Importance of Values

Importance of Values

Values are like a vade mecum present in the mind of all individuals. They control our decisions, actions and behavior. We use them subconsciously, in our day to day lives. Thus individuals act in accordance to their personal values or what they consider to be important.

In general, people use their values as weighing scales to weigh out the potential alternatives, in terms of what is acceptable and what isn’t and whether an action should be undertaken or refrained from doing so. Hence values filter the individuals’ observations and work in congruence with their emotions to guide their choices. For example, a person who values family and relationships will keep them as his top priority; on the other hand, a person who values his career above anything else, will refrain from investing too much time in relationships. From this example it can be inferred that humans value other humans, ideas, objects, activities etc. based on their perceived significance in their own lives.

By nature, values are universal and are shared by all humans through their consciousness, thus breaking all cultural, religious, gender and race barriers. Additionally, they induce consideration for others, whether it is in the form of respect, loyalty or care. However values different from ethics, since they are inherent in characteristic. Therefore, usually individuals do not deviate from them, irrespective of whether someone is watching their actions. On the other hand, ethics are like rules that are established within a society or organization, which people have an obligation to follow. Thus the two differ because values are present on an individual level, while ethics is present on a societal level. Nevertheless, the society is unlikely to function smoothly unless there are shared values that guide the behavior of people in that society, in both good and bad times. Similarly, in an organization environment, values act as the foundation of the attitudes, motivations, and expectations of the employees; thereby, determining their behavior. This system of shared values and beliefs, which influences how people behave in the organization, formulates the organization culture.

Hence it can be deduced that values are the pillar of any society or institution and ensure that they function well. Thus they must be diffused, boosted and perpetuated.

By: Falguni Jain

Student : BBA IB Sem 4

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