Organizational Culture,
Climate and Change
Dr. Len Elovitz
Chapter 6 in Owens and Valesky
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Human Resources Development
 One can act through two theoretical approaches:
Classical Organizational or Traditional
Bureaucratic
Helps organize and manage the organization,
but will not help motivate staff.
Human Resources Development
Taps the higher order motivational needs of the
people in the organization.
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Human Resources Development
HRD is concerned with how leaders structure
the work environment to socialize individuals
to the organization. This affects how
individuals develop perceptions, values, and
beliefs concerning the organization and what
influence these inner states have on behavior.
This is the realm of organizational climate and
organizational culture.
Theory Z : William Ouchi - 1981
 Ouchi
compared Japanese and U.S. management
practices.
 He applied Japanese practices in the U.S. and, using
McGregor’s concept of Theory X and Y, called it
Theory Z.
 Theory Z accepts the concepts of human resources
development.
Assumes workers life is a whole
“Humanized working conditions not only increases
productivity and profits to the company but also the
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self-esteem of employees…”
In Search of Excellence by Peters & Waterman

Research showed that successful organizations,
including schools, had a consistent theme: “the
power of values and culture in these
corporations rather than procedures and
control systems, provides the glue that holds
them together, stimulates commitment to a
common mission, and galvanizes the
creativity and energy of their participants.”
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Study of 62 successful US companies had the
following in common:
1.A bias for action, active decision making - 'getting on with it.’
2.Close to the customer - learning from the people served by the
business.
3.Autonomy and entrepreneurship - fostering innovation and
nurturing 'champions.’
4.Productivity through people- treating rank and file employees
as a source of quality.
5.Hands-on, value-driven - management philosophy that guides
everyday practice - management showing its commitment.
6.Stick to the knitting - stay with the business that you know.
7.Simple form, lean staff - some of the best companies have
minimal HQ staff.
8.Simultaneous loose-tight properties - autonomy in shop-floor
activities plus centralized values.
Organizational Culture
A system of shared values and beliefs that
interact with an organization’s people,
organizational structures, and control systems
to produce behavioral norms.
Organizational Culture
Shared Values - what is important
Beliefs - What we think is true
Behavioral Norms - How we do things around
here
Culture v. Climate
Culture refers to the behavioral norms,
assumptions and beliefs of an organization
Climate refers to perceptions of persons in the
organization that reflect those norms,
assumptions and beliefs.
Toxic Culture
Terrence Deal and Kent Peterson
Shaping School Culture: The Heart of
Leadership
Jefferson High School
Characteristics of Toxic Culture
Focus on Negative Values
Fragmentation
Destructive
Spiritually fractured
Characteristics of Toxic Culture
Focus on Negative Values
Adults are more important than kids
Routine Boring Classes
May Focus on Elite Learners (The Shopping Mall
High School)
Focus on unimportant outcomes (Football)
Characteristics of Toxic Culture
Fragmentation
Meaning is derived from
sub-culture membership - Department, Age, Race, etc.
Anti-student Sentiments
Life Outside of School
No shared Mission
Little Cooperation
Characteristics of Toxic Culture
Destructive
Staff members snipe at each other
Negaholics Harass anyone Trying to Improve the
situation
Staff members More Interested in Protecting
Themselves
Characteristics of Toxic Culture
Spiritually fractured
Lack of positive Values
Lack of Integrity
Sense of Alienation
Roles in Toxic Culture
Saboteurs
Pessimistic Storytellers
Keepers of the Nightmare
Negaholics
Prima Donnas
Space Cadets
Martyrs
Deadwood, Driftwood and Ballast
Transforming the Toxic Culture
Atomic Bomb?
Neutron Bomb?
Antidotes for Negativism?
Antidotes for Negativism
Confront it Head on - Catharsis
Shield and Support Positive Cultural Elements
Recruit Positive Staff Replacements
Celebrate the Positive
Consciously Focus on Eradicating the Negative
Develop New Stories of Success, Renewal &
Accomplishment
Help Chronic Negaholics Find Happiness Elsewhere
The Roxbury Story
How Organizational Culture is Created?
Culture is developed over time from :
An organization’s history, composed of
traditions and rituals that are passed to
succeeding generations.
Stories of heroes and heroines are important.
Values and beliefs that are embodied in the
traditions and rituals.
Behavioral norms that result (e.g., bell
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schedules, 7-period day).
How Organizational Culture is Created
(continued)
Subunits within an organization may have
cultures of their own resulting in multiple
cultures. (loose coupling)
Theory X
administrators believe this conflicts with their
authority.
Theory Y
administrators accept them as natural.
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How is Culture Assessed?
Difficult to quantify
Qualitative measures are generally used
for research
Patterson, Purkey & Parker tried by
developing the School Culture Inventory
(SCI)
Probably best if used to key discussion of
faculty
Relationship Between Organizational Culture
and Organizational Effectiveness
Dependant variables
Pupil Behavior
Pupil attendance
Achievement
Independent Variables (subsets of culture)
Behavior of Teachers
Emphasis on Academic Performance
Student rewards
Organizational culture is a critical factor in
student behavior and achievement
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Organizational Culture and
Organizational Effectiveness
(continued)
 A study of 12 inner-city London schools found that
changes in dependent variables of behavior,
attendance, and achievement were due to:
the behavior of teachers at work,
the emphasis placed on academic performance,
the provision for students to be rewarded for
succeeding, and
the extent to which students were able to take
responsibility.
 In other words, differences were due to organizational
culture.
Relationship Between Organizational
Culture and Organizational
Effectiveness (continued)
Measuring School Effectiveness
Identifying independent and dependent variables.
