The present study compares the perceptions of the climate and the organizational culture of the teachers of the Department of Economic-Administrative Sciences of the Technological Institute of Mérida.
The instrument developed by Parker in 1998 was applied, where the dimensions of trust, cooperation, respect, communication and role clarity are measured, applying the instrument before and after the change of career in Administration to the West Campus.
All dimensions obtained positive scores, both before and after the change. Respect is the one with the highest scores. Very extreme scores were found in the communication. Role clarity seems to improve after the change. Confidence decreases after the change.
Regarding the organizational culture, it is concluded that the teachers of the area perceive the institution as: collaborative, hard-working, open, friendly but unconscious. After the change, teachers also consider it disorganized and competitive.
CHAPTER I Statement of the problem
Organizational culture is a set of important values, beliefs and understandings that are shared by the members of an organization and that influence decision-making and other activities (Aguado, en red, 2004). It is the system of meanings shared by a large part of the members of an organization that distinguishes them from the others (Ramírez, 2000). Culture is not only a source of meaning and control, but also promotes what the employee must do and say (Peña et al, 1990). Most of the large organizations have a dominant culture, made up of a series of subcultures, which are often called departments (Ramírez, 2000).
In this way, the Technological Institute of Mérida, as an institution, has its own dominant culture and it can be assumed that each career or department that makes it up would be a different subculture. Each subculture within the organization reflects its own problems, situations, and experiences. Thus, the Department of Economic - Administrative Sciences can be considered as a subculture with its own characteristics, but it is still part of the institutional culture that gives it meaning and identity.
As a department, it has the primary function of monitoring the training of students in their career, but at the same time, it cannot be ignored that it has its own values and beliefs that in some way translate into teaching actions and consequently affect the training of these learners.
It would be worth questioning what values are being transmitted, since many times in the teaching work one is not aware of the teacher's attitudes, values and beliefs. If we knew these, we could analyze if they are the right ones, if they are the ones we want to transmit and if they are the ones that lead to better development as teachers and as an institution.
On the other hand, there is the organizational climate, an important and influential factor in the behavior of those who work in a workplace. The Climate refers to the characteristics of the environment of the Organization in which the members of it work, these characteristics can be external or internal (Busts, Miranda and Peralta, online).
The environment where a person carries out his work daily, the treatment that a boss can have with his subordinates, the relationship between company personnel and even the relationship with suppliers and customers, all these elements are shaped by what we call the organizational climate, this It can be a link or an obstacle to the good performance of the organization as a whole or of certain people who are inside or outside it, it can be a factor of distinction and influence on the behavior of those who comprise it (Aguilar, Pereyra and Alcazar, online).
To know both the subculture and the organizational climate, it is necessary to question teachers about their own perceptions about them. Given that the range of values can be extensive, for each organization, some authors propose different factors to analyze, in particular, Parker (1998) proposes that the following dimensions be considered to assess the organizational climate: trust, respect, collaboration, communication and definition of roles, such as those essential minimums to start with an analysis that allows us to get closer to the reality of the organization.
On the other hand, this same author proposes a series of values to define culture.
The Department of Economic - Administrative Sciences has undergone significant changes in the last year, since in August 2003 it moved to a new building, the western Campus located several kilometers away from its previous building. The new field houses only the Administration degree, separating it from the other degrees. It is to be hoped that this physical relocation has more clearly demarcated the characteristics of its own subculture and may have somehow affected the climate of this department.
The present study considers that knowing the reality of this institution it will be possible to evaluate it in order to determine if this change in location has generated changes in the subculture and organizational climate and if these have been positive or negative. It is by knowing the current reality that action plans can be developed in the aspects that the study reports as necessary.
Research questions
| Trust | Cooperation and collaboration | Respect | Communication | Role clarity |
| one | two | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| one | 12 | 13 | 14 | fifteen |
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | twenty |
| twenty-one | 22 | 24 | 24 | 25 |
Source: Own creation
The totals of each dimension are obtained and the higher the score, the better the quality of the organizational culture. Based on this, a diagnosis of culture is made.
