A perceived mismatch between personal values and organizational values can lead employees to consider looking for another job, which in turn can spark a habit of procrastination. Recognizing the values misalignment before the damage is done can help organizations keep employees happy and satisfied with their work.
An employee’s tendency to procrastinate can arise from personal issues as varied as lack of self-discipline, sleep deprivation, and anxiety, anger, or other negative emotions. Procrastination can also result from workplace pressures, such as tasks that are not clearly defined, self-serving decisions by the organization that ignores the interests of employees, or work-family conflict.
A study from Brock University’s Goodman School of Business explores another root problem that can lead to procrastination: employee perceptions that the organization does not share the employee’s values.
This person-organization misalignment of values can cause employees to become increasingly frustrated at the effort they are expending working for an organization that they see as undeserving of such effort. Over time, this frustration causes employees to start to question their future with the company; eventually they make the decision to find another job. Once this decision is made, motivation and commitment to the organization lags even more why, for example, should they care about the success of a company they intend to leave? Demotivated and less committed, these employees start to slack off and make less of an effort to meet deadlines: procrastination becomes a habit.
This study uncovers two factors that can impact this negative chain of responses to person-organizational misfit. The first is discomfort with uncertainty. While some employees are comfortable with ambiguity or uncertain situations, many prefer clarity and predictability. The mismatch between their values and the organization values makes these employees uncertain of what will happen next. They are unhappy with this ambiguity and irritated that they don’t have the peace of mind at work that they seek. For these reasons, the mismatch of values will more easily trigger a desire to leave the company—which as described above leads to less motivation and more procrastination.
The second factor that influences the impact of a values misfit is the collectivist orientation of the employee that is, how much the employees feel they are part of a group, want to stay within that group, and want the group to succeed. Employees with a collective mindset are interested in maintaining harmony with those they work. Less focused on their individual needs, they are less likely to become upset with the organization over the differences in values. These employees are thus less likely to turn any frustration with a values misfit into a search for the exit that inevitably engenders procrastination. The study was based on a survey of 245 employees working full-time in the Canadian education sector. Participants were asked to read a series of statements and indicate their agreement with each statement using a seven-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The survey measured participants’ perceptions of person-organizational misfit, turnover intentions, procrastination behaviour, uncertainty avoidance orientation, and collectivist orientation.
To prevent a downward spiral of frustration, demotivation, and a subsequent pattern of procrastination, organizations must improve their awareness of any potential misalignment between an employee’s values and the organization’s values. Once the decision to leave is made, reconciliation between the employee and the organization becomes even less likely as managers view the “lazy” procrastinating employees less favourably.
Achieving this awareness is not always easy. In addition to the inherent hidden nature of a job search, employees will hesitate to mention their concerns about the organization’s values for fear of being branded as troublemakers or being pushed aside in favour of employees who are perceived as more in line with the organization.
Different initiatives can help identify employees who are struggling with or have reservations about the organization’s values. One initiative is to have open forums where employees can discuss and share concerns about any clash of values. Another approach is to dedicate an HR person to listen to complaints from employees who feel that the organization’s values do not align with their values. Letting your employees know that you are willing to listen can be the first step in stopping the negative spiral that leads to procrastination.
Dirk de Clercq’s profile at Brock Goodman School of Business
https://brocku.ca/goodman/faculty-research/faculty-directory/dirk-de-clercq/
Perceived person-organization misfit and procrastination behaviour. Dirk de Clercq. European Management Review (March 2025).
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