INTERPLAY OF VALUES IN THE FUNCTIONING OF INDIAN ORGANIZATIONS

Abstract

Indian work organizations display a mixed set of values, characteristic of both western and non‐western societies. A belief in Detachment is found to coexist with Materialistic Orientation, Collectivism with Individualism and Humanism with Power Orientation. To substantiate this, results from two studies on member integration, carried out in four public sector organizations (Prakash 1982) and a multinational organization (Katju 1986) are discussed. Personal values and organizational values in the two types of organizations were analysed. Factor analysis of these values in public sector organizations yielded factors based on indigenous as well as universal values. The value clusters in the case of the multinational organization were largely based on universal values. Member integration in the public sector organizations was found associated with certain background variables, such as the level of professional education, the family's exposure to work organizations, prior work experience, etc. Nurturance of subordinates by supervisors, organizational expectation of universalism and peer leadership enhanced member integration. In the multinational organization, the length of service and the level of professional education, among the background variables, and participation in decision making, support from the boss, team‐work and control, among the organizational variables, were associated with member integration. It is argued that indigenous values, such as familism, need to be synthesized with the values of industrial democracy to make Indian organizations more effective.