Rokeach’s Instrumental and Terminal Values As Descriptors of Modern Organisation Values

Abstract

Many authors have created different tools to measure or estimate organisational culture. Among the possibilities, they emphasize the use of organisational values. One of the most well-known values classifications is Rokeach’s (1973) terminal and instrumental values. Although this classification has been developed more than 40 years ago, the theory is still a basis for many modern studies. The aim of our study is to find out whether Rokeach’s values are still valid and relevant in modern organisational cultures or not. Almost 150 representatives of Estonian organisations were questioned in order to find out which Rokeach’s values they perceive to be in use in their organisations. According to the results, general ethical values as instrumental values were named least frequently and just one of the terminal values was not named at all – salvation. Rokeach’s values lists are not sufficiently relevant enough today to measure and describe the wide and colorful variety of values.