Values Inventory
A free thirty-statement values inventory across six orientations — belonging, autonomy, order, achievement, community and systems — with what your ranking means.
Thirty statements. Six value orientations.
What you say matters and what actually wins under pressure are often different. This ranks the six value orientations that drive your choices.
Rate each statement for how much it sounds like you — not how you would like to be. Go quickly; first instincts are more accurate.
What the values inventory measures
This values inventory ranks six value orientations: belonging, autonomy, order, achievement, community and systems. Each is sampled by five statements that you rate from “Not like me” to “Very much like me”. The six orientations follow the “levels of existence” idea associated with psychologist Clare W. Graves, in which values emerge in layers as life conditions change.
It measures orientation, not individual values. For the specific words you live by — honesty, freedom, security — use the values wheel or the core values list.
How to read your ranking
The order matters more than the numbers. Your leading value is the one most likely to win when two pull in different directions. If your second value is within two points, it is marked as a close second, which often means you are moving between the two or that each leads in a different part of your life.
Your least emphasised orientation is worth equal attention. For example, someone leading with achievement and lowest on belonging may find team rituals tedious, while colleagues experience that as distance. Neither view is wrong; they rank the same things differently, and naming that difference usually lowers the temperature.
Using your result
Take one recent decision you found hard and check which two orientations were in tension. Then compare your ranking with how you actually spent last week. A gap between the two is the most useful finding the inventory can give you. For a steadier ranking, take the full 72-statement inventory (15–20 minutes, progress saved). To go further, how to elicit values shows the questions that reveal a full values hierarchy, and the values framework explains why order drives behaviour.
Questions people ask
What is a values inventory?
A values inventory is a structured set of statements or questions that shows which values you prioritise. This one ranks six broad orientations rather than listing individual words, so it shows what tends to win when your values conflict. The result is a ranking of orientations, not a verdict on which values are better.
Why is my result different from what I expected?
Most people describe the values they admire, then rate the statements that describe how they actually behave. A surprise usually points to a gap between the two. That gap is worth exploring, not correcting: ask which statements you rated lower than you expected, and why.
Do values change over time?
Yes. Value orientations shift with life stage, role and circumstances, and a period of pressure can push one up the ranking temporarily. Retaking the inventory after a major change, such as a new role or a new child, is a good way to see what has moved and what has stayed put.
What is the difference between this and the values wheel?
The values inventory ranks six broad orientations from your ratings. The values wheel lets you choose your own six to eight specific values and rate how fully you are living each one, so it shows gaps rather than rank. Many people use the inventory first and the wheel second.