Introduction
The individual perception of the working environment in an organization and the description of its properties is very similar to the perception and description of its properties in a person. The work environment can exercise relatively intense control over the individual or promote rules, regulations and order.
When we refer to the perception of the organization and its work environment, we refer to the psychological environment, that is, its filter system or perceptual structure. According to this perception, the collaborators of a company make a description of the multiple stimuli that are acting on them in the world of work and that define their “work situation”; This psychological atmosphere of an organization is designated as the "business climate" for an individual.
This psychological world of work represents in fact a strong influence on your behavior, reactions and feelings in your workplace.
Influence factors:
- The way in which the employee perceives his work environment The valence (relative value) that he attributes to certain results that he expects as a result of his efforts The instruments that he recognizes in relation to these results of his work The expectations that different efforts, work strategies or methodologies will lead you to certain results that also influence your work conduct and attitudes towards your work and organization.
It is an external manifestation (such as the perception) of the subjects, which refers to organizational variables such as leadership styles, trust, group cohesion and competitiveness.
Doing climate analysis means measuring how the working subjects perceive the numerous organizational problems.
The organizational climate is descriptive, being a perception of the working subjects. The perception of workers in contact with the public (front line workers) in service organizations is analogous to customer satisfaction.
It is about diagnosing an organization through the data provided by the workers, through a discussion in groups formed from the organizational functions and the individual filling out of a questionnaire about the climate. The return of the elaborated data is the most delicate phase because frequently those who request a climate analysis want to have informative data and then decide what they already had in mind before the investigation. It is from the return of the data that the investigation becomes active, that is, it becomes an intervention of change.
Organizational Climate Definitions. Different schools
Various investigations on the subject previously had contradictory results and erroneous theoretical conclusions, as a result of: different definitions of organizational climate, different measurement methods, different analytical approaches and that climate was sometimes considered as a dependent variable and others as a variable. independent or intervening.
Below I present a table with three different schools of thought regarding what each understands as an organizational climate in order to broaden our vision of it.
| Schools based on: | Description |
| Objective characteristics of the organization of reality | The climate of the organization is conceived as a series of characteristics that describe it, which are relatively long-lasting, which influence the behavior of people or organized beings, and which can be measured by a large number of methods.
The effect of the climate on the behavior of the collaborator is seen from the perspective of: the structural dimensions (management styles, norms and the physiological environment), of the purposes (limitation and restriction of freedom of decision and action), processes of reward and retribution. The measurement methods include individual perceptions of the environment and the objective indices of situational variance and structural dimensions (organizational structure, processes or physical environment of the work). |
| Individual perception of subjective attributes and description | The organizational climate is conceived as a series of perception variables, a series of qualitative attributes specific to a given organization (how a company treats its members, degree of individual autonomy, management style, "warmth", support and type reward and retribution).
The critical elements consist of the individual perceptions (of reality) of the organization, and these perceptions and their description influence the behavior and attitudes of the individual within the company. While in the previous definition the objective indexes of the organization constitute the central nucleus as objective reality "outside" of the person, in this definition the individual perception of this external reality is underlined. Organizational climate would be the sum of variables that constitute a description of all the stimuli that influence the individual, in addition to the perceptions of the same regarding his organization. |
| Customized and globalized construct | They call the organizational climate the psychological climate, it is a “personalist construct”, a series of global perceptions of the individual about his organization. These global perceptions reflect the interaction between personal and organizational characteristics.
That is, a combination of objective characteristics and facts of the organization and individual characteristics of the perceiver (values, needs, objectives, expectations). How the individual perceives the work environment without taking into account how others do it in the same environment. It is an additive attribute of the individual and is measured as such. |
Common points of the three schools
- Climate is conceived as a relatively enduring quality. An organization is distinguished from others by its climate. This internal quality of work results from the conduct, provisions and regulations that emanate from the management. Members of the organization perceive this climate. It serves as the basis for describing the employment situation.
Climate hypothesis
- It is a sum of perceptions. It is descriptive and not evaluative. The level of description refers to the company as a whole or to its partial systems or subsystems. Perceptions have possible consequences and consequences in behavior.
Organizational climate is about a description of the world of work, but job satisfaction is an evaluation.
It could be said that these three approaches constitute parts of a three-stage development process, which starts from the objective and “external” characteristics for the company's collaborator (level 1), passing through the subjective attributes of the organization perceived by the individual. (level 2) and reaches the psychological construct of the globalized and personalized climate (level 3), which represents the conditions that the individual forms about the company.
