Climate & Culture
Climate & Culture – Agenda
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What is climate & culture?
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Theory
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Change
Communication
Group Dynamics
Self-Determination
Assessing Organizational Culture
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Climate vs Culture
Instrumentation
References
What is Climate & Culture?
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Climate
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Share perception among employees regarding their
work group, unit, team, or organization (Fey &
Beamish, 2001).
• Influenced by how an organization treats its members.
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Culture
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“The way things get done around here” (Deal &
Kennedy, 1982).
Philosophies, ideologies, concepts, ceremonies,
rituals, values, and norms shared by members of the
organization that help shape their behaviors (Connor
& Lake, 1988; Kilman, Saxton, & Serpa, 1985b;
Owens, 2004; Rousseau, 1990).
Climate vs Culture
(According to Fey & Beamish, 2001)
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Climate
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Created at lower levels of
the organization-the context
in which action occurs.
• Perceptions of observable
practices
• Environment characteristics
• More changeable
• More static
• Psychology
Culture
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Created & communicated
from higher level in the
organization-the meaning
intended by & inferred from
the actions.
• Perceptions of underlying
values
• Shared values developed
over time
• Less easily changed
• More dynamic
• Sociology & anthropology
“We can’t change the weather
but we can control the climate.”
Change
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People will change if they are motivated to do so,
especially through rational arguments and attractive
perks (Beck and Cowan, 2006).
Change must be orderly, constituent with principles
and sanctioned by those ‘in authority’.
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The members perception of the leaders support for
change directly reflects in the members support for that
change.
Leadership diversity training results in a positive change
and culture and climate perception.
Change (continued)
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Attacks on the older
order will not work, they
will only trigger
resistance (Beck &
Cowan, 2006).
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For change to occur,
determination,
willingness and desire
from the individual (I)
and group (we) are
needed.
• i.e. San Francisco‘s
Delancy Street
(Patterson, Grenny, &
Maxfield, 2008)
Communication
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Story-telling
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Develops a common spirit/culture (Bolman & Deal,
2001; DeMeritt, 2005 )
“Stories are an anchor to the past.” - Cohen
Myths anchor an organizations values, which define
what an organization stands for (Bolman & Deal, 2003).
• i.e. Southwest Airlines & eBay
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Social Network
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Creates culture which (Capra, 2002):
• Involves multiple feedback loops through which values, beliefs,
and rules of conduct are continually communicated, modified,
and sustained.
Communication (continued)
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Produces shared body of knowledge that shapes the
culture’s distinctive way of life in addition to its values
and beliefs.
• The culture’s values and beliefs affect its body of knowledge.
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Reinforces network closure by creating a boundary of
meaning and expectations which equates to limited
access of people and information into the system.
Ceremonies & Celebrations (Kouses & Pozner, 2002)
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Builds healthier groups
Critical for organizational vitality
Must be personalized
• Complaints arise if impersonal
Group Dynamics
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In a survey of a large U.S.
multinational company’s
employees, Hofstede (1984)
recognized four dimensions
of group dynamics.
The four dimensions
represent leadership
positions, structure and
values of each group in
different parts of the world.
Group Dynamics (continued)
4 Dimensions of Group Dynamics (Hofstede, 1984)
1.
2.
Power distance- A
measure of power
inequality between
bosses and
subordinates. Found in
Mexico & Philippines.
Uncertainty avoidanceGreece and Portugal
uses structure, rules and
specialists to maintain
control in the workforce.
Individualism- In
countries like U.S., Great
Britain and Australia, the
importance of the
individual is emphasized
over collective interest.
4. Masculinity-femininityMales are the one’s
holding high-level
positions in countries like
Japan, Austria, Italy and
Venezuela. Males feel the
pressure making it to the
top while woman aren’t.
3.
Self-Determination
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Culture influences motivation, quality of
performance, psychological and well-being of the
members (Peachey, 2006).
The concepts of trust, collaboration,
communication, and common interests are
essential to creating an effective organization
(Sajan, 2005).
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Strengthening others requires that leaders provide a climate
conducive to learning. A learning climate is one where individuals
feel safe, trust the system and people within the system, and are
involved (Kouzes & Posner, 2002)
To create a climate for growth and opportunity, one must believe in
others. Seek to believe their unseen potential (Covey, 1991).
Self-determination
(continued)
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The more diverse an organizational culture the more
adaptive the organization will function in an
environment of change and innovation (Beheri,
2007;Unger, 2007).
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i.e. Higher education system (Contreras, 2007)
The perception of the level of fairness, affiliation,
managerial effectiveness, and positive-ness of the
cultural leader directly correlates to the member’s
intrinsic motivation and motivation (Cranmer, 2007; Jenkins,
2006).
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i.e. Nurses study (Beheri, 2007), Bad mood = Bad business
(Goleman et. al, 2002)
Assessing Organizational
Culture
There are many factors that define an
organization’s culture. Each area can be
assessed as high, moderate or low.
