The power of words: Charting espoused organizational values

We present an empirically derived framework of espoused organizational values, drawn from explicit value statements from the private, public and charity sectors. It provides a generalized structure for considering the alternative choices that firms have in framing their value priorities. This framework makes an important contribution to the field of organizational values as it is an integrated typology and taxonomy which provides a basis for conceptualizing and evaluating organizational as opposed to personal values, a distinction which is often blurred in the literature. We illustrate the usefulness of the framework by showing patterns of values between sectors at different levels.