A week ago I posted a message asking about references and resources on
organizational climate surveys. At least four people have contacted me
privately to ask that I share the information I received on this topic.
Below is a copy of my original message and the responses I received.
From: Weech, William A
Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2003 3:00 PM
To: 'Management Education and Development Discussion'
Subject: Organizational Climate Surveys
I'm looking for information on organizational climate surveys - not
organizational culture surveys. Some of our clients would like to do surveys
to get a sense of how employees feel about their organizations and what
areas might require special management attention. I actually know more about
culture instruments than climate instruments. Can anyone tell me which are
the leading organizational climate instruments? Any recommended
readings/sources for additional information? Thanks in advance.
*****
From: Edward Hampton [
ehampton@mail.ucf.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2003 3:34 PM
To:
WeechWA@state.gov
Subject: Re: [MG-ED-DV] Organizational Climate Surveys
William,
For reference, I have done organizational development for over 20 years and
now teach org behavior at the University of Central Florida.
I strongly advise that you use a custom developed survey versus an
off-the-shelf product. Why? Because while culture is derived from a fairly
consistent mix of factors and organizational components so an off-the-shelf
approach might work, climate is more a derivation of expression. It is the
unique expression derived principally from individual beliefs, particular
organizational context (e.g. large or small, changing or stable, provincial
or international, etc.), and external environment, i.e. the unique
circumstance of an organization.
Kind wishes.
Ed
Drive On!
*****
From: Charles Wankel [
wankelc@optonline.net]
Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2003 10:49 AM
To:
WeechWA@state.gov
Cc:
mkiska@jefferson.lib.co.us
Subject: FW: Organizational Climate Surveys
From: Mike Kiska [mailto:
mkiska@jefferson.lib.co.us]
Thanks for your post, Mr. Weech. I'm afraid you may get off-list
responses to this, so I'd like to go on record as also being very interested
in this topic.
Mike Kiska
Training & O.D. Manager - Administrative Services
Jefferson County Public Library
10200 W. 20th Ave.
Lakewood, CO 80215
Phone: 303-275-6167
FAX: 303-275-2227
mkiska@jefferson.lib.co.us
Find us on the Web:
http://jefferson.lib.co.us
*****
From: Bart Craig [
bart_craig@ncsu.edu]
Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2003 10:18 AM
To:
WeechWA@state.gov
Subject: RE: MG-ED-DV Digest - 13 May 2003 to 14 May 2003 (#2003-90)
Hi William,
I'm not up to date on the current climate literature, but I know some of the
classic work was done by Lawrence James and his colleagues, and I know they
did create at least one instrument. You might search PsycInfo on "lawrence
james" and "climate" --I feel sure you'll get some hits.
Bart
S. Bartholomew Craig, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology
North Carolina State University
Campus Box 7801
Raleigh, NC 27695-7801
919.513.0518 (voice)
919.515.1716 (fax)
http://www.ncsu.edu/psychology
*****
From: Mike Krause [
mikekrause@erols.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2003 9:15 AM
To: 'Weech, William A'
Subject: RE: Organization Climate Surveys
Good Morning William:
Your original message did imply an off-the-shelf survey. I would
suspect there are 20 - 25 of high quality such as Campbell's. Most come at a
cost.
I will see if I can get you a copy of the items I used for folks at
Wright-Patterson AFB or the Defense Contract Management Agency.
The critical question that must be answered is the level of trust
the responders have in being open and honest, and in seeing that action is
taken based on results.
Sincerely,
Mike
*****
From:
MOLIVAS@katz.pitt.edu
Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2003 11:23 AM
To: Weech, William A
Subject: Re: Organizational Climate Surveys
Mr. Weech,
May I piggyback on your query? I am curious about org. climate surveys as
well. Would you mind summarizing your findings for the listserver when you
get some responses? Thanks in advance!
Miguel
____________________________________________________________
Miguel R. Olivas-Luján
Management Dept., ITESM -Monterrey, México
[Ph. D. Candidate, Katz -Pittsburgh, USA]
Ave. E. Garza Sada 2501 Sur
CP 64849, Monterrey, NL
MEXICO
Tel: +52 (81) 8328-4090
Fax: +1 (413) 280-7210 (in the USA)
E-mail:
mrolivas@itesm.mx
Web page:
http://www.pitt.edu/~molivas/
Regional Representative for Latin America, International
Management Division [http://www.business.umt.edu/imd] and
Liaison to Mexico, Management in Education Division
[http://www.aom.pace.edu/med] of the
AOM [http://www.aom.pace.edu].
