Values – Instrumental Values and Terminal Values

Values are beliefs about what is good or bad. 

Your values determine what is desirable or undesirable. 

Values have an ethical and moral dimension. 

Your values provide you an internal reference for what is good, beneficial, important, useful, beautiful, desirable and constructive. 

Values generate behaviour and influence the choices made by an individual. 

Values have a major influence on your behaviour and attitude in various situations. 

Examples of Values include HONESTY, LOYALTY, AMBITION, ALTRUISM, CLEANLINESS, CONFIDENCE, CONFORMITY, CREATIVITY, CURIOSITY, DARING, DECISIVENESS, DEPENDABILITY, DISCIPLINE, INDEPENDENCE, INDIVIDUALITY, OBEDIENCE, PATRIOTISM, PUNCTUALITY, SENSE OF HUMOR, SIMPLICITY, WEALTH etc 

(The list of values is endless – you can surf the internet to see lists of values – and – you may discover your own personal values by introspection) 

Values can be categorised into two types: 

1. INSTRUMENTAL VALUES 

and 

2. TERMINAL VALUES 

My article below elaborates on these two types of values... 

INSTRUMENTAL VALUES and TERMINAL VALUES

THE TWO TYPES OF VALUES 

Musings on Management Ethics 

By

VIKRAM KARVE

Values are of two types – in both the personal and organizational domains. 

The two types of values are:

1. INSTRUMENTAL VALUES

and 

2. TERMINAL VALUES

INSTRUMENTAL VALUES

Instrumental Values are core values.

Instrumental Values are permanent in nature.

Instrumental Values comprise personal characteristics and character traits.

Instrumental Values refer to preferable modes of behaviour and include values like honesty, sincerity, ambition, independence, obedience, imaginativeness, courageousness, competitiveness – and also some negative traits too. 

Organisations also have Instrumental Values (which can be ascertained from the organizational culture).

Whether at personal level or organizational level – instrumental values are permanent in nature – and so – instrumental values are difficult to change. 

For example – the instrumental values of a Public Sector Unit (PSU) will differ from that of an Multi-National Corporation (MNC) – though both may be in the same business.

Since they are permanent in nature – Instrumental Values are difficult to change.

TERMINAL VALUES

In our personal lives – Terminal Values are those things that we work towards – or those things we think are most important – or things that we feel are most desirable. 

Terminal Values are desirable states of existence. 

Terminal Values include things like happiness, self respect, family security, recognition, freedom, inner harmony, comfortable life, professional excellence, etc

In a nutshell – Terminal Values signify the objectives of the life of a person – the ultimate things the person wants to achieve through his or her behaviour – the destination the person wants to reach in life. 

In contrast – Instrumental Values indicate the methods an individual would like to adopt for achieving his life’s aim – the path he would like to take to reach his destination.

This applies to organisations as well – and – organizations too exhibit Terminal Values. 

However – Terminal Values can be changed – and this change in Terminal Values can sometimes be seen – when there is a change of Top Management or CEO. 

Read this Before you Apply for a Job or Select a Career

(or Before Recruiting a Candidate for a Job)

ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES AND ORGANIZATION BEHAVIOUR

Organisational Values are the key to organisational behaviour. 

So – before you join an organization – you must ensure that there is no conflict in your personal Instrumental Values and the organization’s Instrumental Values 

Yes – there must be no conflict between the Employee’s and Employer’s Instrumental Values – since – Instrumental Values are difficult to change. 

Conversely – the organisation must consider this aspect while interviewing a prospective candidate for recruitment to avoid conflict of Instrumental Values.

However – any mismatch in Terminal Values can be corrected by suitable Induction Training – since Terminal Values can be inculcated or realigned or changed. 

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:

1. These are my personal views based on my personal experience. Please do your own due diligence while selecting a training philosophy.

