Value diversity in management teams

Personal values and their motives

In his value model, Shalom H. Schwartz from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem categorised the various human values into 10 basic value types (basic values according to Schwartz, 1992):

How can you use this value model for the composition of your management team and its collaboration?

Utilising individual value patterns for successful collaboration

Our experience shows that the most successful teams are those that

• have a broad set of values so as not to get into conflict over every little thing
• represent the opposite pairs of values and know in which situations these values complement each other sensibly
  Example: change processes: First, those who want to create something new take the lead. Then the people with the value "security" take care of creating structures that ensure stability.
• who understand value diversity as an enrichment

Let me explain this in more detail using various examples.

Let's assume you lead a team of 8 people. 6 of them have the values of security, tradition and hedonism. For 2 people, performance and stimulation take centre stage.

The conflicts in this team are pre-programmed, as the pairs of values are diametrically opposed. The opportunity that lies in complementing stimulation and security in terms of shaping change processes is probably not recognised.

Let's assume you lead a team of 8 people. Each of these people has different dominance values. These include: Universality, benevolence, conformity, security, power, performance, hedonism and self-determination.

You will find it difficult to make decisions with this management team. Furthermore, it will hardly be possible to pull together in a spirit of trust. The common set of values is missing.

In this team of 8 people, you have five people who have Achievement and Benevolence as their dominant values. The values of security, stimulation and universalism are also present.

What does this mean for this management team? The majority of them are keen to achieve goals while keeping the well-being of their employees in mind. There are team members who attach importance to creating structures that provide security. New ideas are introduced, new paths are taken and there is at least one moderator in the team. The person whose main value is universalism will ensure that the different perspectives are heard and that diversity is utilised as an opportunity.

Conclusion: Value diversity and transparency contribute significantly to trusting cooperation.

Companies that want to achieve trusting cooperation in their management teams should pay attention to both a good mix of competences and an appropriate diversity of values when selecting team members.