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Degree of hierarchy; Structure, Value
authority
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Degree of Urgency; Push projects
quickly, quality valued over efficiency
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People/Task orientation; People over
task, equal value, task over people
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Assertiveness/courtesy dimensions;
communication styles and patterns
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Functional orientation; main focus of
organization
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Institutional “personality” issues;
“feeling” of the organization
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Values; what is really valued (Fyock &
Brannick, 2002)
Degree of
Hierarchy
Degree of
Urgency
Values
Institutional
“personality”
issues
Organizational
Culture
People/Task
Orientation
Functional
Orientation
Assertiveness/
Courtesy
Dimensions
Instrumentation
Rules to follow when choosing an instrument for discovering climate
and culture (Davis et. al, 2003).
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Choose an instrument to meet the purpose;
Mixed methods are used to triangulate the data
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Observation to describe artifacts
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Questionnaire to determine values
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Interviews to discover assumptions;
Form a common language
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The terms climate and culture are metaphors that are
ascribed different meanings for different people and
organizations;
There are differences in the public face and private
face of employees.
References
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Beck, D., & Cowan, C. (2006). Spiral Dynamics: Mastering Values, Leadership, and
Change. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, Ltd.
Beheri, Wadea,(2007). Nursing diversity: The knowledge of cultural diversity and its
impact on the interaction level within the nursing workforce. A dissertation presented to
George Mason University AAT 3246919
Bolman, L.G., & Deal, T.E. (2001). Leading with soul: An uncommon journey of spirit.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Bolman, L.G., & Deal, T.E. (2003). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and
leadership (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Capra, F. (2002). The hidden connections: Integrating the biological, cognitive, and social
dimensions of life into a science of sustainability. New York: Doubleday.
Connor, P. E., & Lake , L. K. (1988). Managing organizational change. New York :
Praeger.
Contreras, C. (2007), Organizational structure and culture: Promising practices that lead
to cultural and intellectual diversity, The University of Wisconsin- Madison ATT 3261466.
Covey, S. R. (1991). Principle-centered leadership. New York: Free Press.
Crammer, D. (2007). Autonomy and control in the workplace: Assessing managerial
styles and employee perceptions of work climate, A dissertation presented to Capella
University, AAT3258754.
References (continued)
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Davis, H., Mannion, R., Martin, M. & Scott, T. (2003). The quantitative measurement of
organizational culture in heath care: A review of the available instrument. Retrieved
October 2007, from http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-103731435.html
Deal T. E. and Kennedy, A. A. (1982) Corporate Cultures: The Rites and Rituals of
Corporate Life, Harmondsworth, Penguin Books.
DeMeritt, E. (2005). An examination of the effect of organizational storytelling on the
administrative climate of church-based schools as a model for leadership of nonprofit
organizations, Dissertation for Capella University. AAT3164689.
Fey, Carl F. & Beamish, Paul W. (2001). Organizational climate similarity and
performance: International joint ventures in Russia. Retrieved October 2007, from
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m4339/is_5_22/ai_82493161/pg_2
Fyock,C.,& Brannick,J, (2002) Assessing Organizational Culture. NetSpeed Books.
Goleman, D., Boytatzis, R., & McKee, A. (2002). Primal leadership: Realizing the power
of emotional intelligence. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Hofstede, G. (1984). Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related
Values. Newbury Park, CA.: Sage.
Jenkins, D ( 2006). Examining the relationship between the satisfaction of basic
psychological needs, employee well-being , and commitment. A dissertation presented
to Carleton University 9Canada). AAT MR13615
References (continued)
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Kilmann, R. H., Saxton, M. J., & Serpa, R. (1985a) Introduction: Five key issues in
understanding and changing culture. In R. H. Kilman, M.J. Saxton, & R. Serpa (Eds).,
Gaining control of the corporate culture (pp.1-16). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Kouzes, J.M., & Posner, B.Z. (2002). The leadership challenge (3rd ed.). San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
Owens, R. G. (2004). Organizational behavior in education: Adaptive leadership and
school reform (8th ed.). Boston : Allyn & Bacon.
Patterson, K., Grenny, J., Maxfield, D. (2008). Influencer: The power to change anything.
New York: McGraw-Hill.
Peachey, T (2006). An examination of the effects of culture, climate, structural, and
technological factors on knowledge management effectiveness, Att 324593
Rousseau, D. M. (1990). Assessing organizational culture: The case for multiple
methods. In B. Schneider (Ed.), Organizational climate and culture (pp.153 - 192). San
Francisco : Jossey-Bass.
Sajan, J (2005), Morale I Everyone’s responsibility, a dissertation presented to Royal
Roads University( Canada). AAT MR 17573.
Unger, S (2007). Butterflies and chaos: Exploring the symbiotic relationship between
vendors and clients at the edge of chaos. A Disorientation presented to Royal Roads
University (Canada). AAT MR23652