These questionnaires were applied individually and in a personalized way. The questionnaire was delivered to him if the teacher could answer it at that time he was expected to finish to pick it up. In case the teacher could not answer it at the time or wanted to do it at another time, the day and time to pick it up was determined.
Process
Before starting the first part of the investigation, authorization was requested from the head of the Department of Administrative Economic Sciences of the Technological Institute of Mérida. Once the study was authorized, information was requested regarding the teachers assigned to this department. A list was drawn up with their names and surnames. We proceeded to determine the hours in which each of them attended to work. The questionnaire was applied to each of the teachers individually.
The change to the new campus took place from June to August 2003. The survey was applied again in January 2004, so that teachers already had time to adapt to the new campus. On this occasion, the list of teachers assigned to the new campus was requested again and the survey was applied individually
CHAPTER IV Analysis of the results
This chapter presents the analysis of demographic data before and after the change to the new campus. The analysis of the variables of climate and organizational culture is carried out for the two moments, making comparisons between them. Finally, the relationship between the data and the variables of seniority, gender, and appointment hours is presented.
As mentioned in the procedure, the survey was applied in two moments: the first one at the 60th Street ITM, and later once installed on the west campus.
Demographic data
This space describes the gender characteristics of the participants, seniority in the institute, seniority in the degree, appointment hours and hours assigned to the degree.
First application.
In the first survey the proportion between men and women was 51 to 49% respectively. Since the participation of teachers was voluntary, the proportion between both genders could not be made equivalent (see Table 2).
Table 2
| Frequency | Percentage | Accumulated percentage | |
| Man
Woman Total |
24
2. 3 47 |
51.1
48.9 100.0 |
51.1
100.0 |
More than 50% of the staff have 40 hours and less than 10% have less than 20 hours, so it can be considered that the majority are people who stay for eight hours a day in the institution (See figure 1).
| Frequency | Percentage | Accumulated percentage | |
| From 1 to 5 years
From 6 to 10 years From 11 to 15 years old From 16 to 20 years old From 21 to 29 years old over 30 years old Total |
two
8 12 6 14 5 47 |
4.3
17.0 25.5 12.8 29.8 10.6 100.0 |
4.3
21.3 46.8 59.6 89.4 100.0 |
In addition to the length of time in the institution, it is important to consider the years that it has been part of the Department of Economic-Administrative Sciences. In this regard, it was found that 90% have belonged to this department for more than 6 years (See Table 4).
Table 4
| Frequency | Percentage | Accumulated percentage | |
| From 1 to 5 years
From 6 to 10 years From 11 to 15 years old From 16 to 20 years old From 21 to 29 years old over 30 years old Total |
5
eleven 10 8 9 4 47 |
10.6 23.4 21.3 17.0 19.1
8.5 100.0 |
10.6 34.0 55.3 72.3 91.5
100.0 |
Most (60%) work a split schedule (Table 5), that is, they cover part of their time in the morning and part in the afternoon. These teachers might appreciate the differences between work shifts, if any.
Table 5
| Frequency | Percentage | Accumulated percentage |
| did not answer 2 morning 13 afternoon 4 both 28 Total 47 | 4.3
27.7 8.5 59.6 100.0 |
4.3
31.9 40.4 100.0 |
The second survey presents a different proportion between men (60%) and women (40%) (see table 6), compared to the first survey.
