Does a conscious connection to personal values have value? A mixed methods exploration of individuals’ lived experience

Abstract

Research describes advantages to employers when employees’ personal values align with core organisational values. Experiments also show values affirmation exercises delivering positive outcomes for individuals. How adults describe and understand their experience of conscious connection to personal values, and any benefits attributed to that connection, is less understood.Through articulating what it means to consciously connect to values, we seek to equip managers and practitioners to improve workplace conversations about values. By identifying personal benefits that can flow from values connection, we provide an evidence base for designing metrics to capture the impact of such conversations. This exploratory sequential mixed methods study comprised an online survey (N=108) and interviews (N=19). The study population was working age adults holding a profile of their highest priority personal values generated through use of the Minessence Group tool, ‘A Values Inventory’(AVI). We investigated whether the profile was useful, how users described feeling connected to their values, and the effects of that connection. Interviews explored themes from the survey further, detailing individual experiences of the impact of values connection. Of this population 90% reported using their profile more than once: describing a sense of connection composed of being better able to ‘know’ which values mattered most, ‘hold’ on to these crucial values and ‘live’ by them. Benefits attributed to conscious connection grouped under three themes: Sense Making, Way Findingand Self-assurance. Further research is needed to determine whether the elements of connection identified here, and the suggested benefits, are present in other populations.