In an organization, personal values contribute to workplace attitudes and behavior. It's important to understand how the full range of potential human values impacts our attitudes and behavior at work. In addition to personal values, companies must be aware of their own company values and the effect these values may have on employees, customers, and the environment.

$"$We believe the future quality of human life is dependent on both economic vitality and a healthy, sustainable natural environment. We do not see these goals as mutually exclusive, but inextricably linked. Mankind's future depends on meeting the needs and aspirations of a growing global population, while enhancing and protecting the ecosystem on which all life depends." So begins the vision of the major office furniture, equipment, and home furnishings manufacturer, Herman Miller.

Read the case below and then answer the questions that follow.

Herman Miller has created a significant number of products through the years that have become classic icons of industrial design. The company attributes this success and recognition to their strongly held values and history of innovation.

As stated on the company's website, Herman Miller implements safety and sustainability throughout the entire company. From the top down, Herman Miller sets goals for safety and sustainability and makes achieving these goals a part of the evaluation of the CEO's performance. From the bottom up$,$ Herman Miller empowers people with a passion for wellness and responsibility to lead by example and through organized programs.

These strongly held values centered on sustainability have affected Herman Miller's business strategy and choices over the years. For example, in the early $2000$s$,$ the company had the option of beginning to use a type of hard plastic called PVC for the basic structure of its furniture. Using PVC in the arm pads of the company$$s new chair would save about $$2\mathrm{.}5$ million a year. In addition, PVC was a standard and trusted product in the office furniture industry, with more than $50$ percent of office products containing at least one PVC part. However, it was found that toxins were released during the manufacture of PVC and the fumes created by the material when burned could be deadly.

Herman Miller's other option for the new arm pads was an alternative material referred to as TPU. TPU's manufacture proved to be more environmentally friendly than that of PVC$,$ but the costs of the material were twice that of PVC$.$ In addition to this raised cost, TPU was a relatively new material that had not been tested for quality consistency. Development and supply chain teams encouraged the company to proceed with the use of PVC for the initial launch of the new chair while testing TPU for consistency or searching for another cheap alternative to be used in future designs.

Taking into account the company$$s history of innovation and stated values of sustainability, Herman Miller made the choice to take a chance and use the more expensive TPU material. Despite the added costs and risks, the company's commitment to its stated values did not waver. In the end, Herman Miller$$s commitment to sustainability paid off with the release of the popular, PVC$-$free Mirra chair!

Sources:

Lee, Deishin, and Lionel Bony. "Cradle$-$to$-$Cradle Design at Herman Miller: Moving Toward Environmental Sustainability." Harvard Business School. $2009.$

"Our Vision and Policy." Herman Miller, Inc. $2014.$

$\_\_\_\_\_\_$ are abstract ideals that guide one$$s thinking and behavior across all situations.

Multiple Choice

Climates

Behaviors

Understandings

Values

Dynamics