.ti.kɛt]) is the set of conventional rules of

personal behaviour in polite society, usually in the form of an ethical code that
delineates the expected and accepted social behaviours that accord with
the conventions and norms observed by a society, a social class, or a social group.
In modern English usage, the French word étiquette (ticket) dates from the year
1750. [2]

History[edit]

At the Palace of Versailles, King Louis XIV used complicated étiquette to manage and control his courtiers and their
politicking.

In the third millennium BC, the Ancient Egyptian vizier Ptahhotep wrote The Maxims of Ptahhotep (2375–
2350 BC), a didactic book of precepts extolling civil virtues, such as truthfulness, self-control, and kindness
towards other people. Recurrent themes in the maxims include learning by listening to other people, being
mindful of the imperfection of human knowledge, and that avoiding open conflict, whenever possible,
should not be considered weakness. That the pursuit of justice should be foremost, yet acknowledged that,
in human affairs, the command of a god ultimately prevails in all matters; thus some of Ptahhotep's maxims
indicate a person's correct behaviours in the presence of great personages (political, military, religious).
Instructions on how to choose the right master and how to serve him. Moreover, other maxims teach the
correct way to be a leader through openness and kindness, and that greed is the base of all evil, and
should be guarded against, and that generosity towards family and friends is praiseworthy.
Confucius (551–479 BC) was the Chinese intellectual and philosopher whose works emphasized personal
and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, the pursuit of justice in personal dealings,
and sincerity in all personal relations.
Baldassare Castiglione (1478–1529), count of Casatico, was an Italian courtier and diplomat, soldier, and
author of The Book of the Courtier (1528), an exemplar courtesy book dealing with questions of the
etiquette and morality of the courtier during the Italian Renaissance.
Louis XIV (1638–1715), King of France, used a codified etiquette to tame the French nobility and assert his
supremacy as the absolute monarch of France. In consequence, the ceremonious royal court favourably
impressed foreign dignitaries whom the king received at the seat of French government, the Palace of
Versailles, to the south-west of Paris.[3]
etiquette
the set
of rules or customs that control accepted behaviour in particular social gro
ups or social situations:

Social etiquette dictates that men cannot sit while women are standing.

Diplomatic etiquette forbids calling for the death of a national leader.

These tips will help you mind your manners.

EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

When to start eating:

If you’re seated at a table with eight or fewer guests, wait until everyone is served and for
the hostess to begin eating before you dig in. At a long banquet table, it’s OK to start
when several people are seated and served. Here are more table etiquette mistakes you
really need to stop making.

00:00 of 01:04Volume 0%
 

EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

What to keep off the table:

All items not having to do with food (and decoration) should remain off the table: keys,
clutch bags, sunglasses, and especially phones.
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EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

When to text:
“If you’re in a situation where you’d excuse yourself to go to the bathroom, you should
also excuse yourself before reaching for your phone,” writes Farhad Manjoo
on slate.com. Don’t forget these other cell phone etiquette tips you need to start
following.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

What to do if you’re not drinking wine:

Don’t make a big deal of saying you don’t drink. Simply place your fingertips on the rim
of the glass and say “Not today, thanks.” This implies no judgment of those who wish to
imbibe. Make sure your restaurant etiquette is perfect–you might be making these
common mistakes.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

How to talk on speakerphone:

Don’t use a speakerphone unless you’re in your office and holding a meeting that’s being
attended by someone remotely. Alert the person you’re speaking with that others are
present, close the door, and definitely don’t be a chatterbox while you talk. FYI: Using
speakerphone at full volume to go through your voice mailbox is the definition of
annoying.
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EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

How to open the door for someone else:

It doesn’t matter the gender of either.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

How to handle the work kitchen microwave

Come on. And you shouldn’t be heating up these foods that should never go in the
microwave either.
SPONSORED CONTENT

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Companies Are Overcharging You
By The Penny Hoarder — How many times have we fallen for this?
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

Here’s some basic airport etiquette:

And once on board, stow your stuff and get out of the aisle quickly. When claiming your
baggage, don’t crowd the carousel. Step forward only when you see your bag. Don’t miss
these other airport mistakes to stop making before your next flight.
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EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

Here’s basic email etiquette:

If all you have to say in your email reply is “Thanks!” refrain from sending it. You’re just
clogging an inbox.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

Try this basic cell phone etiquette tip:

When talking to someone in person, don’t glance down at your cell phone to see who’s
trying to reach you.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

Here’s how to be polite in email:

Things not to do when emailing: shout in all caps, use colored fonts or clip-art emoticons,
attach large files, forward an email unless appropriate.
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EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

When to send work texts vs. emails:

Work emails can be sent anytime, but business texts should be restricted to one hour
before the start of the workday to two hours after it ends, according to The Modern
Gentleman.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

Here’s the right way to squeeze a lemon into your

drink:
Use your hand to shield your lemon as you squeeze it into your iced tea so you don’t
inadvertently squirt your dining companion in the eye.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

This is basic napkin etiquette people miss:

If you’re eating and want to take a sip, dab your mouth with your napkin to avoid staining
the rim of the glass.
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EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

Here’s a major food passing faux pas:

Grabbing a bowl of salad or a saltshaker as it’s being passed to someone who asked for it
is the equivalent of cutting in line: greedy and rude. Don’t miss these Victorian era
etiquette tips that need to make a comeback.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

Here’s the proper way to pass food:

But if someone to your left asks for something, you can hand it directly to him.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

Here’s the deal with taking home leftovers:

When out with friends or family—even at a fancy restaurant—it’s fine to ask for your
leftovers to be wrapped. But don’t do it at a business lunch or dinner.
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EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