Thus, the quality of the individual climate of the organization depends on the interaction between the perceived characteristics of the organization and the personal characteristics of the perceiver, that is, the relationship between the perceived attributes of the work environment and the series of these attributes identified. by the employee, valued from the perspective of his expectations and necessary for him and that must be given to provoke in him the feeling of a good or bad climate in the company.
So the concept of organizational climate refers to the perceptions shared by the members of an organization regarding work, the physical environment in which it occurs, the interpersonal relationships that take place around it and the various formal regulations that affect said work. job.
Variables considered
Although the study of the organizational climate is focused on understanding the internal environmental variables that affect the behavior of individuals in the organization, their approach to these variables is through the perceptions that individuals have of them.
The variables considered in the concept of organizational climate are:
| TYPES
Concerning: |
Variables |
| Physical environment | · Physical space.
· Noise, heat and pollution conditions. · Facilities. · Machines, etc. |
| Structure | · Size of the organization.
· Formal structure. · Management style, etc. |
| Social environment | · Fellowship.
· Interpersonal or interdepartmental conflicts. · Communications, etc. |
| Personal | · Aptitudes.
· Attitudes. · Motivations. · Expectations, etc. |
| Organizational behavior | · Productivity.
· Absenteeism. · (External) rotation of personnel. · Work satisfaction. · Tensions and stress, etc. |
All these variables configure the climate of a company, through the perception that the members of the same have.
Characteristics of the Labor Climate
| Certain permanence | It means that it can count on a certain stability, although its changes are relatively gradual. |
| Impact on behaviors | It affects and is affected by the behaviors of its members. They affect the management of the organization and the coordination of tasks. |
| Degree of commitment and identification of the members with the organization | A good climate has a high probability of having a significant impact on these aspects. In bad weather a high degree of identification with the firm cannot be expected. |
| Affected by variables | Which in turn affects the same already described above. |
| Absenteeism and excessive external rotation | They generally indicate a very bad work climate. Something similar occurs with job dissatisfaction. |
Measurement methods
- The available instruments consist mainly of structured questionnaires related to perception, distinguished by: content and length, population taken into account, number of dimensions and scales, validity and reliability. The items in each of the measurement methods are partly perceptual in nature and partly objective in nature, or are a mixture of both item categories. Objective measurement instruments are more precise and reliable than perceptual ones, even so, it is necessary to restrict their applicability and usefulness since their variables are affected by a wide dispersion, they are too specific and difficult to interpret.The problem with perceptual measurement methods is that perceptions and their description of climate do not provide complete information on the extent to which this description reflects the attributes of the world of work or those of the perceiving collaborator. In addition, valuation studies must be carried out that demonstrate the perception and accuracy of individual perception.
- Individual autonomy: freedom of the individual to decide for himself about his work. Structure: degree to which the methods and objectives have been clearly developed and established and in which the superior makes them fully known to his team of collaborators. General system of reward and remuneration: the one established and that is implemented and that has an intimate and explicit relationship with the performance produced. Attention - Support - Interest - Heat: that superiors show towards their subordinates regarding their human relationships. Cooperation and ability to resolve conflicts: between collaborators, colleagues, superiors and subordinates, especially within the section, the work group or the office.
Climate Dimensions
It refers to the aspects to take into account when conducting a survey on organizational climate in a company. Litwin and Stinger postulate the existence of dimensions that would explain the existing climate in a given company. Each of these dimensions is related to certain properties of an organization. In addition, other dimensions proposed by various authors are included in order to broaden the spectrum of the subject.
