Work values and organizational culture in educational administration

The purpose of this paper is to investigate work values and organizational culture of school managers in Uşak. This study also investigates how school managers? work values are related to organizational culture. One of the most important topics in Educational Administration is that this educational administration has not own its value system relating to this area. This study is important because it points out the formation of organizational culture and to generalize culture to society it points out the educational administrators? work values based upon value system. Therefore, this study will contribute to form a value system for educational administration.In today?s world, work values take on an added significance in understanding human behavior and action. Indeed, understanding values provides scholars and practitioners alike with pragmatic and effective means of deciphering events and pursuing desired change. This is because, as Hofstede 1984 noted, values are the core element in each culture (Al- Kazemi and Ali, 2005). Consequently, management processes, which are embedded in a culture, differ from society to society, but show strong continuity within each society. Therefore, patterns of behavior can be recognized, compared and analyzed. That is, familiarity with prevailing values and their underpinnings sharpen managers? understanding of why and how certain processes and actions evolve.For more than five decades researchers in the areas of industrial psychology, comparative management, and organization, among others, have given special attention to work values and value systems. Researchers have recognized that organizational culture and cultural differences are attributed; to a large extend, to prevailing values. Values are found to influence decision making and strategy, attitudes and behavior, aspirations, work commitment and effectiveness, achievement and creativity, loyalty, evaluation and justification of self and others, and organizational structure ( Aldag and Brief, 1975; Bing, 2004; Davis and Rasool, 1988; Knoop, 1991; Rokeach, 1973).Work values are important constructs for understanding and predicting individuals? affective reactions and work performance (Klenke, 2005). Klenke proposes that work values have a more specific meaning than general values and may be more central in an individual?s value structure because of the importance of work in modern lives. The interest in work values has strong practical implications, including motivation, communication, conflict (Dose, 1997), and aligning the values of employees, managers, and the organization (Meglino, Ravlin, & Adkins, 1991).A considerable amount of research has been conducted in the area of work values. For example, some researches (eg., Super, 1980; Dose, 1997; Elizur, 1984; Elizur, Borg, Hunt, & Beck, 1991; Furnham, 1984) have focused on the definition of work values (Rokeach, 1973; Hofstede, 1980) and others have developed work value model ( Elizur, Borg, Hunt, &Beck, 1999; Ginzberg, 1971; Hofstede,1984; Schwartz, 1992) values in relation to work (Elizur, 1984; Elizur, Borg, Hunt, & Beck, 1991; Furnham, 1984). Some investigated values in occupational settings (e.g. Ball, Farnill, Beiers, & Lindorff, 1989; Zanders & Harding, 1995) and others in individual level (e.g. Allport & Vernon, 1931; Super, 1969). In individual level, values were examined in relation to interests and motivation (Roe and Ester, 1999).The population of the study is educational administrators and teachers of Uşak. The sample of the study is educational administrators and teachers working in Uşak. To discover administrators? work values, a questionnaire named ?Work Values Questionnaire ?developed by Yücel and author and this questionnaire is utilized in this study. With this questionnaire, each selected school administrators will indicate their work values for each of the following items to what extent it is important for them. The focus of the WVQ is on contemporary work values: motivation, achievement, influence, and job characteristics at work. Instrument measuring the type of organizational culture named `Organizational Culture Questionnaire? is utilized in this study. Correlation techniques are used for analyzing and with these techniques, the relationship between the type of organizational culture and work values is investigated and the roles of work values in organizational culture are discussed. Subsequently, the purpose of this study is to discuss the issues of values and provide suggestions and a point of view based on the reviewed literature.Key Words: Values, Work Values, Organizational Culture