Individual Values in the Workplace: A Study on the degree of Postmodern Values Displayed by Filipino Employees Working in Companies

Abstract

This study aims to know and to measure the postmodern thinking of Filipino employees working in companies inside the Philippines. Furthermore, the development of the companies were also seen and correlated with the level of postmodern values perceived by the respondents. A questionnaire with four major domains一non-dualism, deconstruction of meaning, subjectivity and non-conformity—was made by the researcher to measure the postmodern attitudes of the employees. The reliability of the questionnaire was measured by using Cronbach's Alpha which yielded 0.742—an acceptable measure of internal consistency in the social sciences. After the respondents answered the questionnaire, twelve respondents were randomly chosen for the in-depth interview. Frequencies and cross tabulations were done for the quantitative part of the study and the analysis was done for the respondents9 interviews. The statistics would show that Filipino employees do have average to high level of postmodern values but the interviews, as support to the answers in the questionnaires, tend to contradict the quantitative results; or in other words, it exposed that the Filipino employees have more evident modem than postmodern values. The respondents generally scored higher on the subjectivity and the deconstruction perspective because it was said that it is in the culture of the Filipinos to have "personalistic" values. It is concluded in the study that the need for postmodern values, in the Philippines, can be considered as not really necessary for the development of the companies because the respondent companies are still doing well in their fields even though they value conservatism, conformity and loyalty to the organization.