- Structure: This scale represents the perception that the members of the organization have about the number of rules, procedures, procedures, norms, obstacles and other limitations that they face in the performance of their work. The positive or negative result will be given to the extent that the organization places the emphasis on bureaucracy, versus the emphasis placed on a free, informal and poorly structured or hierarchical work environment. Responsibility: It is the perception on the part of the members of the organization about their autonomy in making decisions related to their work. It is the extent to which the supervision they receive is general and not narrow, that is, the feeling of being their own boss and knowing with certainty what their job is and what their role is within the organization. Reward: Corresponds to members' perception of the reward received for a job well done. Also of the close relation existing between the real yield and the remuneration. Challenge: Corresponds to the goals that the members of an organization have regarding certain risks that they may run during the performance of their work. As the organization promotes the acceptance of calculated risks in order to achieve the proposed objectives, the challenges will help to maintain a competitive climate, necessary in any organization. Relations: It is the perception about the existence of a pleasant work environment and good social relations both between peers and between bosses and subordinates, these relations are generated inside and outside the organization, understanding that there are two kinds of groups within any organization. Formal groups, which are part of the hierarchical structure of the organization and informal groups, which are generated from the friendship relationship, which can occur between the members of an organization. Cooperation - Friendliness: It is the feeling of the members of the organization about the existence of a spirit of help from the managers and other employees of the group. Emphasis placed on mutual support, both vertically and horizontally. The general feeling of camaraderie that prevails in the atmosphere of the working group. Standards: This dimension talks about how the members of an organization perceive the standards that have been set for the productivity of the organization. Conflict: The feeling that managers and collaborators want to hear different opinions; the emphasis on the problems coming to light and not being hidden or hidden. At this point, rumor often plays a very determining role, of what may or may not be happening at a certain moment within the organization, the fluid communication between the different hierarchical scales of the organization prevents the conflict from being generated. Identity: The feeling of belonging to the company and that it is a valuable member of a work team; the importance attached to that spirit. In general, the feeling of sharing personal goals with those of the organization. Motivation: against the performance and the motivation attempt by the organization itself. Status polarization: degree of accentuation of the physiological and psychological limits that separate members from different levels. Flexibility and innovation: receptivity to new ideas, methods and processes. Inconsistency: The degree to which the policies, procedures, enforcement rules, and instructions are inconsistent or not uniformly applied. Adequacy of planning: The degree to which the plans are seen as adequate to achieve the objectives of the work. Selection based on capacity and performance: The degree to which selection criteria are based on ability and performance, rather than politics, personality, or academic degrees. Error tolerance: The degree to which errors are treated in a supportive and learning way, rather than in a threatening, punitive, or blame-inclined way.
Climate Functions
- Linking: Achieve that group that acts mechanically, that is, that "is not linked" with the task it performs, commits itself. Obstacle: Achieve that the feeling that members have, that they are burdened with routine duties and other requirements that are considered useless, become useful. Spirit: It is a dimension of work spirit. Members feel that their social needs are being met and at the same time they are enjoying the feeling of the task accomplished. Privacy: That workers enjoy friendly social relations. This is a dimension of satisfaction of social needs, not necessarily associated with the completion of the task. Remoteness: Refers to administrative behavior characterized as informal. It describes a reduction in the "emotional" distance between the boss and his collaborators.
Typologies of Climate (Likert Theory)
Rensis Likert, for his part, maintains that variables such as the organization's structure and administration, rules and regulations, decision-making, etc. influence the perception of an organization's climate. These are causal variables. Another group of variables are intervening and they include motivations, attitudes, communication. Finally, Likert indicates that the final variables are dependent on the previous two and refer to the results obtained by the organization. These include productivity, profit and loss made by the organization. These three types of variables influence the perception of climate by members of an organization. For Likert it is important that it is the perception of the climate, rather than the climate itself,for he maintains that people's behaviors and attitudes are a result of their perceptions of the situation and not of an objective situation.
From different configurations of variables, Likert comes to typify four types of organizational systems, each with a particular climate. These are:
- System I: Authoritarian. This type of system is characterized by mistrust. Decisions are made at the top of the organization and from there they are disseminated along a highly bureaucratic line of regular conduct. Control processes are also centralized and formalized. The climate in this type of organizational system is one of general mistrust, fear and insecurity. System II: Paternal. In this organizational category, decisions are also made at the top echelons of the organization. Also in this system control is centralized, but in it there is a greater delegation than in the case of System I. The type of relations characteristic of this system is paternalistic, with authorities who have all the power, but grant certain facilities to their subordinates., framed within limits of relative flexibility. The climate of this type of organizational system is based on condescending relationships of trust from the top to the bottom and dependence from the bottom to the top of the hierarchy. For subordinates, the climate seems to be stable and structured and their social needs seem to be covered, as long as the rules of the game established at the top are respected.System III: Advisory. This is an organizational system in which there is a much greater degree of decentralization and delegation of decisions. A hierarchical scheme is maintained, but specific decisions are made by middle and lower echelons. Control is also delegated to lower echelons. The climate of this class of organizations is trustworthy and there are high levels of responsibility. System IV: Participatory. This system is characterized in that the decision-making process is not centralized, but distributed in different parts of the organization. Communications are both vertical and horizontal, generating a group game. The climate of this type of organization is trustworthy and high levels of commitment are achieved by workers with the organization and its objectives. Relations between management and workers are good and trust reigns in different sectors of the organization.
