Schwartz’s Theory of Basic Human Values: What Really Drives People at Work
What if the real source of workplace conflict isn’t personality, skill, or communication—but a clash between people’s deepest values?
Executive Summary
Schwartz’s Theory of Basic Human Values identifies ten universal motivational values that guide human behavior across cultures. While everyone recognizes all ten values, individuals prioritize them differently—and these priorities shape how people collaborate, lead, navigate change, and respond to organizational culture.
Values are not preferences. They are core motivational drivers that influence what feels meaningful, what feels threatening, and what conditions allow people to thrive at work. When work aligns with a person’s top values, engagement and wellbeing rise. When it conflicts with those values, motivation drops and burnout risk increases.
Understanding value differences helps leaders build better teams, design stronger cultures, manage resistance, and create workplaces that respect human motivation—not just performance expectations.
Why Values Matter More Than We Assume
Compensation and recognition matter, but they do not explain why two employees in the same environment respond so differently. Schwartz’s research, conducted across 80+ countries, shows that people organize their motivations around ten basic values derived from universal needs: survival, cooperation, and group continuity.
Everyone holds all ten values—but in different priority orders.
These priorities influence:
Career choices
Leadership style
Decision-making
Team dynamics
Conflict patterns
Engagement and satisfaction
Values are the silent architecture behind workplace behavior.
The Ten Values in the Workplace
Schwartz organizes the ten values into four higher-order domains arranged in a circular structure.
SELF-TRANSCENDENCE
Benevolence
Caring for close others; cooperation; dependability.
→ These employees support team cohesion, mentoring, and psychological safety.
Universalism
Fairness, equality, environmental and social responsibility.
→ These individuals champion ethics, diversity, inclusion, and long-term impact.
SELF-ENHANCEMENT
Achievement
Striving for success and competence.
→ These individuals seek goals, recognition, and challenging tasks.
Power
Influence, authority, status, resource control.
→ These individuals gravitate toward leadership and decision-making roles.
Hedonism
Pleasure, enjoyment, personal gratification.
→ They seek satisfying, energizing work with manageable costs.
OPENNESS TO CHANGE
Self-Direction
Independence, creativity, autonomous decision-making.
→ These individuals thrive with autonomy and hate micromanagement.
Stimulation
Novelty, risk, excitement, challenge.
→ These employees adapt quickly and become restless in routine.
CONSERVATION
Security
Safety, predictability, stability.
→ These employees value structure and careful planning.
Conformity
Rule-following, orderliness, self-discipline.
→ They maintain consistency, reliability, and alignment to standards.
Tradition
Respect for long-established practices, cultural continuity.
→ They protect institutional memory and continuity.
The Circular Structure: Why Some Values Clash
Schwartz’s values form a circular motivational continuum, meaning:
Adjacent values support each other
Opposite values conflict
Examples of alignment:
Self-direction ↔ Stimulation
Security ↔ Conformity
Benevolence ↔ Universalism
Examples of tension:
Self-direction vs. Conformity
Stimulation vs. Security
Achievement vs. Universalism
This explains many workplace disagreements.
People aren’t resisting ideas—they’re protecting different values.
How Values Shape Work Behavior
1. Innovation and Change
Openness-to-change values support flexibility and experimentation.
Conservation values support stability, risk reduction, and reliability.
Healthy teams need both.
2. Engagement and Satisfaction
Work is meaningful when it activates top values.
Achievement → Clear goals, growth, performance metrics
Benevolence → Supportive relationships
Universalism → Ethical, socially responsible work
Security → Predictable schedules, stable environments
3. Leadership and Culture
Leader values shape culture:
Self-transcendence → Collaborative, ethical cultures
Self-enhancement → Competitive, performance-driven cultures
Openness to change → Innovative, agile cultures
Conservation → Structured, process-focused cultures
Value Misalignment: A Hidden Cause of Burnout
Burnout is not just about workload.
It also reflects environments that repeatedly violate personal values.
Examples:
A fairness-oriented employee in a political culture → exhaustion
An autonomy-oriented employee in a rigid hierarchy → burnout
A stability-oriented employee in constant change → chronic stress
Misalignment drains energy faster than any task list.
Practical Ways Leaders Can Use Schwartz’s Framework
Hiring and Role Fit
Creative roles → Self-direction, Stimulation
Compliance/safety roles → Security, Conformity
Team-oriented roles → Benevolence
Ethical leadership → Universalism
Team Composition
Value diversity reduces blind spots.
Too much similarity → Groupthink
Too much difference → Conflict without awareness
Conflict Management
Reframe disagreements as value balances, not personal attacks.
Change Management
Resistance often reflects Conservation values.
Address stability, identity, and predictability—not just functional concerns.
Ready to Strengthen Your Values and Culture Frameworks?
Organization Learning Labs offers values diagnostics, culture mapping, and leadership development programs grounded in Schwartz’s research. Our tools help organizations uncover what truly motivates their people and design environments where values, performance, and wellbeing align.
References
Schwartz, S. H. (1992). Universals in the content and structure of values. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 25, 1–65.
Schwartz, S. H. (2012). An overview of the Schwartz theory of basic values. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1).
Sagiv, L., & Schwartz, S. H. (2007). Cultural values in organizations. Applied Psychology, 56(3), 448–471.
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