Ambiguity, ambivalence and indifference in organisational values

In this article the authors explore the use of official company values as a device for the achievement of cultural control. A qualitative study is presented, investigating the relationship between a set of official values and their enactment, as perceived by company employees. The study reveals a perceived discrepancy between the official espousal of the values by the company and their actual enactment, especially in the attitudes and behaviour of senior management. The ambivalence of this group towards such values is reflected in the indifference of staff, for whom the values have little salience as drivers of company policy or practice. The embedding of company values is represented as part of a larger descriptive framework of salience. It is also argued that political considerations, including powerful, unofficial cultural and subcultural norms, will override the impact of officially espoused, but unembedded, values