Organizational_Values

Organizational values play an important role guiding and directing how an organization functions (Dobni, Ritchie, and Zerbe, 1999). Dobni (et al) (as cited in O’Reilly, 1989) states that an organization’s value system works a way for workers to make sense of what is important, why things happen the way they do, and how their work should be completed. Changes within an organization are often made during the course of an employee’s time there, that is why it is best for organizations to identify, clarify, and validate the values members are expected to hold before there are any changes made within the organization. When an organization places more emphasis on the survival, whether it is competitive, operational or economical, of the company before that of its workers, this is referred to as a performance-pressured value system. This type of value system can be easily identified by organizations that focus on the mass-production manufacturing, quantity over quality, and simple bottom-line results (Dobni et al., 1999, p. 100). Organizations that function using this type of value system shows more concern with daily production numbers and less with the relationships with its workers. A working environment of this sort can prove to be critical, creating more employees with feelings of aggression towards the organization, which could cause a loss in profits and new market opportunities for the organization. An organization that has tendencies to take risks, be innovative, and demonstrate pro-activeness is one described to have an entrepreneurial value system. Per Dobni (et al), this type of value system places emphasis on risk-taking and will not only respond swiftly to the influences of its environment, but will take whatever steps deemed necessary to influence the environment in order to place itself at an advantage. Organizations with an entrepreneurial value system strive to be first in both new product and market areas (Dobni et al., 1999, p. 100). These organizations are focused on growth and include employees in problem solving and the implementation of new ideas. The Nike Corporation could be described as an organization working with either of these two value systems. The company began it production in Oregon, also employing American citizens Maine and New Hampshire (Wilsey & Lichtig, n.d.), until the recession made it necessary to close those production sites. The owners of the organization recognized an opportunity to expand manufacturing and at the same time maximize profits by moving their production across the globe. The most obvious benefit for the move was the opportunity to hire labor at a much lower rate than would be possible in the United States. Another benefit that the owners recognized was the opportunity to expand the organization in the most populated country in the world (Wilsey & Lichtig, n.d.). References Dobni, D., Ritchie, J.R., & Zerbe, W. (1999). Organization values: the inside view of service productivity. New York: Elsevier Science Inc. Wilsey, M. & Lichtig, S. (n.d.). The nike controversy. Retrieved from http://www.stanford.edu/class/e297c/trade_environment/wheeling/hnike.html