Table 6
| Frequency | Percentage | Accumulated percentage | |
| Man
Woman Total |
twenty-one
14 35 |
60.0
40.0 100.0 |
60.0
100.0 |
As in the first survey, more than 50% of the staff have 40 hours and less than 10% have less than 20 hours, so it can be considered that most of them are people who stay for eight hours a day in the institution. (see figure 2).
| Frequency | Percentage | Accumulated percentage | |
| From 1 to 5 years
From 6 to 10 years From 11 to 15 years old From 16 to 20 years old From 21 to 29 years old over 30 years old Total |
two
5 5 6 11 6 35 |
5.7
14.3 14.3 17.1 31.4 17.1 100.0 |
5.7
20.0 34.3 51.4 82.9 100.0 |
Despite the length of time in the institution, it is important to consider the years that it has belonged to the Department of Economic-Administrative Sciences. In this regard, it was found that 88% of this second sample has belonged to this department for more than 6 years, very similar to the 90% found in the first application (See table 8).
Table 8
| Frequency | Percentage | Accumulated percentage | |
| From 1 to 5 years
From 6 to 10 years From 11 to 15 years old From 16 to 20 years old From 21 to 29 years old Total I do not answer Total |
4
8 6 6 10 34 1 35 |
11.4
22.9 17.1 17.1 28.6 97.1 2.9 100.0 |
11.8
35.3 52.9 70.6 100.0 |
Table 9 shows that the majority (57%) work a split schedule, being able to appreciate the differences between morning and afternoon. It will be remembered that in the first application the teachers with this schedule were 60%.
Table 9
| Frequency | Percentage | Accumulated percentage | |
| evening morning both
Total |
13 2
twenty 35 |
37.1 5.7
57.1 100.0 |
37.1
42.9 100.0 |
It will be remembered that the test consists of 25 items grouped into 5 categories or dimensions, namely trust, cooperation and collaboration, communication, respect and clarity of role. Each of these dimensions will be analyzed, mentioning the first and second applications, noting the differences or similarities between them.
Before the change to the western campus, the surveyed group obtained a score higher than the average regarding the variable "confidence". This means that they experienced a positive level of confidence towards their peers and superiors. The mean of the scores was found to be 16.23 with a SD of 2.39. The minimum grade obtained was 10 and the maximum 21 (See figure 3)
Both before and after the change of campus, the group's average is around 17 points (16.82 and 17.05 respectively), this shows that regarding cooperation and collaboration a positive attitude is perceived, above the average. Although there is a difference between before and after, this is not significant, since the minimum score in both is 10 and the maximum is 22 and 23 respectively (See figures 5 and 6).
The perception of respect seems to have remained constant at an above-average level, despite the change. This dimension turned out to be the highest of all in both applications as can be seen in Table 10. There are no differences between the maximum scores and the difference in the minimum is not significant.
Table 10
| Before | After | |
| Half | 20.40 | 19.97 |
| Dev. Standard | 2.62 | 2.92 |
| Minimum Score | 16 | 14 |
| Top Score | 25 | 25 |
The teachers' perception is that communication has not improved significantly, since before the change the Mean was 15.72 and after 15.80, the SD being the same in both applications (2.62). This seems to point out that there was no change after the relocation of the campus. However, unlike the other variables, the minimum scores obtained are the lowest at both moments of the test, reaching values of 8 and 6 points respectively. This seems to indicate that although the group mean is average, there is a group of teachers who think that the level of communication is poor. Table 11 shows the main data obtained.
Table 11
| Before | After | |
| Half | 15.72 | 15.80 |
| OF | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Minimum Score | 8 | 6 |
| Top Score | 25 | 24 |
This variable shows some improvement since before the change it reports an average of 15.46 and after the change the average is 16.57, (see table 12). The dispersion between the response options improves slightly as well, showing a greater homogeneity between the teachers' opinions in the second moment.
Table 12
| Before | After | |
| Half | 15.46 | 16.57 |
| OF | 4.19 | 3.43 |
| Minimum Score | 8 | eleven |
| Top Score | 2. 3 | 24 |
In general, regarding the changes in the perception of the organizational climate reported by teachers, some improvement has been found in the dimensions of cooperation, communication and role clarity. The dimension of respect is the highest at all times. It is worth mentioning that when speaking of positive perception, it refers to the fact that since the possible scores vary between 5 and 25, when the score given is above the mean (15) it is considered higher than the average.