When to check your phone in meetings:

Don’t check personal devices during a meeting attended by your boss or anyone else who
can make her disapproval your problem.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

How to properly answer the phone:

When answering the phone at work, state your name and place of business: “Widgets,
Incorporated. Susan Smith speaking. How may I help you?”
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

This is the right way to leave a business voicemail:

When leaving voice mails, state your name, place of business, and number. Succinctly
say why you’re calling. Repeat step one; say goodbye.
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EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

How to behave in an elevator:

You should also hold the doors for others before you board. Check out more rules of
modern elevator etiquette.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

How to introduce people at work:

For example, “Mrs. CEO, I’d like you to meet the mail guy, Ron.”
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

This is the proper way to use your cell at work:

If you leave your cell phone at your desk, turn it off. Particularly if your ringtone is
anything Justin Bieber-ish.
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EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

How to handle a sick day:

Your colleagues will thank you.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

How to stand up during a flight:

If you need to get up during a flight, don’t yank the back of the seat in front of you as you
do.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

Remember this piece of playground etiquette:

Playground etiquette says that a toy that’s been abandoned is up for grabs until its owner
wants it back.
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EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

Here’s an essential part of being a good host:

If a guest at your party is drunk, ask him discreetly if he’d like to lie down, if you can
arrange for a ride, or even if he’d like to spend the night. Do not let him drive.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

How to handle guests at a wedding:

Don’t ask to bring a guest to a wedding if your invitation doesn’t indicate you may.
Check out these wedding etiquette rules that you absolutely can’t break.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

Here’s a wedding gift rule all brides and grooms

should know:
And “no wrapped gifts, please” fools no one.
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EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

Here’s the proper way to talk on the sidewalk:

Keep to the right on the sidewalk, and keep moving. Don’t stop to text or check email,
especially at a building entrance.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

This is the number-one rule about listening to

music:
If you use your iPod with cheap, leaky earbuds, those near you hear your playlist as if it’s
being played on the world’s tiniest buzz saw.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

This is sunglasses etiquette many people miss:

Leaving them on is just plain rude.
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EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

This is modern Wi-Fi etiquette:

It’s OK to piggyback on a neighbor’s free Wi-Fi as long as you don’t hog it and do
realize it’s not secure.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

Try to follow this cell phone rule:

Don’t talk on cell phones in a waiting room, checkout line, restaurant, train, or (heaven
forbid!) bathroom stall. You’ll want to see these etiquette rules that the royal family
always follows.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

Here’s etiquette for digital RSVPs:

Open your email, check your calendar, respond.
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EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

When to email thank-yous:

You can email thank-yous for party invitations and birthday gifts given in person as long
as you send each of them separately. (No cc’s.) For mailed gifts, letters of
recommendation, and wedding presents, a written note is still preferable.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

How to handle work Facebook friends

It’s OK (and even advisable) to follow your boss on Twitter, but you shouldn’t try to
friend him or her on Facebook. Friends implies equivalency; followers, not so.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

This is basic party etiquette:

Bring wine or flowers or dessert. Plus, don’t forget these potluck etiquette rules for
your next party.
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EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

How your answering machine greeting should

sound:
Still own an answering machine? Make sure the outgoing message isn’t annoying or
twee.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

Follow this instant messaging etiquette:

Be respectful of other peoples’ time.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

This basic dog walking etiquette is timeless:

No matter where you are. Here are more etiquette tips every dog owner should know.
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EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

Here’s diaper-changing etiquette new parents must

know:
Change the baby away from other people and not on a table where someone might eat. At
someone’s house? Ask where is a good place to do your dirty work.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

Here’s the proper way to enter a cab with

colleagues:
When getting into a cab with your boss, go first so she doesn’t have to scooch across the
seat.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

How to handle a dropped call:

If a cell phone call is dropped, the person who initiated the call should redial—even if
you’d wrapped things up.
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EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

Here’s the right way to converse with someone with

an accent:
If you chat long enough, it will come up naturally in conversation. Here are more secrets
you’ll learn in etiquette classes.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

Follow this basic RSVP etiquette:

Don’t assume that not sending in an RSVP is the same a responding “no.”
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

Here’s a basic rule for social media posts:

Don’t post sensitive personal information on social media, especially if your co-workers
can see what you post. Here are some things you should never post about your
relationships on social media.
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EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

Keep this cell phone rule in mind during a bad

connection:
Even if you can’t hear the person on the other end very well, that doesn’t mean they can’t
hear you.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

Here’s a basic rule for pet owners:

Your dog Snickers may be very cute, but don’t assume that everyone wants your pet in
their home (or store). Check out these British etiquette rules that Americans should
adopt.
EMMA KAPOTES/RD.COM, ISTOCK/NADDIYA

Here’s the hard truth about punctuality:

Letting the person know you’re running late doesn’t make it acceptable. Show others you
value their time! Don’t miss these business etiquette tips to help you get ahead at
work.

Etiquette - Meaning, its Need and Types

of Etiquettes
What Makes Human Beings Different from Animals ?
Answer - It is the way they carry themselves in the society. Here comes the importance of manners and
etiquette.

It is essential for an individual to behave in a responsible manner acceptable to the society. People around
us must not feel embarrassed by our behaviour.One should not behave irrationally or illogically in public.

What is Etiquette ?
Etiquette in simpler words is defined as good behaviour which distinguishes human beings from animals.

Human Being is a social animal and it is really important for him to behave in an appropriate way. Etiquette
refers to behaving in a socially responsible way.
Etiquette refers to guidelines which control the way a responsible individual should behave in the
society.