2. All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved)

This is an abridged, upgraded and revised version of my lecture on VALUES written be me Vikram Karve more than 25 years ago in the early 1990s and posted online earlier a number of times in my various blogs including in my Academic and Creative Writing Journal Blog in 2011 at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2011/12/instrumental-values-and-terminal-values.html and https://karve.wordpress.com/2012/11/22/instrumental-values-and-terminal-values-the-two-types-of-personal-and-organizational-values/ and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2017/06/types-of-values-instrumental-values-and.html etc

The “Good” – The “Bad” – and – “Reverse Osmosis”

“BAD” TENDS TO PREVAIL OVER THE “GOOD” 

There is a “Good” Boy – and – there is a “Bad” Boy.

The two boys become friends.

Which is more likely…?

Will the “Bad” Boy become a “Good” Boy…?

Or – will the “Good” Boy become a “Bad” Boy…?

If one goes by most cases one has observed – it is more likely that the “Good” Boy will become a “Bad” Boy – by picking up “bad habits” from the “Bad” Boy.

It is very unlikely that the “Bad” Boy will emulate the “Good” Boy and turn a new leaf.

This happens at the organizational level as well.

Around 20 years ago – “Private Banks” started proliferating in India – earlier there were mostly “Public Sector Banks”.

“Private Banks” introduced new standards of customer service which were impressive.

We thought that “Public Sector Banks” would emulate “Private Banks” and improve their standard of customer service.

But – exactly the opposite happened.

The customer service in “Private Banks” deteriorated to the level of “Public Sector Banks”.

Instead of “Public Sector Banks” emulating “Private Banks” – the opposite happened.

Well – it may not be fair to generalize – and – I have had excellent customer service with one “Public Sector Bank” – but that may be an exception.

However – the excellent customer service that one “Private Bank” provided earlier – has certainly deteriorated.

These thoughts remind me of an article I had written long ago on the concept of “REVERSE OSMOSIS” in Human and Organizational Behaviour – based on my own observations.

Dear Reader: Here is the article – abridged and updated – for you to read and think over…

“REVERSE OSMOSIS” IN HUMAN BEHAVIOUR

Musings of a Retired Veteran

By

VIKRAM KARVE

“REVERSE OSMOSIS” in HUMAN BEHAVIOUR

“BAD” TENDS TO INFLUENCE THE “GOOD”

Each individual has some good points and some bad points.

Yes – every person has some positive attributes and some negative attributes.

When two individuals interact – and they become friends or colleagues – we expect that each one will imbibe the “good aspects” of the other one.

But on many occasions exactly the opposite happens – and each one picks up the “bad habits” of the other one.

In most cases – the “bad” tends to influence the “good”. 

In fact – “bad” prevails over the “good”

It is very rare that the “good” wins over the “bad”.

This phenomenon of “reverse osmosis” is more predominant in youngsters who are of an impressionable age where peer pressure influences you and dominates your actions.

Let us take a scenario of youngsters who join the Defence Services – Army, Navy or Air Force.

Suppose a young man who is a non-drinker in civilian life joins the Navy.

He has shipmates, friends and course-mates who drink Alcohol.

Tell me – which is more likely:

1. Will the shipmates who are drinkers pick up the positive virtue of temperance from the non-drinker – and – will they all quit drinking alcohol and become teetotallers...?

or

2. Will the non-drinker “emulate” his friends and start drinking alcohol...? 

Experience shows that the second option is more likely.

Most of us picked up our smoking and drinking habits emulating our smoker and drinker friends – did we not...?

Yes – if you are a non-smoker – and – you have smoker friends – you are more likely to become a smoker.

It is unlikely that all your smoker friends will emulate you and become non-smokers – will they give up their smoking habit – and become a non-smoker like you. 

It is the same with drinking and other addictions too.

Think of your school and college days – and – think about all the habits you picked up in your youth.

It may be due to peer pressure or other reasons – but – we tend to pick up bad habits more easily from those we interact with – instead of imbibing their good points.

It is the same with other bad habits like drinking, gambling and harmful addictions and undesirable activities.

It is more common to see good persons “falling” into bad company and ruining their lives.

On the contrary – it is quite rare to see a “bad” person being reformed by “good” company.

You must have seen many persons “falling” in bad company.

But have you seen any person “rising” in good company...?

