motivational analysis of organizations

11. Risk taking. How people respond to risks and whose help is sought in situations
involving risk are important determinants of climate.
12. Innovation and change. Who initiates change, how change and innovation are
perceived, and how change is implemented are all critical in establishing climate.
The way in which these twelve dimensions of climate operate in an organization
indicates the underlying motive of top management and the principal motive that is
likely to be generated and sustained within the organization’s population. When the
twelve dimensions are combined with the six motives discussed previously, a matrix is
formed that can be useful in diagnosing the motivational climate of an organization.
THE INSTRUMENT
The Motivational Analysis of Organizations—Climate (MAO-C) instrument was
developed to study organizational climate, specifically with regard to motivation. The
instrument employs the twelve dimensions of organizational climate and the six motives
previously described. It consists of twelve categories, each of which includes six
statements; each of the twelve categories corresponds to one of the twelve climatic
dimensions, and each of the six statements represents one of the six motives.
Respondents work individually to rank order the six statements within each separate
category according to their perceptions of how much each statement is like the situation
in their organization (or unit, branch, division, or department within the organization).
Scoring and Interpretation
Usually organizational-climate instruments require respondents to rate organizational
processes, and respondents tend to assign ratings in the middle of the scale provided for
this purpose. The MAO-C, in contrast, is based on rankings so that the respondent
cannot escape in the “golden middle.”
After completing the instrument, the respondent refers to the scoring key to
discover which motives are indicated by his or her responses and then transfers rankings
of motives to the matrix. Then the respondent adds the numbers in each vertical column
of the matrix and writes the totals in the appropriate blanks; each of these totals is the
score for the related motive or motivational climate. These scores can range from 12 to
72. Next the respondent refers to the conversion table, locates the total for each motive,
and writes the corresponding MAO-C index number in the blank provided. The indexes
can range from 0 to 100. The following formula was used to arrive at the index for each
motive:
Index = (S − 12) x 100
60
For each horizontal row on the matrix representing a dimension of organizational
climate, the dominant motive (the one with the highest number in the row) and the
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The Pfeiffer Library Volume 19, 2nd Edition. Copyright © 1998 Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer