Abstract

This chapter presents the results of a questionnaire survey on value profiles of Polish women and men with special emphasis on creativity. The measurement instrument enabled us to gain some insight into respondents’ value content and structure from both the individual and organizational perspectives. The similarities and differences between male and female respondents were analysed according to several research questions: (i) will the survey reflect the value patterns depending on the gender reported by participants? (ii) do Polish men and women differ in terms of their emphasis placed upon specific personal values including creativity? (iii) are there any significant differences between males’ and females’ perception of values emphasized in the organizations they declared working for? Contrary to other findings on the value profiles of Polish women and men, the current survey did not show any stronger value polarization on the basis of gender as declared by participants. This means that the value profiles were shaped in a similar way no matter whether a respondent was a woman or a man. Interestingly, the results of the survey showed, however, that women placed more emphasis on the vast majority of values compared to men. This tendency was visible both at the individual and organizational levels. This general higher value recognition declared by women is discussed with respect to eudaemonic versus hedonic life orientations. Creativity also appeared among the values on which female respondents significantly placed more emphasis then men, but only in organizational contexts.

Key words: men, women, values, creativity

Introduction

For the needs of this chapter, the value profiles of Polish women and men are analysed with a special respect to creativity treated as a possible psychological correlate of innovativeness. Values are thought of as important entities for many disciplines, including philosophy, economics, psychology, sociology, political science, and related areas. Values have been extensively studied at different levels of analysis -from the cultural/societal (e.g. Inglehart and Welzel, 2005; Hofstede, 1980; Boski, 2010; Czapiński, 2013), through organizational (Hofstede and Hofstede, 2007; Bugdol, 2006) to the individual (e.g. Rokeach, 1973; Schwartz, 1992). Value surveys reflect ongoing scientific effort in explaining changes in the contemporary cross-cultured world. The common dimensions of values that may help to shed some light on differences among cultures and economies seem one of the most important issues within this field of study.