Need for Etiquette

 Etiquette makes you a cultured individual who leaves his mark wherever he goes.
 Etiquette teaches you the way to talk, walk and most importantly behave in the society.
 Etiquette is essential for an everlasting first impression. The way you interact with your superiors,
parents, fellow workers, friends speak a lot about your personality and up- bringing.
 Etiquette enables the individuals to earn respect and appreciation in the society. No one would feel
like talking to a person who does not know how to speak or behave in the society. Etiquette
inculcates a feeling of trust and loyalty in the individuals. One becomes more responsible and
mature. Etiquette helps individuals to value relationships.

Types of Etiquette

1. Social Etiquette- Social etiquette is important for an individual as it teaches him how to behave in
the society.
2. Bathroom Etiquette- Bathroom etiquette refers to the set of rules which an individual needs to
follow while using public restrooms or office toilets. Make sure you leave the restroom clean and
tidy for the other person.
3. Corporate Etiquette- Corporate Etiquette refers to how an individual should behave while he is at
work. Each one needs to maintain the decorum of the organization. Don’t loiter around
unnecessary or peep into other’s cubicles.
4. Wedding Etiquette- Wedding is a special event in every one’s life. Individuals should ensure they
behave sensibly at weddings. Never be late to weddings or drink uncontrollably.
5. Meeting Etiquette- Meeting Etiquette refers to styles one need to adopt when he is attending any
meeting, seminar, presentation and so on. Listen to what the other person has to say. Never enter
meeting room without a notepad and pen. It is important to jot down important points for future
reference.
6. Telephone Etiquette- It is essential to learn how one should interact with the other person over
the phone. Telephone etiquette refers to the way an individual should speak on the phone. Never
put the other person on long holds. Make sure you greet the other person. Take care of your pitch
and tone.
7. Eating Etiquette- Individuals must follow certain decorum while eating in public. Don’t make noise
while eating. One should not leave the table unless and until everyone has finished eating.
8. Business Etiquette- Business Etiquette includes ways to conduct a certain business. Don’t ever
cheat customers. It is simply unethical.

Etiquette classified dining etiquette, corporate

etiquette, telephone etiquette
October 19, 2017 Balaji Jayakumar

Etiquette
Etiquette classified dining etiquette, corporate etiquette, telephone etiquette

Conventional requirements as to social behavior proprieties of conduct as established

in any class or community or for any occasion or a prescribed or accepted code of
usage in matters of ceremony, as data court or in official or other formal observances.

Etiquette classified dining etiquette, corporate etiquette, telephone etiquette

 Dining Etiquette:

Fine dining etiquette is typically designed for a formal setting and the rules do not
apply during casual meetings or social gatherings. A specific seat is allocated to every
individual and food is served very precisely by waiters or servers. Fine dining
etiquette can also be referred to as table manners.

Dining Etiquette

Etiquette classified dining etiquette, corporate etiquette, telephone etiquette

Corporate etiquette:

 Corporate etiquette can be termed as a way of exhibiting socially acceptable

behavior in business relationships.
 It can be defined as the way of behaving in a business environment.
 The importance of corporate etiquette is growing day by day.
 People are coming closer together due to the impact of advanced technology,
which in turn increases the need for people relationship skills or good social manners.
 According to research conducted by the American Society of Quality Control, 68%
of business is lost by corporates due to the indifferent attitude of employees while
dealing with prospective clients.
 So, one can be assured of the significance of people skills in capturing the
market share rather than the goods and services delivered.

Corporate Etiquette
 
 This proves the great need for employees to Invest or be train in etiquette to
refine and sharpen the blunt edges of their people skills.
 Here are some essential tips that employees must follow to improve their
corporate etiquette skills and make the corporate environment pleasant, more positive
and productive:

Follow Common Courtesy:

Check your attitude for simple and common courtesies. Be sure you avoid annoying
people around you by gossiping, raising your pitch, intruding on two people’s
conversation, exhibiting fancy mobile ring tones loudly, etc, during a client meet or at
your workstation.

Give and take Respect:

  Treat others the way you wish to be treated. Be courteous and respectful
towards your clients, boss, seniors, co-workers and subordinates.
  Never forget to thank or appreciate the person who helped you out. Make sure,
while being respectful and cordial towards your co-workers and clients, to draw a
distinctive line between your professional and personal life to avoid unnecessary
complications.

Dress Code:

  Your attire plays a significant role in enhancing your positive image. It adds spice
to the talent, qualification and experience you possess and helps to gain self-
confidence and success.
  So try to reflect your professionalism in your dress.

Exhibit Rational Personality:

At times in the work environment, you may come across some adverse situations. Be
mature in dealing with unexpected situations as, sometimes, the way you react to a
given problem will be more stressful than the problem itself.

Research:

  In today’s global business, one has to deal with multi-cultural people. So, before
dealing with a prospective client or interacting with a co-worker, do a little bit of
homework by researching the location they belong to or their preferences. This can
help you respect their sensitive areas.
 Thus, in this fast paced world and highly competitive business environment,
enhancing your corporate etiquette skills helps build long-term relationships with your
clients as well as co-workers and thereby ensures business as well as personal success

Etiquette classified dining etiquette, corporate etiquette, telephone etiquette

Telephone Etiquette:
 Proper telephone etiquette is very important in that you are representing your
department and the University.
  Remembering to use proper telephone etiquette, whether answering
the phone or making phone calls, leaves callers with a favorable impression of you,
your department, and Lehigh in general Use basic good manners. Be courteous. Be
helpful. Treat callers with respect. Recognize the caller. Be an active listener.

