There has been a recent increase in research investigating the relationship between values and value congruence in the workplace and how this leads to positive organisational outcomes. This study investigated the congruence between employees’ values and their perceptions of organisational values, and how this relates to the organisational outcomes of job satisfaction, work engagement, person organisation fit and resilience. Participants were asked to rate eight values related to the workplace, in relation to how they thought about the values individually and how they perceived their organisation rated the eight values. These ratings were then used to analyse the relationship between values and value congruence and each of the four organisational outcomes. The proposed relationships were tested using data collected from an online survey of 120 employees from nine New Zealand based organisations. The results of hierarchical regression analyses showed that values and values congruence is significantly related to job satisfaction, work engagement, person organisation fit and resilience. However the significant relationships were dependent on certain values for each of the four outcomes. Which implies certain values are more salient for each of the outcomes. The results were also discussed in terms of the practical implications for organisations and areas of possible future research.

This case study has been about the attitudes and values of a group of participants in a specific workplace. The aim has been to try and ascertain if the identified attitudes and values of the participants have had any influence on career development. There were 12 participants involved and at the time of this project they were either in permanent part or full time employment with ‘The Company’. ‘The Company’ is a pseudonym given to the business where the participants worked and the setting for this research project. The workplace is situated in a remote location on an industrial work site in New Zealand. Each participant engaged in the research voluntarily. They completed a questionnaire and took part in a semi-structured interview. Confidentiality and anonymity of all participants had been respected and maintained throughout the entire project. Results show that there were three principle influences that could be attributed to the ways that participants perceived the workplace and personal career development. They were workplace values, workplace training, and workplace goals. These attributes are influenced in different ways and hold divergent meaning for individual participants. The most highly rated value, as identified by participants in this project has been variation of tasks undertaken in the workplace. This was not challenged by any of the indicators used to consider opinions and values expressed by participants; education, generational groupings, career type and work streams. Seven of the twelve participants desired promotion within ‘The Company’. The ways that participants hoped to achieve promotion was often unspecified. Participants did not articulate specific planning methods. Future research is recommended such as focusing on how employees can develop career goals that fit with the goals of their workplace.

Much generational research has been conducted in the last decade, prompted most likely by the drastic social and technological changes of the late 20th century, the increase in enrollments in higher education, the increase in families with two working parents, and the meteoric rise in the widespread use and acceptance of emerging technologies. These changes, experts have argued, have led to greater than usual differences between and among the generations. These differences have been the subject of much research on the behaviors and interactions of the generations (Veterans, Baby Boomers, Generation Xers and Millennials) socially and in the workplace. Current generational research has shown that major differences exist between the workplace values and motivations of younger workers (Generation X and Millennial) and older workers (Veterans and Baby Boomers). Indeed, private sector employers have determined that applying the same recruitment methods and workplace practices that have been used commonly for the last 50 years does little to attract and, perhaps more importantly, retain younger workers. Therefore, these types of employers have begun to rethink their long-held practices. This study focused on a group which had not been studied closely for generational differences: community college faculty. The problem addressed was the question of whether or not the generational characteristics exhibited in private sector employees would also be apparent in higher education. That is, do future faculty have noticeably different workplace values than their older colleagues and are such differences likely to influence the recruitment and retention of future faculty? This question is especially important in light of increased demand for faculty, especially at community colleges, due to anticipated retirements of older faculty and increased student enrollments. This study ascertained, through focus groups, interviews, and surveys, whether or not such differences existed in the population studied and offered suggestions to address any differences. The research results indicated that statistically significant differences do exist in the importance of various areas related to reasons for choosing to teach in higher education, reasons for accepting a particular position, and reasons to consider leaving a position. Specifically, Institutional location, Institutional climate, Personality of colleagues, Family environment, Tenure, Opportunity to do research, and Ethnic diversity were all significantly more important to future faculty than to current faculty. / text