Discussion Forum Unit # 2

Values Formation: 
Value formation is the confluence of our personal experiences and particular culture we are
entwined in. Values are imposed from our family in childhood and reinforced through culture and life
experiences. The value of, for example, kindness was imposed on me from my parents, and
reinforced throughout early childhood. Then I applied that value on the school playground and
experienced how it helped me create greater social bonds with my school mates. My personal
experiences growing up reinforced the value of kindness as I experienced the adaptive effects of
showing kindness and the maladaptive effects when choosing malice over kindness. All through my
upbringing, both my personal experiences and cultural surroundings both reinforced the value of
kindness.

Impact of Values at Workplace:

Your values describe what is important to you in the way you live your life. They give meaning to
your life, are the foundation for your beliefs, they influence your decisions, actions and behavior and
impact the life you choose to lead. Examples of values include respect, openness, independence,
privacy, financial security, creativity, optimism, happiness, family oriented, success, healthiness,
compassion, kindness, perseverance, spontaneity, trust, perfection, modesty, loyalty, fun,
professionalism and accuracy.
Everyone has a different set of values with varying degrees of importance given to each value. You
may be conscious and very aware of your values or you may hold them in your subconscious acting
on them but not being consciously aware of them. When you live your life in line with your values
you are likely to feel fulfilled, however where your values are in conflict with each other or how you
are living your life you may feel stressed and unhappy.
So how do your values impact you at work or in your business? Here are some examples:
Supporting and energizing your work: Where your values are aligned with your work or business
you will find that they support and energize your work e.g. If you have a value of trust and you feel
trusted by everyone you deal with at work and you trust them. It may be that some of your values are
aligned, whereas others are not. If this is the case you will be happy with elements of your work but
not others. The more you can align your values with your work or business the happier you will be in
all areas of your life.
Conflicting with your work: Where some or all of your values conflict with your work you are likely
to feel very unsettled or stressed. e.g. If you have a value of timeliness but you are finding that due
to the rapid growth of your business you have too much to do and things are not being completed in
a timely fashion, you are likely to feel very uncomfortable. In this situation you may be able to align
your work more towards your values and feel better by employing an extra member of staff. When
you are feeling like this consider your values and look for ones that are currently conflicting with your
work and then take action to change the situation.

Values Change Over Time:

For many of us, our values may go unexamined until tragedy strikes or life throws us a curveball.
Significant life events tend to help (or force) us to re-evaluate what we consider important.
As time goes by, we do experience major and minor life experiences that shape our worldview, and
therefore our values. Starting a new job, becoming a parent, or embracing a new hobby are all great
examples of events that could shape your worldview and values. For example, when I joined the
workforce, I valued dependability/stability because it was the first time I could create that for myself
after four tumultuous years of college where I moved frequently, changed majors, took new courses
every semester, and more. But now that I’ve been able to settle in to the workforce, I value challenge
and the opportunity to learn new things.
References:
Makin, L. (2014). Makin It Happen - Coaching, Mentoring & Stress Management.
Maximus, G. (2018). How Are Values Formed? Philosophy, Politics.
Semple, R. (2019). Do Values Change Over Time? Leadership Development.