Telephone Etiquette

Step 1:

 Speak clearly

A picture paints a thousand words but the caller on the other end of the phone can only
hear you. They cannot see your face or body language. Therefore, taking the time to
speak clearly, slowly and in a cheerful, professional voice is very important.

         Step 2:

        Use your normal tone

Use normal tone of voice when answering a call. If you have a tendency to speak loud or
shout, avoid doing so on the telephone.

          Step 3:

          Do not eat or drink

Do not eat or drink while you are on telephone duty. Only eat or drink during your
coffee break or lunch break.

          Step 4:

         Do not use slang words or Poor Language

Respond clearly with “yes” or “no” when speaking. Never use swear words.
          Step 5:

          Address the Caller Properly

Address the Caller Properly by his or her title. (i.e. Good morning Mr. Brown, Good
afternoon Ms. Sanders). Never address an unfamiliar caller by his or her first name.

        Step 6:

        Listen to the Caller

Listen to the Caller and what they have to say. The ability to listen is a problem in
general but it is very important to listen to what the caller has to say. It is always a good
habit to repeat the information back to the client when you are taking a message. Verify
that you have heard and transcribed the message accurately.

       Step 7:

       Be patient and helpful

Be patient and helpful. If a caller is irate or upset, listen to what they have to say and
then refer them to the appropriate resource. Never snap back or act rude to the caller

     Step 8:

    Speak Politely

Always ask if you can put the caller on hold. If you are responsible for answering
multiple calls at once, always ask the caller politely if you may put them on hold.
Remember that the caller could have already waited several minutes before getting
connected to you and may not take lightly to being put on hold. Never leave the person
on hold for more than a few seconds or they may become upset and hang up.

     Step 9:

     Focus on call

Always focus on the call. Try not to get distracted by people around you. If someone
tries to interrupt you while you are on a call, politely remind them that you are on a
customer call and that you will be with them as soon as you are finished.

Hope, Etiquette classified dining etiquette, corporate etiquette, telephone etiquette will
be helpful
Etiquette: Meaning, Types, Benefits and Basic
Rules
November 25, 2020 By Hitesh Bhasin Tagged With: Management articles

Etiquette is defined as formal rules and manners that are considered

sacred and acceptable in society. These have been established by
convention for a very long time and are followed diligently in both
professional and social settings.

If you are looking for an answer to what is etiquette, then let me tell you
that it refers to the guiding principle that dictates what our behavior and
manners should be in society. It proves an asset because it tells you in
explicit terms about what it considers to be logical and rational. It is the
etiquette that draws a different line between people with good manners and
people who behave irresponsibly everywhere.
Etiquette and manners go hand in hand. You will also find several etiquette
books like etiquette for a lady, etiquette for kids, list of manners and
etiquette, the importance of etiquette, and etiquette rules to help you in
your task of learning things related to it.

Table of Contents
Types of etiquette

Some of the important types of etiquettes in society are as follows-

1. Social etiquette 

One of the most important etiquettes is social etiquette as it informs

an individual about the norms and behavior that society considers
acceptable

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2. Meeting etiquette 

This type of etiquette informs individuals about the styles one should give
preference to while attending meetings, seminars, and events.
3. Wedding etiquette 

Yes, there are wedding etiquettes in place that inform individuals that one
should not be late, should behave sensibly, and do not drink too much at
weddings.

4. Corporate etiquette 

This type of etiquette informs individuals about how an individual should

behave at his workplace and maintain dignity.

5. Bathroom etiquette 

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This type of etiquette refers to the rules that an individual should follow if he
is using public or office toilets.

6. Business etiquette 

This type of etiquette acts as a guiding force to the professionals and helps
them in conducting business deals in an ethical and effective manner

5. Eating etiquette 

This type of etiquette informs individuals about the rules and regulations
regarding their eating habits.

Do not speak when the mouth is full, thank the person serving your food,
do not leave the table until everyone has finished eating, etc. are some
important eating etiquettes

6. Telephone etiquette 

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This type of etiquette informs individuals about how they should behave on
the telephone. How to interact with others, not putting someone on hold for
a long time, greeting the other person, and keeping your tone and pitch at
the perfect level are basic telephone etiquettes one should always follow
Basic rules of social etiquette

Some basic rules of etiquettes that are being followed for a very long time
and are considered top-notch even today are mentioned below-

1. Say thank you 

A simple thank you goes a long way in showing your appreciation for a kind
deed. It is merely good manners to thank people who have come to your
aid even if it is a small thing.

2. Offer compliments 

Be generous with your words of appreciation and offer compliments and

praise when required. If you are sincere in your efforts and offer genuine
admiration, it will create a rapport that will keep you in good stead in the
days to come.

3. Self-control 

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Self-control is one of the most basic etiquettes when you are sitting in a
company. Keep a check on your behavior, voice, and manners if you are
looking for basic rules of social etiquette.

Do not be too loud, and do not boast about the things you have or your
accomplishments as arrogance is considered an undesirable trait. The
deeds speak for themselves, and there is no need to blow your trumpet.

People observe everything, and it is imperative that your behavior, voice,

and even clothing reflect your charm and elegance to the boot.

4. Active listening 

Do not put your full onus on speaking; instead, listen actively if you are
looking for basic rules of social etiquettes. Be genuine in your efforts as it is
the best way to show respect.

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Do not interrupt anyone while speaking, as it is considered bad manners.
When you are listening, you come to know about many things that can
prove helpful later on.

5. Speak with caution 

Pay attention to your words as they are considered a strong tool in building
and destroying relationships. Speak with kindness as well as due caution if
you are looking for basic rules of social etiquette.

