Organizational goals and values: A socialization model

Abstract

Research on the content of socialization has incorporated multiple content areas into one general framework. However, it has been suggested that the organizational content areas actually assess different constructs, thus, researchers should examine the content areas independently. The purpose of this article is to present a model of socialization that focuses on the antecedents and outcomes of socialization in one specific content area: organizational goals and values. The model suggests that an individual's agreement with the organization's values (work value congruence) and the importance of the individual's own work values interact to determine the outcomes of socialization to the organizational goals and values. When there is low work value congruence, the individual may engage in detrimental behaviors if the individual has a strong belief in his/her own values.