Enacting Share Values - Myth or Reality?: A Context-Specific Value Audit

Commonly chosen combinations of methods choices have restricted organizational culture research. We selected an atypical mix of these choices and used them to develop a Values Audit Survey that used a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods to assess whether the “corporate” values espoused by the leaders of an organization were personally endorsed and enacted by other employees. We found portions of these values audit data congruent with three theoretical perspectives on culture (Integration, Differentiation, and Fragmentation), demonstrated how the values audit could easily be adapted to provide context-specific data in studies of other organizations, and examined how unusual mixes of method choices might enhance our understanding of cultures in organizations.