Speak kindly and keep your body language open. Do not complain or
criticize or participate in gossip as it is disrespectful.

6. Be punctual 

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One of the most desired traits in a human being is his habit of being on
time. Arriving too early is not good etiquette, nor is it arriving late. Be
punctual at all occasions at all costs if you are looking for basic rules of
social etiquette.

7. Make eye contact 

Maintain eye contact during conversations if you are looking for basic rules
of social etiquette. It establishes a level of trust and understanding.
Moreover, it is a sign of confidence and shows you in good stead and
positive light.

People who are looking at numerous other things during a conversation are
viewed as unsure, untrustworthy, and shifty who can stab you in the back
at any given time. They fail to earn the trust of the person they are
speaking to.

8. Stand during the introduction 

During an introduction, it is important to stand and offer a handshake or

greetings if you are looking for basic rules of social etiquette.

Even if you are in the middle of something, for instance, having dinner or
sitting with close friends, it becomes important to stand as a form of
acknowledgment during the introduction
9. Offer your seat 

If you are traveling in public transport and you see an older adult or
someone pregnant or in poor health, it is common courtesy to offer your
seat to that person.

10. Be on time 

Be on time for get-together, events, dates, etc. if you are looking for basic
rules of social etiquette. Being late shows a lack of respect and
understanding that seems very rude

11. Hold doors 

If you see someone struggling with the door it is basic etiquette to help
him/her especially if you are looking for basic rules of social etiquette

12. Take a gift 

If you are invited to a party, or you are visiting someone, it is basic etiquette
to take a gift or something with you.

13. Pay your share 

If you are going out in a group, pay your share if you are looking for basic
rules of social etiquette. Dividing the bill is the common thing nowadays,
and if you do not follow this social norm no one is going to invite you again
Basic rules of etiquette in family

Some of the basic rules of etiquette in the family are as follows

1. Respect the belongings of each other

2. Use polite language at all times
3. Make use of words like thank you, please, sorry liberally.
4. Respect everyone’s personal space
5. Pick up your things. Do not wait for others to do so
6. Be on time for meals especially if everyone is eating at the same
table
7. Do not talk with your mouth full
8. Do not interrupt someone when he is speaking
9. Put the onus on listening
10. Do not yell at each other
11. Do not call names in front of children as they will easily pick up the
bad language
12. Be cautious of comments and images on social media platforms
primarily related to your children
Business etiquette rules

Professional life has its own set of rules and regulations disguised as basic
business etiquettes. Some are very common that we come across in our
everyday life, whereas some are a bit difficult to remember.

Just go through some of them so that it can help you in your future
endeavors

1. Greetings matter 

Greeting someone is basic courtesy and an integral part of both social and
business etiquettes. Be polite and kind as it establishes a rapport. Simple
words like “How are you,” and even a nod or warm smile is enough to show
that you care.

The objective is to be pleasant and considerate. If the other person is in a

hurry, do not strike and force a conversation.

2. Names are important 

Basic etiquettes demand that we introduce ourselves to others. During the
introduction, include your last name with the first name. Some people have
a habit of saying either their first or last name, but it is against the rules of
etiquette.

Pay attention to the name of the other person as well. Remember his name
and pronounce it correctly because no one likes to be called carelessly. If
there is any confusion, ask him about the right form of pronunciation.

3. Clothes are important 

One of the most important business etiquettes is to follow the dress code
and dress appropriately at all occasions. You cannot go to a meeting
wearing informal clothes as it will set a bad precedent.

It is a fact that the first thing a person notices is your attire, and a casual
dress in a formal setting will set you apart, and it will ultimately look
discourteous.

4. Pay attention to your body language 

Business etiquettes demand that you pay special attention to your body
language. Standing straight in the presence of colleagues, peers, and
superiors, especially during meetings and events, is a must.

Offer a firm handshake whenever you meet someone, smile to show your
appreciation in meeting others, and make eye contact while talking.

5. Show your involvement 

It is important to show that you are paying attention during a conversation if

you are looking for important business etiquette tips. Nod and smile at
important junctions. Show that you are actively listening and are interested
in the conversation.

Do not interrupt anyone while speaking. Let him finish and then offer your
input. It will look polite and show that you value their thoughts.

6. Send handwritten notes 

Business etiquettes demand that you send handwritten notes to show your
appreciation. In regular matters, it is fine to send emails, but in special
conditions, it is best to opt for customized notes

7. Be polite 

If you are looking for important business etiquette tips, then being polite
and courteous tops the list any day.

Communication is an important tool in professional life, and you must be

polite during all the forms of communication be it face-to-face, on Skype,
phone, etc. as your tone of voice, expressions, words, and even nuances
are enough to show what you are feeling

8. Be punctual 

It is fashionable to be late in social settings but bad business etiquettes in a

professional atmosphere. Be punctual whenever you are meeting a
deadline in a project or a client for a meeting or attending an event if you
are looking for important business etiquette tips.

Remember, when you are late, you are showing disrespect to the other
involved parties, and eventually, it could harm your professional reputation.
In case you are late, it is imperative to call others and inform them
beforehand of your dilemma.

9. Keep your cubicle neat 

Your workstation or cubicle or work desk is like your private home away
from home. It is important to keep it organized and clean if you are looking
for important business etiquette tips.

De-clutter and throw away useless things so that it does not look untidy.
Business etiquettes and basic manners demand that you maintain a proper
system in place and discard trash in the can at regular intervals

10. Be mindful of others 

Remember everything is not just about you as other people around you
matters.
Be mindful of others if you are looking for important business etiquette tips.
Several people are working around you with different habits, and it
becomes imperative that you respect them by not being too loud or
disturbing them unnecessarily.

