A521.5.4.RB - Core Workplace Values Assessment


A person’s values are his or her fundamental beliefs about what is most important in life.  Values are a person’s guiding star, his or her true north. They define why people behave in certain ways, why they put high importance on certain things and ignore others.  Some people place high value on health and spend hours in the gym and eat a healthy, restrictive diet. Others place high value on enjoyment and find it more important to enjoy a tasty meal than to eat a healthy one.  What we value most is most important to us, and we make decisions and structure our lives in accordance with our values. Values are our internal beliefs that dictate how we live our lives.

I recently took an assessment that helped me to identify my workplace values.  My workplace values are the characteristics that I find most important in my employment.  I discovered that the characteristics that I find most important in my work include: 1) an appropriate balance between work and family life, 2) an opportunity to have a positive impact on others and on society, 3) the ability to develop professionally and continue to learn and grow, 4) stability and security, and 5) an environment defined by truth and integrity.  

I have clearly seen how my workplace values have influenced my professional life.  I have been at my current job for nearly twelve years. It has been a great place to work and has been really good for my work-life balance.  Many of my coworkers work on a 14 days on/14 days off schedule. The majority of them live far from the Gulf Coast; in fact I have one coworker that lives in Wales in the United Kingdom and commutes to Louisiana for his two weeks of work.  Many of my coworkers place high value on being able to live wherever they want, and so the job suits them well.
When I was hired my wife and I decided that it would not be good for our family for me to be gone for two weeks at a time, so we decided to move to Louisiana so we could stay together and be close to work.  We decided that having a normal work schedule and daily family time was more important than living where we wanted. Shortly after we moved to Louisiana a pilot position became available that was a Monday through Friday schedule.  I have stayed in this position now for about eleven years because of the high value I place on the balance between work and life. I could have upgraded to larger, more complex helicopters years ago if I had been willing to go back on the 14/14 work schedule and be away from home for two weeks at a time.  However, I place more value on time at home with my family than flying larger, more complex aircraft, so I have stayed in the same position. Additionally, the stability of my job and the regular work schedule has allowed me time to serve in volunteer capacities through my church and the community and has given me the opportunity to have a meaningful impact on others.  Although my particular position has not given me many opportunities for professional development and personal growth, it does give me free time while I am waiting for my passengers to perform their inspections on the oil platforms. I have used that free time to complete a bachelor’s degree and am now working on a master’s degree. So indirectly, my job has helped me to realize the value of personal growth and continued learning.  

Just as individuals have different values, so do organizations.  Denning (2011) suggested that there are four kinds of organizational values: the values of robber barons, the values of hardball strategists, the values of pragmatists, and genuinely ethical values.  Robber barons are at one extreme of the continuum. Their only value is to crush the competition by any means necessary. Hardball strategists use any legal means necessary to pursue their single-minded focus of winning.  Pragmatists pursue instrumental values, “values that are a central part of the organization’s business strategy” (Denning, 2011, p. 129). Organizations that have genuinely ethical values “go beyond what is necessary for business strategy” (Denning, 2011, p. 131).  “Ethical values imply viewing the staff of the organization not simply as a shifting population of individuals that haphazardly come and go . . . but rather as a community of human beings to whose welfare they are reciprocally committed” (Denning, 2011, p. 131).

The organization that I work for is characterized by pragmatic values.  The values of safety, integrity, service, teamwork, and excellence have been established (Era Helicopters, n.d.).  They are fundamental to providing the organization with a competitive advantage over similar companies. The company is focused on providing safe transportation to offshore oil rigs and platforms.  Safety is foundational to the culture of the organization. That has not always been the case. When I started with the company there was a misalignment between the core values and the culture. There were times when corners were cut to save money.  Sometimes we were pushed to take a flight when the weather was marginal. However, over the last few years the culture has become aligned with the core value of safety. Management continually encourages us to not take any unnecessary risks and if there is anything questionable about a flight we can turn it down with an assurance that management will back up our decision.  I believe that safety is the most important value for an aviation company to embody.

Tricia Griffiths said “With the right people, culture, and values, you can accomplish great things” (Brainyquote.com, n.d.).  When the culture and values of an organization are aligned with the values of its employees they feel greater satisfaction and happiness at work.

References

Brainyquote.com. (n.d.). Values quotes. Retrieved from https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/values

Denning, S. (2011). The leader’s guide to storytelling: Mastering the art and discipline of business narrative. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Era Helicopters. (n.d.). Values, mission, vision. Retrieved from https://www.erahelicopters.com/about/values-mission-vision

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