Purpose vs. principles

Purpose or principle orientation is a Dimension of Value orientation. It describes a person's tendency to use the goal of an action rather than the path to achieving goals as a compass for their own action.

In doing so, you can determine the individual orientation of a person on a continuum between the two poles purpose orientation and Principle orientation Classify. The value of each person can therefore be located at one point on the following scale:

Purpose orientation

People who are more focused on purpose evaluate actions and decisions based on the resulting result.

For them, good decisions are those that Greatest possible advantage for the maximum possible number of people create (Bentham, 1781). In order to achieve this, the end justifies the means for them.

Principle orientation

People who are more oriented towards principles evaluate actions and decisions based on whether they comply with norms and laws and respect the rights of each individual.

The following applies to them: Good decisions do not discriminate against anyone, even if overarching Community goals are not fully achieved (Frankena, 1973).

Benefits in a professional context

As you can see, it hangs best cast for a vacancy depends not only on the person's purpose or principle orientation, but also on the Characteristics of the vacancy.

Depending on the corporate culture, a person oriented towards a purpose or a person oriented towards principles can best contribute. If the focus is primarily on achieving goals, a person oriented towards the purpose can flourish. If the focus is instead on value-oriented action, a person based on principles is the best choice.

With a value diagnosis, you can therefore Reduce the risk of misstaffing and at the same time achieve a higher diversity Worry at work!

How is purpose or principle orientation measured?

You want the Purpose or principle orientation Record your applicants and find out whether they are a good fit for you? Aivy We are happy to help you with this!

Our mini game “Trolley” offers users the opportunity to learn in a short period of time whether they are using the purpose or the principles on the way to achieving goals as a compass for their own actions. The game is based on the famous trolley problem (Thomson, 1976) and presents users with a moral dilemma.

Sources

• Bardi, A., & Schwartz, S.H. (2003). Values and Behavior: Strength and Structure of Relations. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29 (10), 1207-1220.
• Bentham, J. (1781). An introduction to the principles of morals and legislation. McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought.
• Blau, P. (1964). Power and Exchange in Social Life
• Colquitt, J.A., Scott, B.A., & LePine, J.A. (2007). Trust, Trustworthiness, and Trust Propensity: A Meta-Analytic Test of Their Unique Relationships with Risk Taking and Job Performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92 (4), 909.
• German, M. (1962). Cooperation and Trust: Some Theoretical Notes.
• Frankena, W.K. (1973). Ethics. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Hall.
• Geertz, C. (1973). The Interpretation of Cultures (Vol. 5019). Basic books.
• Mayer, R.C., Davis, J.H., & Schoorman, F.D. (1995). An integrative model of organizational trust. Academy of Management Review, 20 (3), 709-734.
• McKnight, D.H., Cummings, L.L., & Chervany, N.L. (1998). Initial Trust Formation in New Organizational Relationships. Academy of Management Review, 23 (3), 473-490.
• O'Reilly III, C.A., Chatman, J., & Caldwell, D.F. (1991). People and Organizational Culture: A Profile Comparison Approach to Assessing Person-Organization Fit. Academy of Management Journal, 34 (3), 487-516.
• Parsons, T. (1991). The social system. Psychology Press.
• Rokeach, M. (1973). The nature of human values. Free press.
• Thomson, J.J. (1976). Killing, letting die, and the trolley problem. The Monist, 59 (2), 204-217.