When analyzing the data according to gender, some differences are found. Regarding confidence, it remained the same in men over time (average: 15.80), however it seems to decrease in women when changing to the new campus since the average before the change was 16.69 and after the change it decreases at 15.71. Regarding cooperation, although it is positive in both, it seems to be better among women than men both before and after the change to campus. In men, the positive perception of cooperation remains constant, while in women it improves from an average of 17.26 to 18.42.
In relation to respect, it was found that at all times it is positive and the highest in comparison with the other dimensions. However, in men, even when it remains within the positive range, it seems to decrease slightly after the change.
That is, it goes from an average of 20.37 to 19.66.
Communication is better in women than in men at all times. In men it is slightly below the average (14.70 and 14.75). On the other hand, in women it increases from an average of 16.78 to 17.35.
Regarding the clarity of the role, it improves after the change in both sexes. Before the change, the mean for men was 15.25 and the mean for women was 15.69. After the change, the means are higher in men at 16.78 and in women 16.28.
In general, it can be said that differences were found in cooperation and communication in both women have a more positive perception both before and after.
The description of the culture is determined based on the adjectives that each teacher selected to define it. The reader will remember that from a list of 18 adjectives, the participant had to select 6. According to the above, the analysis was carried out. Organizational culture was defined in the first application as collaborative, open, friendly, territorial, hard-working, disorganized, and unconscious (Table 13). After the change to the new campus, the culture was defined as collaborative, trustworthy, open, friendly, competitive and hard-working. As can be seen, the characteristics of a collaborative, open, friendly, and hard-working culture persist, apparently its workplace has ceased to be territorial, disorganized and unconscious and has become competitive.
Table 13
| Culture
Organizational |
Before | After | ||
| Freq. | % of the
Total |
Freq. | % of the
Total |
|
| Student centered | 13 | 28% | eleven | 31% |
| Collaborator | 2. 3 | 49% | 24 | 69% |
| Trustworthy | 13 | 28% | 22 | 63% |
| Open | 17 | 36% | 25 | 53% |
| Friendly | 26 | 55% | 22 | 63% |
| Progressive | 12 | 26% | 9 | 26% |
| Proactive | 7 | fifteen % | eleven | 31% |
| Depressant | 5 | eleven % | one | 3 % |
| Competitive | eleven | 2. 3 % | 13 | 3. 4 % |
| Restrictive | eleven | 2. 3 % | two | 6% |
| Territorial | 16 | 3. 4 % | 10 | 29% |
| Employee | 19 | 40% | 2. 3 | 66% |
| Combative | one | two % | two | 6% |
| Disorganized | 2. 3 | 49% | 8 | 2. 3 % |
| Negative | 5 | eleven % | 0 | 0% |
| Rigid | 5 | eleven % | 3 | 9% |
| Funny | 4 | 9% | 9 | 26% |
| Unconscious | 18 | 38% | 8 | 2. 3 % |
When analyzing the way culture is perceived based on the hours of appointment, it is found that teachers with 40 hours had a more positive perception of the culture before the change (collaborative, trustworthy, open, friendly and hard-working), than after (territorial and disorganized). For their part, teachers with appointments of less than 40 hours previously considered culture more negatively than now. That is, although they considered her collaborative, open, friendly, hard-working, trustworthy, and student-centered, they also considered her disorganized, territorial, and restrictive. Now these teachers still consider her collaborative, friendly, hard-working, trustworthy and open, but also competitive.
An analysis was also made of the frequencies observed in the perception of culture before and after according to the gender of the respondents. The analysis yielded the data presented in table14. Men both before and after the change perceive the culture as collaborative, trustworthy, open, friendly, and hard-working. Now instead they consider it student-centered, territorial and disorganized.
Women have always considered her collaborative, trustworthy, open, friendly, hard-working, disorganized, and unconscious. Now they consider it progressive, proactive and
competitive.
