Organisation climate

Organizational climate (sometimes known as Corporate Climate) is a concept that has academic meaning in the fields of Organizational Behavior and I/O Psychology as well as practical meaning in the business world There is continued scholarly debate about the exact definition of organizational climate for the purposes of scientific study. The definition developed by Lawrence R. James (1943-2014) and his colleagues makes a distinction between psychological and organizational climate. 'Psychological climate is defined as the individual employee’s perception of the psychological impact of the work environment on his or her own well-being (James & James, 1989). When employees in a particular work unit agree on their perceptions of the impact of their work environment, their shared perceptions can be aggregated to describe their organizational climate (Jones & James, 1979; Joyce & Slocum, 1984).' Organizational climate (sometimes known as Corporate Climate) is a concept that has academic meaning in the fields of Organizational Behavior and I/O Psychology as well as practical meaning in the business world There is continued scholarly debate about the exact definition of organizational climate for the purposes of scientific study. The definition developed by Lawrence R. James (1943-2014) and his colleagues makes a distinction between psychological and organizational climate. Employees' collective appraisal of the organizational work environment takes into account many dimensions of the situation as well as the psychological impact of the environment. For instance, job-specific properties such as role clarity, workload and other aspects unique to a person's specific job have a psychological impact that can be agreed upon by members of the organization. Work group or team cooperation and effectiveness as well as leadership and organizational support are other dimensions of shared experience that factor into organizational climate. Surveys are the most common way of quantifying organizational climate. Aspects of climate that influence performance of specific sets of behaviors and outcomes can be measured, such as the climate for safety and the climate for innovation. Organizational climate and organizational culture are distinct concepts. Climate and culture are both important aspects of the overall context, environment or situation. Organizational culture tends to be shared by all or most members of some social group, is something that older members usually try to pass on to younger members, and shapes behavior, structures, and perceptions of the world. Cultures are often studied and understood at a national level, such as the American or French culture. Culture includes deeply held values, beliefs and assumptions, symbols, heroes, and rituals. Culture can be examined at an organizational level as well. The main distinction between organizational and national culture is that people can choose to join a place of work, but are usually born into a national culture. Organizational climate, on the other hand, is often defined as the recurring patterns of behavior, attitudes and feelings that characterize life in the organization, while an organization culture tends to be deep and stable. Although culture and climate are related, climate often proves easier to assess and change. At an individual level of analysis the concept is called individual psychological climate. These individual perceptions are often aggregated or collected for analysis and understanding at the team or group level, or the divisional, functional, or overall organizational level. There are two difficulties in defining organization climate: how to define climate, and how to measure it effectively on different levels of analysis. Furthermore, there are several approaches to the concept of climate. Two in particular have received substantial patronage: the cognitive schema approach and the shared perception approach.