For details see:
http://www.harzing.com/professional.htm#micreps
*****
From: Charles Wankel [
wankelc@optonline.net]
Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2003 5:20 PM
Subject: Re: Organizational Climate Surveys
From: Fabrizio Maimone [mailto:
fabrizio.maimone@tin.it]
Dear Mr Weech,
organizational climate is typically a multifactorial phenomenom.
There are plenty of theories and models and so many instruments available.
Please find a brief list of references on organizational climate (usa
resources):
- Ashkanasy N.M., Wilderom, M., P., Peterson M., F., (edited by),
Handbook of organizational culture and climate, Sage Publications, Thousand
Oaks, CA, 2000;
- Morane T., Volkwein F., "The culture approach to the formation of
organizational climate", Human Relations, vol.45 (1), 1992;
- Burruss, J., and M. Fontaine (1995). "Creating a Healthier
Organizational Climate." Boston: Internal paper, McBer and Company, Inc.
- Litwin, G. H., and R. A. Stringer, Jr. (1968). Motivation and
Organizational Climate. Boston: Harvard University Press.
- Koys D.J., DeCotiis T.A. (1991), INDUCTIVE MEASURES OF
PSYCHOLOGICAL CLIMATE. Human Relations, 44(3), 265-285.
- Glick, W. H. (1985), Conceptualizing and measuring organizational
and psychological climate: Pitfalls in multilevel research. Academy of
Management Review, 10, 601-606.
- Schneider, B. (1990), Organizational climate and culture;
Jossey-Bess, San Francisco.
For this reason, i can't suggest the "best" instrument (it depends
on organizational needs, may be). If you think organizational climate is
something like a "structural attribute" of the organization, then you may
want a standardized questionnaire, validated by tests. If you think climate
is the product/producer of organizational perception, so a consequence of
social costruction in a specific and unique organization, then you could
consider the adoption of "ad hoc" methodologies and instruments, built up on
specific organizational climate factors and variables.
Best regards
Fabrizio Maimone
Fabrizio Maimone
Docente a contratto integrativo presso le cattedre di comunicazione
organizzativa e sociologia dei processi culturali,
dottorando in "Scienze della comunicazione ed organizzazioni
complesse"
LUMSA University of Rome
Communication Sciences
Via della Traspontina, 21
00193 Rome
Italy
Communication and HR development consultant
Office: Via di S. Erasmo, 12
00184 Rome Italy
tel/fax: ++39 06 70454469
email:
fabrizio.maimone@tin.it
*****
From: Card, Michael [
mcard@usd.edu]
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2003 9:51 AM
To: '
WeechWA@state.gov'
Subject: FW: Organizational Climate Surveys
The issues are fairly well defined below. There are many commercial vendors
available -- Gallup (http://www.gallup.com/management/Q12_system.asp) and
their Q12 organizational climate survey that is more geared to private
organizations, but I have used with public sector organizations (well
validated and well documented), the Hay Group's organizational climate
survey (see the Litwin and Stringer citation below, or visit the Hay Group's
web site <http://www.haygroup.com/Services/Commitment/Employee_Surveys.asp>)
Still another product that is linked to the competing values framework (with
corresponding linkages to management and to leadership is the Robert Quinn
book on Diagnosing Organizational Values.
I have experience using all three of these instruments with organizations
and can converse if you wish.
Michael Card
U of South Dakota
Vermillion SD 57069
*****
From: Mike Krause [
mikekrause@erols.com]
Sent: Sunday, May 18, 2003 11:36 PM
To:
WeechWA@state.gov <mailto:
WeechWA@state.gov>
Subject: Climate Survey
William -
I have attached the climate survey I used at an AF base with a team
of military and civilian (and maybe several contractors.) The questions are
combined into categories and then presented back to the respondents.
Also, Mel Silberman has a 60 question assessment in "The
Consultant's Handbook" by Mc-Graw-Hill.
Sincerely,
Mike
William A. Weech (
WeechWA@state.gov)
Leadership and Management School
Foreign Service Institute
OpenNet:
http://fsi.state.gov
Telephone: (703) 302-7198
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