We know that values are important influences in an individual's choices, attitudes, and behaviors. Having an understanding of values is a key piece of information that managers and employees need in order to help them work more effectively with others. For managers in particular, it is important to understand values because they drive the concepts, principles, and activities an employee will be willing to work for.

Values are important for understanding organizational behavior because they influence our behavior across different settings. Schwartz believes that values are motivational and that they "represent broad goals that apply across contexts and time." Values are relatively stable and can influence behavior outside of our awareness. Schwartz proposed that there are ten broad values that guide behavior. He also identified the motivational mechanisms that underlie each value. It is these motivational mechanisms that give values their ability to influence behavior.

Roll over each employee name and read the description of the employee's values. Next, click and drag the name to the value that best matches the employee's values.