Values Test - Understand who you are with an Organizational Values Assessment Test

ID-Values Test

The ID-Values Test (OVT), previously Organizational Values Test – Pyramid Format (OVT-PYR), is a tool used to assess and study the organizational values of managers, employees, or candidates within a working group, or an organization.

Characteristics of our organizational values assessment test

Available languages

English | French

Required time

OVT: 45 minutes OVT-B: 55 minutes

Administration

40 Questions | Multiple Choice 4 Questions | Ranking of values

Target audience

Any organization that wishes to favour a strategic orientation centred on the organizational values.

Skills assessed by HRID’s Organizational Values Test

Why use an organizational values assessment test?

This test will help answers questions such as:

  • What are the current values shared by the managers in your organization?
  • Are these values in line with those published by your organization?
  • Do different groups share the same values?
  • Which work values will make your employees happy and successful, and let them achieve their life goals?
  • To what extent is a merger between two companies/divisions/departments realistic, when considering the values shared by each group?
  • To what extent does your organization offer an environment that corresponds to your employees’ most profound desires regarding work setting and climate?

 

Get clear and concise information through HRID’s test reports

Use our online values test to get a clear answer regarding the values of your employees or potential candidates. Keep in mind that there are no wrong answers here. This values test is simply to establish a hierarchy of values and determine where they stand in relation to your organization’s values.

 

Standard Report

Identifies two types of values: “core values” and those that are more closely related to “work values”. Identifies which values the individual has chosen as the ones that the organization should prefer. Presents the results based on the following:

– Importance of the values;

– Distribution of the values (by category);

– Definition of the values.

Comparison Report

Compares two sets of values associated with individuals or groups. The results are presented in four different sections: The order of importance of the value:

– Identification of common or unique values;

– The concordance of the two sets of values;

– A visual comparison of the importance given to each of the values.

Key points

  • Identify organizational values through a consultation process;
  • Ensure a stronger fit between a person and the organization (P-O fit);
  • Improve employee engagement and retention;
  • Help solve intergroup conflicts;
  • Help the organization decide on the merits of a company/department/division merger.

What are organizational values?

Learn more about value assessment and HRID’s tests

There are many interpretations as to what organizational values are. One can think about values as important things that influence our lives and how we behave daily in a work environment. They are always both influencing our decisions and affecting our behaviour, even though we are not always conscious of it. They serve to guide and define who we are in our academic and social lives, as well as in our interpersonal relationships.

Values can also be interpreted as an individual’s long-term goals. Different people have different goals in life. Some people see the significance in productivity, teamwork, and work-life balance, consequently, they will particularly focus their attention on these aspects. This in turn will have a major impact on the way they see their work and their level of involvement with the organization.

Simply put, values can be defined as things that we see and judge as important. We try to enact our values to bring some balance to our lives. Doing so can lead to a feeling of inner harmony, contentment, and satisfaction with our lives.


What are the different types of organizational values?

Organizational values can be broadly classified into four major subtypes:

  • Fundamental beliefs, which include a democratic approach, openness to diversity, and respect for diversity;
  • Concern for employees, which includes climate and employee satisfaction, work-private life balance, career, and development and employee recognition;
  • Human interactions, which include dynamism and relationships with others;
  • Concern for clients, which includes quality of service and client adaptation.

How are organizational values assessed by a test?

Most values tests assess occupational and achievement values according to the Occupational Anchors Theory established by Dr. Edgar Schein at MIT, as well as the Core Human Values Theory of the famous Dr. Shalom H. Schwartz. However, these theories only address personal values and do not truly apply to organizations. Consequently, an organization needs to assess and use the most relevant values: the organizational values.   In total, thirty-four organizational values are identified such as Autonomy, Creativity, Quality of Service, Seeking Excellence, Growth, Performance, Working Conditions, Health and Safety, Interpersonal Relationships, etc. Irrespective of the participant’s answers to this test, you will be able to better assess the fit between their values and the organizational values.  Our tool will let you establish cross-cultural validity among the responses, as well as cross-cultural psychology. You will also notice causal factors between two areas that might make sense within your organization. 

How does knowing values help you make decisions?

Once you have a crucial decision to make as an organization, it's useful to ask: how does it match with the fundamental values? It’s also important to be aware of the consequences of acting according to the organizational values and taking full responsibility for it. The ID-Values Test makes it possible to identify values of the greatest importance through rank order. The test can be applied in a number of different situations, including: Identifying corporate values: Allowing a group of decision makers to identify their company’s organizational values; Relationship between the personnel and the organization: To compare values between two groups in the same organization in order to identify the similarities and differences regarding two major value categories; Benchmarking: Comparing an organization’s values to values shared by companies operating in 17 different sectors; Hiring employees: Screening candidates who wish to join an organization. The test calculates an indicator of agreement that can be used to establish a cut-off point. Employee retention: Analyzing employees’ values in order to identify individuals most likely to remain with the organization. Company/department/division mergers: Comparing the values of employees of two different companies/departments /divisions that are intending to merge. Organizational development: Identifying organizational development needs through a comparison of corporate values shared by (a) management and staff, (b) two separate groups of employees, and (c) any other significant group.