Work Values in Librarianship Gillian Allen University of A4issour-i Schneider’s (1987a) attraction-selection-attrition framework explains that groups of workers attracted to the same occupational group may be expected to behave alike in their jobs. Specifically, it suggests that certain types of people are attracted to certain occupations, and that people who choose the same occupation tend to behave in a like manner within their occupational group. This study investigated work values in librarianship and identified the work values of library science students (i.e., a group of individuals attracted to the profession of librarianship). It also looked at the work values of business students, to investigate differences in the work values of individuals attracted to these two occupations. These results pro- vide information about work values in librarianship which should be of interest to library managers, to practicing librarians, and to library science students. People who choose the same career and belong to an occupational group have much in common. The similarity within a group of individuals helps to explain why certain people are attracted to an occupation, why they are selected into the occupation, and why they tend to remain and perform well within the occupational group. Knowledge of what members of an occupational group have in common, and what differentiates them from individuals attracted to other occupations, leads to a better understanding about the character of workers within an occupational group, about what individuals want from their jobs, and about how workers behave on the job. Theories developed by researchers in organizational behavior form the basis for this study. Schneider’s attraction-selection-attrition framework (1987a, 1987b) explained that the “right types” of people are naturally attracted to jobs. It is impor- tant to understand exactly what it is about people that attracts them to particular occupations. The Theory of Work Adjustment of Lofquist and Dawis (1969) suggested that the attraction to occupations happens because workers value partic- ular aspects of their chosen occupations. For example, if a worker likes working Direct all correspondence to: Gillian Allen, 209C Townsend Hall, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211 <[email protected]>. Library & Information Science Research, Volume 20, Number 4, pages 415-424 Copyright 63 1998 Ablex Publishing Corporation All rights of reproduction in any form reserved. ISSN: 0740-8188 415
Transcript
Work Values in Librarianship
Gillian Allen University of A4issour-i
Schneider’s (1987a) attraction-selection-attrition framework explains that groups of workers attracted to the same occupational group may be expected to behave alike in their jobs. Specifically, it suggests that certain types of people are attracted to certain occupations, and that people who choose the same occupation tend to behave in a like manner within their occupational group. This study investigated work values in librarianship and identified the work values of library science students (i.e., a group of individuals attracted to the profession of librarianship). It also looked at the work values of business students, to investigate differences in the work values of individuals attracted to these two occupations. These results pro- vide information about work values in librarianship which should be of interest to library managers, to practicing librarians, and to library science students.
People who choose the same career and belong to an occupational group have much in common. The similarity within a group of individuals helps to explain why certain people are attracted to an occupation, why they are selected into the occupation, and why they tend to remain and perform well within the occupational group. Knowledge of what members of an occupational group have in common, and what differentiates them from individuals attracted to other occupations, leads to a better understanding about the character of workers within an occupational group, about what individuals want from their jobs, and about how workers behave on the job.
Theories developed by researchers in organizational behavior form the basis for this study. Schneider’s attraction-selection-attrition framework (1987a, 1987b) explained that the “right types” of people are naturally attracted to jobs. It is impor- tant to understand exactly what it is about people that attracts them to particular occupations. The Theory of Work Adjustment of Lofquist and Dawis (1969) suggested that the attraction to occupations happens because workers value partic- ular aspects of their chosen occupations. For example, if a worker likes working
Direct all correspondence to: Gillian Allen, 209C Townsend Hall, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211 <[email protected]>.
Library & Information Science Research, Volume 20, Number 4, pages 415-424 Copyright 63 1998 Ablex Publishing Corporation All rights of reproduction in any form reserved. ISSN: 0740-8188
415
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with numbers and an occupation provides many opportunities to work with numbers, there would be an attraction between the worker and the occupational group. Rynes and Gerhart (1990) found that the personal characteristics of individ- uals, such as their preferred leadership style and warmth, also indicated how well workers are drawn to occupations. And, Chatman (1989, 1991) and Allen (1992) suggested that work values play an important role in determining attraction to an occupation, since the work values of individuals are shared by the members of an occupational group.