Benefits of using the correct etiquette

Some of the benefits of using the correct etiquette are as follows-

1. It is proper etiquette that helps to create the first impression on

others. The first few seconds when you are waiting to be introduced,
and your smile is cordial and warm, and later when your handshake is
firm are basic etiquette and manners that can have a positive impact
on others
2. Following proper business etiquettes in your professional life will
enhance your status at the workplace. People will consider you more
capable, intelligent, and professional than the others
3. The benefit of etiquette is that it can boost self-confidence and self-
esteem
4. Etiquette helps in making people around you comfortable. This
proves beneficial as it helps in creating strong relationships and
friendship
5. It is the etiquette that urges you to be kind to others. This boosts your
satisfaction level as well as happiness
6. People who are well mannered and follow proper etiquette rules often
stand out even in the crowd. Their solid foundation provides
more opportunities for growth compared to people who are lagging in
social etiquettes
7. Using proper etiquette ensures a clear and better level of
communication between people as it breaks unnecessary barriers that
are standing in the way of open communication
8. Following proper rules of social etiquette in any given situation
provides a sense of personal security
9. Basic etiquettes give us a fair idea about how a culture functions. If
you are traveling to new places, it will prove beneficial as basic rules
are generally the same in almost all the places
10. Etiquettes help the children to learn about rules and regulations from
an early age. This proves beneficial when they go to school, college
and even when they enter the professional world
11. Better etiquettes result in positive attention from others

Conclusion
 The term etiquette is such a small word but encompasses a whole lot of
roles and responsibilities that have become a guiding force in society. It is
undoubtedly clear that the term means following a moral code of conduct,
showing respect to others, giving personal space, putting them at ease with
your presence, showing kindness, being courteous, and dealing with ethics
and honor in every situation.

Types of Business Etiquette

 Work

 Careers

 Business Insurance

ByLisa McQuerreyUpdated August 10, 2018


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"Business etiquette" is a term used to describe professional behavior in the

workplace, and also in other settings in which business is conducted. Following
business etiquette protocols serves as a means to establish individuals, companies
and organizations as respectable and professional, which can create a sense of
confidence for affiliates, customers and clients.

Importance of Business Etiquette

Just as people make first impressions between one another, businesses and their
employees also create first impressions. Practicing business etiquette helps create
a positive impression, which is a way to demonstrate respect for others and also to
instill a sense of pride in the company. Failure to follow common business etiquette
practices can dissuade customers and businesses from wanting a relationship with
your organization, since poor etiquette practices can signal that your organization
may be unprofessional. By association, uncouth behaviors and practices can also
hint at a less-than-stellar product or service.

Types of Etiquette

While every business and professional organization sets its own standards for
acceptable business etiquette practices, there are some standard behaviors and
best practices companies and business professionals should be aware
of. Business etiquette examples include:

Personal Interactions

The ways in which people in a business personally interact with customers,

vendors, business associates, and even with each other, creates a perception of
the values of the organization. For example, if you walked into an office and the
receptionist ignored you or said, "What do you want?" in an unfriendly tone, would
you feel welcome and respected? Most likely not. Etiquette dictates that employees
use a professional greeting style, with an eye toward making others feel important,
appreciated and valued. This also extends to common niceties such as offering
your hand to others, making eye contact and speaking without without interrupting
others. Best practices in this area should be in employee handbooks, and should
be discussed with new hires, as part of orientation or onboarding.

Language Use

Even in a laid-back environment, language that staffers use reflects on the

business. Etiquette and internal protocols should dictate how others are addressed.
For example, are people refereed to by first or last name. Or, are they addressed
with honorific titles. In most professional settings, slang is discouraged, and foul
language is off-limits. Even jokes and teasing are a breach of etiquette protocols in
most business environments. Language practices are not limited to personal
internal conversation, but also as to how employees speak with customers in-
person and by phone. In businesses that have an international workforce or
clientele, additional diligence is required to ensure that language protocols are in
place and followed.

Hospitality Practices

Etiquette is about making others comfortable. This might mean offering beverages
to guests, validating parking passes and ensuring adequate seating and work
space, as necessary. If a business is involved with making travel arrangements,
then etiquette demands that employees understand any special accommodation
needs that they make arrangements for travel costs, shuttles, car rental and
lodging. If a per diem or an expense reimbursement is offered, etiquette practices
encourage rapid attention to processing payments.

Dress Code

The way you dress in a business environment reveals your professionalism, and
etiquette dictates specific attire for different functions. Business attire is expected in
professional work environments, with upscale business dress worn for high-level
meetings and presentations. Overly casual clothing, ill-fitting, unpressed, dirty or
revealing clothing, or garish accessories break etiquette. As exceptions to this rule,
individuals employed in fields where they perform manual labor or where uniforms
are worn, attention to the specific dress code of that industry is appropriate.

Written Communications

Much like the language spoken in a business, the ways in which written
communications are handled require a nod toward good etiquette practices. For
example, address letters and emails following standard business letter writing
formats, using, "Ms.," "Mr." or "Dr." Use formal language and grammatically correct
sentence structure, and a sign-off that reads, "regards," or "sincerely." Make note
of those copied on correspondence and use the professional courtesy of ensuring
all necessary information is included before sending.
 Email Etiquette

While email can be fast and informal, etiquette dictates a more professional
approach with business emails. Use complete sentences, reference attachments,
make subject lines relevant and include signature blocks with full contact
information. Avoid unnecessarily CC-ing multiple parties, and use caution when
forwarding materials that might be sensitive. Remember, business email is just that
- don't use it for jokes, personal correspondence, spam or sharing political
opinions.

