The world of Polish Army officers’ values

Values are a very complex subject of research not only from an individual but also from a collective perspective. The first approach places them in the culture of the individual and refers to primary and secondary socialisation and cultural participation. The second approach deals with the culture of the organisation and its axiological specificity. The article attempts to identify value systems in a specific organisation such as the army. On the basis of qualitative research (triangulation, source analysis and interviews with former officers), fixed and variable elements of the organisational culture canon and values recognised by representatives of the officer community were exemplified. The analysis of the content of the literature on the subject and the results of author’s own research indicate that the systems of individual values among officers, although differing significantly, have sets of constant universal values that are acquired under the influence of time in service and experience and the culture of the organisation. The variable differentiating values among officers are individual aspirations and environmental factors shaping the worldview and attitude towards the reality around them. The article attempts to identify the factors shaping the axionormative order of Polish Army officers and to define the values shaping their social pattern.