The purpose of this research was to identify the work values of library science students in order to understand the type of person who is attracted to this occupa- tional group. Further, the work values of library science students were differentiated from the work values of business students in order to distinguish the work values of individuals who are interested in librarianship from the work values of those who anticipate careers in business.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The first research question was: “Are there a set of work values which are commonly held by individuals intending a career in librarianship?’ It was expected that the work values of library science students would be commonly held if it is true that people in the same occupation hold the same work values. Next, the work values of individuals who chose two different occupations were compared. The second research question was: “Is this set of work values in librarianship distinct from the work values of another occupational group?’ The work values of library science students would be different from the work values of business students if work values distinguish occupational groups. The last aim of this research was to identify the most significant work values in librarianship. The third research question was: “In what ways does this set of work values in librarianship distinguish this group of individuals ?” This question helps to define the work values of those individuals who chose librarianship as a career.
METHODS
Subjects
Students in courses taught by the researcher were invited to participate in this study. Eighty-five graduate students of library science enrolled in the required Library Management course and 64 undergraduate business students in an elective course in Organizational Behavior at the University of Missouri participated in this research. Participation in the research was voluntary, and no payment was received by the participants. The work values profile of the class as a whole was discussed during the course.
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Measures
The work values of each of the participants were identified using a slightly expanded version (Allen, 1992) of the work values Q-sort used by Jennifer Chat- man (1989,1991), and the work values of the two groups were compared. A work values profile was created for each library science student, and for each business student, which showed how each student felt about the relative importance of a group of 66 work values, using a procedure that is described below. The average of the library science students’ values profiles was then compared to the average work values profile of the business students. T-tests were calculated to show significant differences in means from independent samples in order to investigate the differences between the work values of library science students and business students. Discriminant analysis was also used to isolate the most important differ- ences in work values of the two occupational groups.
Values Q-Sort. Both groups of students ranked the relative importance of 66 work values, including such work values as flexibility, concern about employment security, and willingness to work in collaboration with others. The complete list of work values is shown in Table 1. They sorted 66 cards, on each of which was writ- ten the name of one of the 66 work values, into 9 groups of cards (i.e., groups of 3- 5-7-11-14-11-7-5-3 cards respectively), in order to create a personal profile of their own work values. The three cards each student placed in the top group named the three values each believed to be most important, while the three cards in the bottom group identified the three values each student believed to be the least self- descriptive. The largest middle sections of the profiles grouped those values considered to be of neutral importance (neither of great importance nor of little importance). The complete profiles showed the relative importance of the 66 work values to each student.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
Research Question 1
Are there a set of work values which are commonly held by individuals intending a career in librarianship? Table 1 shows the means of the ratings by the library science students of each of the 66 work values.
The top 10 work values of the library science students, using a scale with a mini- mum rating of 1 points and a maximum rating of 9 points, were:
. Having interesting work (mean rating = 7.26 points); l Enthusiasm for the job (mean rating = 7.2 points); l Having opportunities to develop skills/knowledge (mean rating = 7.11
points);
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. Having professional growth opportunities (mean rating = 6.64 points); l Having employment security (mean rating = 6.36 points); l Having challenging work (mean rating = 6.36 points); l Having good relationships with superiors (mean rating = 6.34 points); l Having opportunities for advancement (mean rating = 6.26 points); l Having pleasant working conditions (mean rating = 6.25 points); and l Having high pay for good performance (mean rating = 6.15 points).
Because the 85 library science students were drawn from four sections of the required Library Management course, analysis of variance was used to identify any differences among the sections. All of the sections agreed on the relative importance of 63 of the 66 work values. There were significant differences only in the ratings of the importance of “offering praise for good performance,” “having pleasant working conditions,” and “having influence in decisions of importance.” This shows a remarkable consistency in the work values of library science students.
The library science students wanted interesting and challenging work. They wanted to be able to feel enthusiastic about their work. They wanted good relation- ships with superiors, pleasant working conditions, and to be paid well for their efforts. But it is significant that they were also future-looking, and planning to fulfill the,requirements of education and day-to-day work in order to advance in their chosen profession.