Studies by
Joyce Epstein
Rudolf Moos
Findings from these type studies support the
notion that many variables that can positively
affect such outcomes as achievement and
motivation of students are in control of leaders
and teachers.
Organizational Culture and Climate
Compared and Contrasted
Culture “refers to the behavioral norms,
assumptions, and beliefs of an
organization.”
“the way things are done around here”.
Climate “refers to perceptions of persons
in the organization that reflect those
norms, assumptions, and beliefs.”
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Defining and Describing Organizational
Climate
Different schools have distinct
personalities due to the particular social
system of each school.
This social system has a CLIMATE that
is defined as the “characteristics of the
total environments in a school building.”
Renato Tagiuri’s model identifies four
elements that comprise climate.
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Tagiuiri’s Model of Climate is
composed of four dimensions:
Ecology - Physical & Material Factors
Milieu - Human Social System Factors
Social System - Organizational &
Administrative Structure Factors
Culture – Values, Belief Systems, Norms
& Ways of Thinking
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How Organizational Climate is Created
Organizational climate is created by the
dynamic interaction of:
Ecology
Milieu
Organizational Structure
Culture
With perhaps culture being the most powerful
determinant.
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School Climate
The characteristics of the total environment in
a school building
OCDQ
The Organizational Climate of Schools - 1962
Organizational Climate Description
Questionnaire (OCDQ)
Halpin & Croft
OCDQ – Clusters
Perceptions of teachers as a human
group
 Perceptions of teachers concerning
the principal
Perceptions of teachers as a
human group
Intimacy - Degree of social cohesiveness
Disengagement – Degree of involvement
and commitment to the achievement of
school goals
Espirit – Morale of the group
Hindrance – Perception of rules,
paperwork and administrivia as impeding
work
Perceptions of teachers
concerning the principal
Thrust – Degree to which principal sets
an example of working hard
Consideration – Extent to which teachers
are treated with dignity and human
concern
Aloofness – Extent to which principal
maintains a social distance
Production Emphasis – Extent to which
principal directly supervises
OCDQ-RM -
Wayne Hoy
 Supportive principal behavior is directed toward both the social needs
and task achievement of faculty. The principal is helpful, genuinely
concerned with teachers, and attempts to motivate by using constructive
criticism and by setting an example through hard work.
 Directive principal behavior is rigid domineering behavior. The principal
maintains close and constant monitoring over virtually all aspects of
teacher behavior in the school.
 Restrictive principal behavior is behavior that hinders rather than
facilitates teacher work. The principal burdens teachers with paperwork,
committee requirements, and other demands that interfere with their
teaching responsibilities.
OCDQ-RM -
Wayne Hoy
 Collegial teacher behavior supports open and professional interactions
among teachers. Teachers like, respect, and help one another both
professionally and personally.
 Committed Teacher behavior behavior is directed toward helping
students to develop both socially and intellectually. Teachers work extra
hard to insure student success in school.
 Disengaged teacher behavior signifies a lack of meaning and focus to
professional activities. Teachers simply are putting in their time; in fact,
they are critical and unaccepting of their colleagues.
Climate Continuum
Open
Supportive of Learning
Closed
Hinders Learning
TEACHER RESPONSE
OPEN CLIMATE
Highly motivated
Gain satisfaction from
work
Pride in their school
Do not feel burdened by
busywork
Solve their own
problems
Keep the organization
growing
CLOSED CLIMATE
Not highly engaged
Do not work well
together
Achievement as a group
is minimal
Little satisfaction from
work
Morale is low
High turnover
PRINCIPAL AS SEEN BY TEACHERS
OPEN CLIMATE
Works energetically
Shows concern even
compassion for teachers
Is not aloof or distant
Removes obstacles for
teachers
Maintains full control
without close monitoring
CLOSED CLIMATE
Ineffective leader
A hindrance to their
work
Unconcerned about their
welfare
Aloof & impersonal
Emphasizes rules
Little personal drive
Four Management
Systems
 Each of Likert’s four management systems have identifiable
organizational climates:
System 1: Exploitive-Authoritarian.
System 2: Benevolent Authoritative.
System 3: Consultative.
System 4: Participative Group.
 Good communication requires effective use of the Linking-Pin
concept.
Relationship Between Organizational
Climate and Organizational
Effectiveness
 Rensis Likert’s analysis led him to conclude that there are
causal variables under a leader’s control that affect climate
and organization performance :
Organization structure: bureaucratic or flexible.
Leadership style: authoritative or democratic.
Philosophy of operation: consensus decision making or
not.
 The choices leaders makes are critical to determining the
nature of the management system in the organization. That is,
Likert’s System 1, 2, 3, or 4.
Effective Organizations
Achieve their goal
Maintain themselves internally
Adapt to their environment
Organizational Health - Matthew
Miles - 1965
1. Goal Focus
Understood & Accepted
Achievable & Appropriate
2. Communication Adequacy
Internal & External
Vertical & Horizontal
Organizational Health
3. Optimal Power Equalization
Collaboration v. Coercion
Influence can flow up and down
4, Human Resource Allocation
Effective use of personnel
Promotes self-actualization
Organizational Health
5. Cohesiveness
Participants identify with the organization
Stick with it - good or bad
6. Morale
Feelings of well being & satisfaction
Organizational Health
7. Innovativeness
Tendency to grow develop & change
8. Autonomy
Organization determines its own behavior in
harmony with external demands
Organizational Health
9. Adaptation
Ability to change and correct
10. Problem-Solving Adequacy
Ability to sense & perceive problems
Ability to solve problems quickly & with minimal
strain