It is easier to slide down the slippery slope of vices. 

It is difficult to climb up the steep gradient of virtue.

REVERSE OSMOSIS in and out of Uniform

CIVILIANS IN UNIFORM and SOLDIERS IN CIVILIAN DRESS

This phenomenon of “reverse osmosis” happens at the group level and organizational level too.

When two organizations interact we expect that each organization will imbibe the positive aspects of the other’s organizational culture.

However – sometimes exactly the opposite happens.

Let me give you an example from my own experience.

When I was in the Navy – I was once posted to an institution called IAT Pune.

IAT was an inter-service training and research organization.

There were officers of two different cadres posted in IAT:

1. Uniformed Defence Officers of the Army Navy and Air Force

and

2. Civilian Research Scientists

It was expected that when these two different types of cadres interacted with each other – each cadre would inculcate the positive aspects of the other.

I thought that the “laid back” scientists would imbibe the good habits of punctuality and discipline from the defence service officers.

I also expected that the “do-as-you-are-told” regimented “soldiers” would cultivate a right-brain “out of the box” thinking approach and imbibe a “scientific temper” from the scientists.

To my amusement – I observed exactly the opposite.

The “Soldiers” were quick to embrace the “slack discipline” and the laid-back “chalta hai” attitude of the Scientists.

In contrast – the “Scientists” were quick to adopt the “rigid thinking” and “hierarchical rank-consciousness” prevalent among uniformed Military Officers.

In fact – some scientists became so rank conscious and were so sensitive about their “status” – that they were obsessed with things like “inter-se seniority” and “rank equivalence”  of Scientists – especially vis-a-vis military officers and civilian bureaucrats – and – this rank consciousness often resulted in strained relations, ego clashes and turf wars between Uniformed Service Officers and Civilian Scientists.

Despite the fact that they called themselves “Scientists” – these “Boffins” were extremely hypersensitive about their place in the “pecking order”.

It was amusing to see these “boffins” wasting most of their energy in arguments debating on this contentious issue of “inter-se seniority” vis-a-vis military officers and getting agitated over disputes as to who was senior and who was junior – instead of getting on with their scientific research work.

Research Scientists had imbibed Military Hierarchy Concepts which are totally alien to a “scientific temper”.

Some civilians were afflicted by military “rankomania” to such an extent – that one “senior” scientist even demanded that he be saluted by uniformed troops.

The upshot of all this was that most “research scientists” became more interested in “administering” and “managing” instead of devoting themselves to conducting scientific research.

The end result of this soldier-civilian interaction was that you got exactly the opposite of what you had envisaged.

Thanks to “reverse osmosis” – the mutual interaction between servicemen and scientists ended up producing “civilians in uniform” and “soldiers in civil dress”.

I have seen this phenomenon of “reverse osmosis” happening in other “quasi-military” organisations like DGQA, DRDO, MES, NCC and in Delhi Centric Defence Headquarters and Offices as well – where there are a large number of civilians interacting with uniformed service officers and personnel.  

Such are the ironies, paradoxes, incongruities and absurdities of life which you can observe all around you.

This phenomenon of “reverse osmosis” can be seen during “jointmanship” and in many tri-service units and inter-service institutions.

You bring together two different sets of individuals hoping that each will imbibe the good aspects of the other – but exactly the opposite happens.

You want “osmosis” – but – you end up getting “reverse osmosis”.

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:

1. This story is a fictional spoof, satire, pure fiction, just for fun and humor, no offence is meant to anyone, so take it with a pinch of salt and have a laugh.

2. All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (All Rights Reserved)

     

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

 

This Article was written by me Vikram Karve in June 2012 and earlier posted by me Vikram Karve on 15 September 20129/15/2012 12:57:00 PM in this blog at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/09/good-habits-and-bad-habits-reverse.html and url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2013/07/civilians-in-uniform-and-soldiers-in.html and url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2014/06/humor-in-uniform-civilians-in-uniform.html  and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2015/06/humor-in-uniform-reverse-osmosis.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/11/reverse-osmosis-in-human-behaviour-bad.html