All of us as individuals have values that we live by. We learn these values from our environment: our families, schools, religious institutions, and other organizations that have meaning for us. Organizations have values as well, and the best of these come out of interaction with the organization’s environment and reflect how the organization aspires interact with the community, its customers, or other key constituencies.

In this first discussion, we will take a look at our individual values and those of Trident University, and see how our personal values support or conflict with those of the institution. We will do this in two separate steps. In the first week we will identify our key values and their sources, and in the second week we will discuss values congruency between ourselves and Trident, and also between Trident and its environment. The exercise is adapted from AAPIP NGEC Organizational Fellowship Program www.aapip.org http://genderandequity.org/

Week 1 task:

1. Take 20 minutes and make a list of your own working values as an individual and choose the top three. Post the top three to the discussion and reflect on what influenced you to adopt those values.

2. Now, take another 20 minutes and identify and post three values that you think are held by Trident University. How did you determine that these were the institution’s values? You may use your own experience with the University, the University’s website, its Facebook page, or any other source that you feel exemplifies Trident’s values as an institution. Specify what source(s) you used