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INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS
common perception arising from interaction among members of an organization, and
those who perceive ‗climate‘ as an objective property of an organization.
1.1 Definitions of Organizational Climate
Tagiuri and Litwin (1968:25) defined climate as
The relatively enduring quality of the total [organizational] environment that a) is
experienced by the occupants b) influence their behavior, and c) can be described in
terms of the values of a particular set of characteristics (or attribute) of the environment.
Schneider (1975) narrated climate as molar perceptions people have of their work setting.
These molar perceptions have a psychological unity, being based on actual events,
practices and procedures that occur in their daily life. . Ekvall (1983) explained it as an
attribute of the organization, composed of behaviors, attitudes and feelings which are
characteristic of the organization‘.
Early researchers assumed organizational climate on the basis of perception of their work
environment. For example, Moran and Volkwein (1992) defined organizational climate
as a dynamic process that involves group member interactions and environmental impact.
Similarly, Altman (2000) explained that the climate is an employee‘s perception of their
work environment. This definition of organizational climate represents the holistic view
of organizational setup and best described in all contexts.
1.2 Organizational Climate and Organizational Culture
Several researchers have attempted to compare organizational climate and organizational
culture and explore the commonalities (Denison, 1996). Ekvall (1983) distinguished
organizational climate from organizational culture. He suggested an organization‘s
culture was made of the beliefs, traditions, and values of the people within the
organization. In contrast, climate refers to feelings, attitude, and recurring behaviour
pattern which characterized daily life within the organization (Isaksen et al, 1995).
Glick (1985) distinguishes between climate and culture based on methodological
preferences. Schein (1985) explains the differences on the base of epistemology.
According to him, climate research is usually nomothetic and comparative and is
measured by using quantitative techniques, whereas culture research tends to be
idiographic and contextualized and is usually measured by using qualitative methods.
Denison (1996) differentiated between climate and culture on methods of study.
―If researchers carried field notes, quotes, or stories and presented qualitative data
to support their ideas, then they were studying culture. If researchers carried
computer printouts and questionnaires and presented quantitative analysis to
support their ideas, then they were studying climate‖ (p. 621)
Organizational climate researchers place greater emphasis on organizational members‘
perception. .Thus, it is temporal subjective and often subject to direct manipulation by
people with power and influence (Guion, 1973; Denison, 1996). Other factors also helped
to distinguish these two topics in literatures. Culture researchers were more concerned
with evolution of social systems over time (Denison, 1996). In contrast, climate
COPY RIGHT © 2011 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research
JANUARY 2011
VOL 2, NO 9
512