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Generic climate maps: A strategic application of climate survey data?
Author(s) -
SPARROW PAUL R.,
GASTON KEVIN
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of organizational behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.938
H-Index - 177
eISSN - 1099-1379
pISSN - 0894-3796
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1379(199611)17:6<679::aid-job786>3.0.co;2-m
Subject(s) - organisation climate , climate change , knowledge management , environmental resource management , psychology , computer science , social psychology , ecology , environmental science , biology
Data have been gathered on 93 organizations and over 3030 individuals using a climate survey. This paper examines the related concepts of climate and culture and points to their importance as root metaphors for organizational analysis. Key research issues surrounding the use of climate surveys are highlighted and a range of strategic applications of climate survey data outlined. A twofold contribution to the literature is made by considering empirical and statistical approaches used in the field and by categorizing the various climates within and across industries. The Business and Organization Climate Index (BOCI) data are analysed statistically in order to examine the practicality and validity of using organizational climate maps as part of a typical management of change intervention. The findings show that the BOCI instrument can be used to create a reliable average profile with a high degree of inter‐rater reliability. The methodological issues surrounding such assessments are discussed. Moreover, these organizational profiles can be classified, by use of agglomerative statistical techniques such as cluster analysis, into eight overarching climate maps. These generic climate maps reflect three negative, one neutral and four positive variations of climate. The membership of any particular organization in the cluster is not solely determined by industry sector. However, broad patterns of strategy and organizational process are reflected in the eight clusters. Given that climate surveys reflect individual perceptions, the eight climate maps may be as strong a measure of managers' and workers' cognitive frameworks and judgements as they are representations of organizational behaviour and action.