Additional information about the work values of the library science students was found by examining the work values that these students believed to be least impor- tant. The 10 least-valued work values of the library science students, using a scale with a minimum rating of 1 points and a maximum rating of 9 points, were:
What do these least-valued work values say about library science students in general? These students did not want demanding work, and they did not want to work long hours. Two additional concerns were evident: library science students resist conflict (they disliked aggressiveness and competitiveness) and they dislike being controlled by too many rules (they wanted neither a rule-orientation nor to be constrained by rules).
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TABLE 1 Means and Significant Differences of Ratings of Values (scale 1-9)
Value Library Science Management Significant Differences
Is this set of work values in librarianship distinct from the work values of another occupational group? The top 10 work values of the group of business students (l- 9 scale) were:
. Having professional growth opportunities (mean rating = 7.22 points);
. Opportunities for advancement (mean rating = 7.16 points);
. Having interesting work (mean rating = 7.05 points); l Having high pay for good performance (mean rating = 7.02 points); . Enthusiasm for the job (mean rating = 7 points); . Opportunities to develop skills/knowledge (mean rating = 6.86 points); . Having employment security (mean rating = 6.37 points); . Having challenging work (mean rating = 6.2 points); . Having a people-orientation (mean rating = 6.03 points); and . Willingness to assume individual responsibility (mean rating = 5.94 points).
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The business students who participated in the study were enrolled in an elective course in Organizational Behavior, and were representative of ail of the speciali- ties in the college of business. These business students shared certain work values. They wanted interesting and challenging work (but wanted both less than the library science students did). They also wanted to get and advance in a good job. High pay was important to the business students, as were a people-orientation in their work and a desire to assume individual responsibility in their work.
Addition information about the work values of the business student is found by examining the work values they believed to be least important. The 10 least-valued work values of the business students, using a scale with a minimum rating of 1 points and a maximum rating of 9 points, were:
l 10th lowest. Being constrained by rules (mean rating = 3.89 points); l 9th lowest. Being distinct from others (mean rating = 3.8 points); l 8th lowest. Informality (mean rating = 3.64 points); l 7th lowest. Having a clear guiding philosophy (mean rating = 3.64 points); l 6th lowest. Calmness (mean rating = 3.62 points); l 5th lowest. Doing analytical work (mean rating = 3.47 points); l 4th lowest. Reflectiveness (mean rating = 3.45 points); l 3rd lowest. Having a rule-orientation (mean rating = 3.28 points); . 2nd lowest. Predictability (mean rating = 3.05 points); and l Lowest. Working long hours (mean rating = 2.97 points).
Business students wanted to do their work and leave (without working long hours). They preferred to act alone (i.e., they did not value a clear guiding philos- ophy). They definitely did not want to be governed by rules, to have predictable work, or to reflect on their work.
Research Question 3
In what ways does this set of work values in librarianship distinguish this group of individuals? T-tests revealed a number of differences between the work values of library science students and of business students. The significant differences in work values between the two groups are shown in Table 1. Although there were no significant differences between library science students and business students in their perceptions of the importance of 41 of the 66 work values, there were signif- icant effects in their perceptions of the importance of 25 of the 66 work values.
The most significant differences between the two groups (p < .OOl) were in their perceptions of these six work values:
l Competitiveness
l Aggressiveness
(f(147) = 7.32, valued much less in librarianship); (r(147) = 6.95, valued much less in librarianship);
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l Having a clear guiding philosophy (t( 147) = -4.7 1, valued more in librar- ianship);
l Ac~evement-o~entation
l Reflectiveness
(r(147) = 3.77, valued less in librarian- ship); (t( 147) = -3.67, valued more in librar- ianship); and
l Sharing information freely (t( 147) = -3.66, valued more in librar- ianship).
The main differences between the work values of the two occupational groups focus on their approach to their work. Library science students looked towards a career that involves thinking about questions (reflectiveness) and a desire to share info~ation freely. They valued the guidance offered by a clear p~losophy. Busi- ness students, on the other hand, were individualists who believed they would have to compete to get ahead in their chosen field, in which they would be evaluated based on their own achievements and successes.
