Organisational Values In Nursing

Organizational values

Values are an essenital part of our life, they encompass the abstract of what is right, worthwhile or desirable (Omery, 1989). Values are learned, modified and expanded through education (Eddy, Elfrink, Weis & Schank, 1994) but are also the products of culture or social norms (Meglino & Ravlin, 1998). They are shaped by the individual 's socialization throughout their life cycle and may change with age, experiences and culture (Parkes et al., 2001; McNeese-Smith & Crook, 2003). Due to their broad character they act as the basis upon which individuals make priorities and make choices in their personal and professional lives (Lee, 1976). A nurse 's individual value set shapes and guide her actions, attitudes and performance

Smola and Sutton (2002) found several significant differences between the BB generation and X generation: generation X had a stronger desire for quick promotion than generation BB and they were less likely to believe that ‘work should be one of the most important parts of a person 's life’. This is in keeping with the stereotype of generation X as being more ‘me’ oriented and less loyal to an employer. Generation X was also more likely to believe that they should work hard even when their supervisor was absent. Generation X felt more strongly that 'working hard makes one a better person ' comparing to BB generation that felt more strongly that 'work should be one of the most important parts of a person 's life '. Smola and Sutton (2002) concluded that work values were more influenced by generational experiences than by age and maturation. McNeese-Smith & Crook (2003) found significant differences only for values of variety and economic returns, the younger the generation, the higher these values. Generation Y has been found to be significantly different from BB generation and X generation in his value to autonomy and work-life balance, searching for new work opportunities that might met his needs (Smola

Halterman, Dutkiewicz and Halterman (1991) assessed 800 mixed team workers on the importance of effective work teams. Findings suggest that women rated the importance of job knowledge, competence, respect, trust and mutual help significantly higher than men did. Hendel et al. (2006) explored the values held by nursing students and found gender to be significantly related to preception of values‘ importance in this population – women gave higher scores than men did for personal values (loyality, respect, humanism ect.) and professional values (responsibility, security, knoweledge ect.). Men scored higher than women for organizational values (risk taking, efficiency, cooperation ect.). De Cooman and cellogos (2008) explored newly graduate Belgian nurses and found similar results, women attached more importance to interpersonal relations than men. Rudan (2003) explored the interactions of gender whitin healthcare management teams and found several major differences between men and women in their values ' perception affecting their work experience. Women place more value on relationships and connectedness. They are more intrested in members ' personally and professionaly. Male team members use competition, dominance and aggression in their work relations whereas women are more dependent, supportive and