Telephone Practices

Etiquette requires formal telephone skills as well. For example, introduce yourself
and your company and ask for the person you're calling to speak with. If that
person isn't available, leave a detailed message including your phone numbers and
email contact information. Keep in mind that with so many spam calls coming from
unidentified or unfamiliar numbers, many people will screen or allow calls to go to
voicemail, so identification is key to ensuring your messages get through. Etiquette
also dictates that you don't take or place calls in noisy locations or where you're
likely to lose cell service.

Video and Teleconference Practices

If you're not speaking with someone face-to-face or one-on-one, etiquette has a

few rules for ensuring that everyone is seen, heard and understood in group
settings, or when communication may be challenging. For example, in a
teleconference, take turns speaking, and introduce yourself before you speak or
respond. When videoconferencing, pick a quiet location, with no distractions in the
background. Set the cameras so that everyone in a group is visible, and speak
clearly.

Meeting Etiquette

When it comes to business meeting etiquette, it's all about common courtesy and
manners. Arrive on time, stay on point with the agenda or moderator's direction,
take turns speaking and don't over-talk or interrupt. Be prepared for meetings as a
way to demonstrate your respect for others' time. Don't allow yourself to be
distracted, even if agenda items don't apply directly to you or your work. Business
etiquette requires undivided attention. If you are using an electronic device to take
notes, make it clear that's what you're using the device for.

Meal Etiquette

Business meals can sometimes feel awkward, particularly if you're dining with
strangers, or you're trying to eat and conduct business at the same time. Following
simple forms of dining etiquette can make things go smoothly. Examples:

1. If you're the host, make reservations, confirm the meal/meeting, time and location
with your guests, and arrive early. Let your host or server know that the bill is to be brought
to you at the end of the meal. Encourage guests to order anything they would like, and if
 there is hesitation, take the lead by ordering something from the upper price end of the
menu. Be kind and generous with your wait staff.
2. If you're the guest, arrive on time, but if your host hasn't arrived, wait for your host
before being seated. Allow the host to direct which comes first - food or business talk. Order
from the middle of the menu's price range, and don't speak with your mouth full. All parties
should use caution when ordering alcohol. Always wait until everyone's food has arrived,
before you start eating, and never ask for a to-go box.

When people bring food to work to share, wait until everyone has had an
opportunity to sample the goods before taking a second helping. If you bring food,
indicate any particular allergens it may contain, such as nuts or gluten. If you don't
care to participate in potluck-style shared meals at work, that's fine - but business
etiquette states that if you don't bring something to share, you don't eat what others
have brought. It should go without saying that you should never help yourself to
food, that isn't yours, from the shared company lunchroom or refrigerator.

Tip

If you're at a business cocktail party and you're nursing a drink, it is best to wipe
your hands after eating finger foods, and remember that the purpose of the meeting
is more business than bar-scene socializing.

Electronics Etiquette

Everyone is attached to a phone or an electronic device these days, but there are
still etiquette policies to follow in a business setting.

 Turn off your phone during meetings and presentations.

 Don't take calls during business conversations, unless it's absolutely necessary;
excuse yourself if you must take the call.
 Refrain from checking email, sending texts - or worse - playing games or surfing the
internet or social media while in a business setting.
 Use good judgment when having business conversations on phones outside the
office, particularly in public areas - protect confidential or sensitive information from being
overheard.

Think twice before taking or placing a call while driving. Not only is this dangerous
to you and to other drivers and pedestrians, but you're unlikely to be able to give
the conversation your undivided attention. You may appear rude, distracted or
unprepared - all breaches of business etiquette. States have specific laws relating
to what you can and cannot do with a cell phone while driving. Often, stiff penalties
apply. States vary in their laws, so it is best to consult your state's drive registry for
laws specific to your state.

Tip

Just because your colleagues, managers and direct reports - and even your clients
- likely have their phones on them at all times, doesn't mean you should call, text or
email them during off-hours, unless it's absolutely necessary.
 Shared Space Etiquette

When people work in close quarters with shared work space, etiquette requires
certain collective behaviors for maximum productivity and minimal discourse. Tips
to this end include:

 Have respect for shared equipment and space. Replace the paper in empty printer
trays, make a new pot of coffee when you take the last cup, and clean up any messes in
shared work spaces.
 Speak quietly when in close quarters, to maintain confidential conversations and also
so  you don't disrupting others' work.
 Respect closed doors and people talking on phones.
 Don't dominate work time with personal discussions.
 Keep your own space tidy, clean and odor-free; remember, it's not only noxious
odors such as pungent food or potpourri that's distasteful - too much perfume or cologne can
also invade others' senses.

Tip

Practice good personal hygiene and perform grooming habits privately in

bathrooms, not at your desk or in the open, where others can see you.

Pay Attention

Etiquette is often a matter of paying attention to others, in a genuine way. This

means listening intently during conversations, asking questions, providing
meaningful feedback and generally taking an interest in what the other person is
saying or doing. This also holds true when attending seminars, listening to internal
presentations and meeting with clients. Others know when you're only phoning it in
and that you're not genuinely interested. Make an effort to engage with others, and
you may find that you have better-than-expected results, all while also establishing
worthwhile relationships.