Relations between organizational climate and attitudinal and behavioral variables
Relations between organizational climate and attitudinal and behavioral variables
The Organizational Climate, as an independent variable influences:
- Job satisfaction: the climate has a very close relationship with the satisfaction at work felt by the employee, a better organizational climate corresponds to a better satisfaction with the work of the collaborator. This relationship would be moderated by the variables "labor values" and by the variables "position within the organization". Interpersonal interactions: it also has a very close relationship, a better climate would correspond to the development of better relationships. Group cohesion: ditto relation to the previous ones. Individual connection with work and with the work environment: very close relationship. Productivity / performance:a “consistent” climate leads to higher productivity, an autonomous, unstructured atmosphere, leaves more room for individual skills and talents and contributes more to the work performance of the individual collaborator, personally produced. A “specific” climate produces a qualitatively superior and better work performance. Thus, the relationship that links the organizational climate with job performance seems to depend: On the management style, On the regulations of the organization, On the degree of freedom of decision or individual independence with respect to innovation, On the degree of corroboration or confirmation and the support provided by the company to its collaborators, the individual perception of the real climate of the company and the organization itself (its general orientation).
Climate as an intervening variable aims to verify the effectiveness of the training programs, the modified management style and the interindividual needs and expectations of the collaborators in the workplace (they are the independent variables). The dependent variables would be work performance, presence in the job, frequency of sick leave, among others.
The results regarding the influence of climate on:
- Management styles : different styles produce different climates in organizations and achieve superior and qualitatively better personal work performance. Training: the results on the influence of climate are very consistent. A suitable climate could positively consolidate the effectiveness of the training, achieving a permanent change in attitudes and behavior. Interindividual needs and expectations:(such as performance, autonomy, dominance, belonging, regulation, etc.) A climate of support and consolidation is closely related to job satisfaction, regardless of the nature and intensity of individual needs in the position. Individual workers prefer different characteristics of the organization because of their different needs. Climate and needs influence satisfaction and performance. Employees at one level of the organization do not necessarily have to feel a positive and protective climate as well as those at another level. Hence, it is convenient to develop climates for the organization as a whole as for each of its different levels, sections, departments or offices.
The organizational climate as a dependent variable would depend on the structure of the organization, and would eventually be variable, due to the implementation and execution of training and education programs. Individual perception and description of climate varies among collaborators from different types of organization (depending on the level of the organization to which they belong).
The structural dimension (organization level) presents solid positive relationships with the organizational climate and job satisfaction.
The degree of bureaucratization influences the individual perception of the climate.
The degree of freedom of decision is closely related to the perception of the climate by the individual collaborator.
Research is allowed to measure an organizational factor defined as group organizational climate. This factor is shown to be of particular importance in research / intervention on organizational climate. This allows to reveal the cohesion level of the work groups, being a good indicator of the exchange rate that can be carried out in the organization. If there is a good informal climate in the different groups of the organization, it indirectly means that the level of motivation is good and that, then, the workers are ready for the organizational model of high responsibility and high participation.
In a first investigation, the high values revealed in the perception of the informal group climate correspond to a high level of motivation of the subjects themselves in carrying out the work. The groups that presented low values in the perception of the informal group climate, on the contrary, were unmotivated in carrying out the task.
Those who participated in the training course demonstrated a greater feeling of belonging to the group, a greater desire to participate in the organization. It is observed that this group showed a greater fear regarding the possible disappointment of expectations on the part of the organization in the event of future changes.
Conclusions
After exposing and analyzing these relationships, it is now known that the organization's climate represents a descriptive concept (for example, quantity assessment) and that, instead, job satisfaction constitutes an evaluative concept (for example, assessment of degree). Therefore, it is verified that the existing correlation between the two is relatively small and that eventually it may even be null.
Furthermore, bearing in mind the model of the 3 levels of the organizational climate, it could be impossible to compare the results obtained at different levels, only being able to make comparisons between organizations or within an organization at the corresponding level.
Climate can influence attitudes and behavior to some extent; and that these also depend on other moderating and intervening variables, both of the personality (preferences, norms, values, needs and expectations), as well as those of the work and organization situation, its structure and its properties.
Another aspect to take into account is the "coordination problem" in the assessment of the organization's climate by its members. It should be clarified to what extent the differences in the evaluation of the organization and in the description of it by its members must be attributed to:
- Inter-individual differences (personality). To the precision of the observation. To what extent are they a function of the organization and its subsystems, to which the collaborator belongs.
Thus, climate constitutes a multidimensional phenomenon and it is difficult to isolate and quantify individual components, the nature of their relationships and mutual interactions, and other complexes of variables.
In addition, it is necessary to check the relationships and influence of the differences present in the situational context external to the organization, on the individual perception of its climate.
Therefore, it is convenient that multiple measurement methods are used to make up the organization's climate, with subjective and individual measurements of perception and description, and objective and situational measurements, as well as distinguishing other psychological constructs.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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