Discriminant analysis was then used to confm these findings. Discrimi- nant analysis is used to generate linear combinations of predictor variables which serve as the basis for classifying cases into two separate groups. In other words, it identified the combination of work values that distinguished library science students from business students. The most important work values that distinguished the library science students from the business students were:
. Having demanding work; l Having a clear guiding philosophy; l Carefulness; l Fairness; and l Tolerance
The most important work values that distinguished the business students from the library science students were:
l Aggressiveness; l Competitiveness; and l Social responsibility
This analysis confirmed that the main differences between the work values of the two occupations groups focus on their approach to their work. While the library science students valued working on demanding problems carefully and fairly, the business students expected to compete to get ahead in their chosen field, in which they would be bound by the principles of social responsibility.
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CONCLUSION
Schneider (1987a, 1987b) explained that people with similar work values are attracted to professions to which they will belong and remain. The set of work values that was strongly held by students pursuing a career in librarianship was identified. Then, the work values of business students were identified, and a number of differences between the two groups were isolated. The results of this study strongly support the first element of Schneider’s attraction-selection-reten- tion framework in the sense that two groups of individuals with different sets of work values were attracted to librarianship and to business.
Library managers should be aware of the differences in the work values that define occupational groups. They should expect the M.B.A. hired to be the library’s business manager or its human resource director to have different work values than the librarians who make up the majority of the library’s professional personnel. There could easily be differences in the demands and approaches to work of these two groups due to an underlying incompatibility in their work values.
These findings are important for anyone involved in the management of libraries today, as well as for library science educators and students and for librarians. Library science students and librarians will understand more about how and why they are attracted to their chosen occupation. Library educators will realize that the majority of their students come into librarianship with a common set of work values and expectations of the profession, and that students with different work values may not fit in. Library managers will realize that a knowledge and under- standing of the work values of librarianship can help them to put into place appropriate duties and responsibilities and working conditions for library profes- sional staff.
This study demonstrates the value of using the Q-sort method in studies of work values. Of course, this study focused on one group of library science students and a group of business students who were taking a particular business course. Further research will be needed to investigate if Schneider’s attraction-selection-retention framework applies to the attraction process as well in other groups of students, and if the framework applies to the selection and attrition processes in other groups of students in library science, business, and other discuplines . This research did not consider the demographics of the two groups of students who participated in the study. Another fruitful area for future research would be to investigate the anteced- ents of a consistent set of work values held by a group of students. It will be important to investigate if work values are associated with individual differences such as gender or age, with differences in academic background, or with the effects of family or peer pressures.
What does this study show about the work values associated with librarianship? Library science students and librarians probably already realize that librarians are careful workers who value the challenges of questions and puzzles to be solved. These individuals work enthusiastically when they have interesting tasks to
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complete within good working relationships with both supervisors and co-work- ers. This study also highlighted some other work values of librarianship (which might be less obvious). Librarianship was shown to be an occupation that attracts individuals who are less aggressive and who are less competitive than individuals attracted to business careers. Individuals intending to be involved in librarianship valued a professional work experience which provides opportunities to learn, to share information, and to advance within their organizations. There exists a stereo- type that librarians sometimes act, and are sometimes treated, as though they are support workers. However, these findings suggest that the individuals attracted to librarianship value the professional nature of their occupation. They expect to be able to advance in librarianship on their own merits, rather than having to fight their way to the top positions in the library. These work values help to identify those individuals who may be expected to be attracted to and to fit well into careers in librarianship.
REFERENCES
Allen, Gillian. (1992). Person-in-job determinants and work outcomes of fit. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Illinois). Dissertation Abstracts International, 53,2563.
Chatman, Jennifer. (1989). Improving interactional organizational research: A model of person-organization fit. Academy of Management Review, 14, 333- 349.
Chatman, Jennifer. (1991). Matching people and organizations: Selection and socialization in public accounting firms. Administrative Science Quarterly, 36,459-484.
Lofquist, Lloyd, 8z Dawis, Rene. (1969). Adjustment to work: A psychological view of man’s problems in a work-oriented society. New York: Appleton- Century-Crofts.
Rynes, Sara, & Gerhart, Barry. (1990). Interviewer assessments of applicant “fit”: An exploratory investigation. Personnel Psychology, 43, 13-35.
Schneider, Benjamin. (1987a). E=f(P,B): The road to a radical approach to person-environment fit. JournaZ of Vocational Behavior, 31,353-361.
Schneider, Benjamin. (1987b). The people make the place. Personnel Psychology, 40,437-454.