Professional Courtesies

Etiquette includes observation of certain types of professional courtesies. These

include:

 Introducing others in a professional setting, using full names and titles

 Following up as promised, on delivery of work product, referrals, returned phone calls
and emails
 Respecting the time of others, including being on time and meeting deadlines

The importance of business etiquette cannot be overstated, because business

etiquette demands kindly behavior toward one another. This means that you avoid
gossip, you don't speak poorly about another, put down your colleagues or attempt
to strong-arm business associates or customers into deals that benefit you but that
may be detrimental to them. Etiquette in business means that you are reliable,
dependable and that you ensure that others feel confident and at-ease when doing
business with you.
 Office Etiquette on Speakerphones
ByChron ContributorUpdated October 20, 2020

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Speakerphones are everywhere these days, often making those nearby unwitting
eavesdroppers – the speakerphone in public meme is well known. It's
uncomfortable to overhear a stranger's conversation, especially when you believe
the person on the other end of the phone doesn't know he is publicly sharing
private details. The stakes are even higher in the office, where a lack of discretion
or breach in confidentiality can harm careers and companies.

Appropriate Use

Speakerphones should be avoided when possible, as often the speakerphone is

rude to those around you and more difficult for the other end to hear. Because a
telephone call is a private communication, speakerphones shouldn't be used unless
you can secure the conversation. This means speakerphones are not appropriate
for use in a cubicle, which would disturb coworkers anyway. A private office must
be used, and the door must be shut. Realize that voice mail also should not be
 checked on speaker, especially because you cannot obtain consent from the
person who left the message.

Effective Use and Company Guidelines

Improperly using a speakerphone makes conversations difficult, especially for the

person on speaker. Some people raise their voices when using speakerphones,
becoming too loud. Others are too far from the phone and cannot always be heard.
A person on the other end usually can tell if someone has walked away from a
phone and sometimes must strain to hear.

Some workplaces have speakerphone etiquette guidelines or policies on the use of

speakerphones. Some don't allow them at all. Contact your human resources
department or supervisor for advice before putting someone on speaker.

Cooperative Use

Successful conversations are cooperative affairs. It makes sense, then, to gain the
cooperation of your phone partner before you using your speakerphone feature.
Don't answer the phone with the speakerphone enabled. Ask if it's all right to put
the caller on speaker with a brief explanation of why, says Ruby – you want to refer
to relevant files and need your hands free, for instance. Make sure to tell the
person you're talking to if someone else is in the room, and introduce the third
party. If your phone partner asks to be taken off speakerphone, comply.

Noise Distractions

Sometimes people see the speakerphone as an opportunity to multitask. Resist the

temptation, says Vaspian, and get yourself to a quiet place. It's not only rude to
split your attention, but it also creates noise. People can hear typing, papers
moving, the sound of eating and other sounds. Such situations don't make for good
business conversations and may offend.

Alternatives to Speakerphone

Consider a headset instead of the speakerphone if your real aim is to keep your
hands free in order to take notes or refer to documents. If a group must be party to
a conversation, consider a conference call, a webinar that links people online or
through a central number or a group video chat through a VoIP service such as
Skype or Zoom.

Eating Etiquette for the Workplace

ByChron ContributorUpdated August 19, 2020


  

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Nearly everyone eats at work at one time or another, whether its bringing your
lunch on a daily basis, stashing snacks in your desk for mid-afternoon and overtime
noshing or taking part in a company potluck. While basic table manners and rules
of common courtesy apply to eating in the workplace, care must also be taken to
respect others’ space and olfactory senses.

Follow Company Protocol

Many companies have specific policies about how food breaks are to be taken.
Some businesses prefer that employees eat only in a company break room, while
others are comfortable with desk snacking and dining if the food is relatively easy
to handle. Still other companies want employees to use designated lunch hours
and prefer no food at work stations. Consult your employee handbook or talk with
human resources to learn more about your company’s food policy.

Don’t Eat in Front of Customers

Never eat in front of a customer, or eat while talking with a customer on the phone.
Sipping a cup of coffee or water during a meeting is fine, but food and client service
should never be mixed unless you’re at a lunch or dinner meeting. Avoid chewing
gum or sucking on candy during customer interaction as well.
Follow Basic Table Manners

When you are eating at work as part of a group, during a potluck or lunch meeting,
follow all generally accepted table manners. According to What's Cooking America ,
keep your elbows off the table, chew with your mouth closed, don’t talk with your
mouth full and use your napkin liberally. Don’t go back for seconds until everyone
has had firsts and don’t disparage the food.

Clean Up After Yourself

Whether you’re snacking at your desk or cooking a messy meal in the office
kitchen, always clean up after yourself. This includes busing your table or desk,
putting trash in appropriate receptacles, wiping down your table or desk and doing
dishes you use from common areas. Don’t leave leftover food in the shared
refrigerator for too long. Throw away unwanted food before it spoils.

Forego the Smelly Food

Just because garlic sauerkraut is your favorite food doesn’t mean that everyone in
the office will agree. According to USA Today, leave pungent-smelling food at
home and if something you cook gives off a stronger-than-expected odor, air out
the room by opening a window or spray the room with air freshener.

If you have smelly food, avoid eating it at your desk if you work in an open space
office. You may want to eat meals like this outside or eat out instead.

Don’t Steal!

Never take food that isn’t yours from the office kitchen or fridge. Carefully mark
your own food with your name so no one will be tempted to steal it or carry your
food in a lunchbox. If a plate of cookies or donuts is left on a break room table, it
generally means the food is available for anyone who wants it, but otherwise, keep
your hands to yourself.

You can always ask management to clarify whether the food that is left out is up for
grabs or if someone else left it out by accident.

Practice Good Hygiene

Wash your hands after eating and brush your teeth if possible. If you’ve eaten at
your work station, wipe down surfaces you may have touched, like your keyboard
and telephone. You should also clean up any crumbs that were left behind, as this
may leave a bad odor or attract unwanted insects or critters.