Table 14
| Culture Men | Women | |||
| Organizational Before | After | Before | After | |
| Focused on 4
student |
7 | 10 | 3 | |
| Collaborator | 13 | eleven | 14 | 9 |
| Trustworthy | 12 | 10 | 9 | 4 |
| Open | 17 | 8 | eleven | 6 |
| Friendly | 12 | 13 | 16 | 7 |
| Progressive | 6 | 4 | 6 | 5 |
| Proactive | 7 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Depressant | two | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Competitive | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 |
| Restrictive | two | 5 | 5 | one |
| Territorial | 6 | eleven | 6 | 3 |
| Employee | 14 | 10 | 10 | 8 |
| Combative | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Disorganized | 6 | 10 | 10 | 5 |
| Negative | one | 3 | 0 | one |
| Rigid | 3 | one | 4 | 0 |
| Funny | 4 | 6 | one | two |
| Unconscious | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 |
Chapter V Theoretical discussion of the results
In this chapter, the results will be related to the hypotheses proposed in this study.
Ho: There are no significant changes in the organizational climate of the Department of Economic-Administrative Sciences of the Technological Institute of Mérida before and after the change of location.
The hypothesis was tested because despite the differences reported in some climate dimensions, these were not significant. Similarly, in culture there was some variation in perception between before and after, no significant differences were found in any of the values of the organizational climate and neither as a function of the time of application.
In the second hypothesis:
Hi: "Women have a more positive perspective of organizational culture than men"
In the first survey, women have a more negative perception than men, which is the opposite of what is proposed by the hypothesis. However, this hypothesis is true in the survey conducted after the change. Here women seem to have a more positive perception than men.
In the third hypothesis:
Hi: "60% of teachers consider that communication is the weakest dimension of this organization".
Regarding the present hypothesis, the communication dimension did not turn out to be the lowest of the five in the first application, although it turned out to be the second lowest, for 60% of the teachers. The role clarity dimension turned out to be the lowest in the first application and confidence in the second after the change of campus.
Hi: "Full-time teachers have a more negative perception of the culture of the organization than part-time teachers both in the measurement before the change and after."
Before the change of campus, the 40-hour teachers had a more positive perception of the culture and the more negative partials (disorganized territorial and restrictive). This contradicts the hypothesis. On the other hand, after the change the hypothesis seems to be confirmed, since the 40-hour teachers consider it to be territorial and disorganized and the shorter-term teachers consider it collaborative, friendly, hard-working, accounting, open and competitive.
Conclusions
In all dimensions, the scores obtained before and after the change are positive and do not show great differences between them. The dimension that is reported with higher scores both before and after is respect. In the communication dimension, a greater number of respondents is observed at the extremes of the scores (6 - 25). Apparently for some people communication is very good and for others very bad. As for cooperation, there is no great change. The clarity of role seems to improve after the change but there is still a lot of variability of opinion. The confidence dimension seems to decrease after the change.
In general we can conclude that there are no significant differences between both moments of the application. In other words, an event as important as a change to a different location with new buildings, offices for all teachers, classrooms with new equipment, did not have a great effect on the climate of this school.
In general, although the scores on both occasions are above the average, this only means that a stable climate has been maintained without this being satisfactory in terms of quality, since a rating of 16 when the scale goes from 5 to 25, it involves a long way to go to the positive side.
Regarding the terms used to describe the institution, we can conclude that the Technological Institute of Mérida was considered by its teachers in the area of administrative economic sciences as: collaborative, open, friendly, territorial, hard-working, disorganized and unconscious. After the change, teachers perceive him as collaborative, reliable, open, friendly, hard-working and competitive.
Bibliographic references
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Department of Economic-Administrative Sciences
Skill in administration
Comparison of organizational culture and climate in the Department of Sciences
Economic-Administrative before and after the change to the Campus
Dra. Rocío Aguiar Sierra
Leny M. Finch Lizarraga
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