Introduction:

Values are cultural elements that act as social glue; its analysis in the organization allows us to better understand the human being. Various models have been proposed. In this paper we return to Shalom Schwartz (2005) to analyze the relationship and hierarchical structure of desirable values, desired and practiced among university students and the meanings that students assign to these values, in order to provide explanatory frameworks of human behavior through the interaction between organization and individual.

Method:

The research was carried out in students of the School of Administrative Sciences of the University La Salle Morelia by means of a mixed technique that consisted in the application of a questionnaire to a probabilistic sample and later the data were analyzed with the help of natural semantic networks.

Results:

The results show a convergence of the practiced values with those of the institutional ideology; as well as, changes in the ordering as they advance in the career, so that the student moves from values mostly of personal promotion to those of transcendence. In addition, he always prefers openness to change over conservation.

Discussion or Conclusion:

The greatest differences are found between the desired and practiced values that can be explained by the meanings that students assign to each value, so it is verified that the operational definitions assigned to each value influence its hierarchical ordering.