OEC Handout # 7

Organizational Climate and Culture
Psychological Climate –Organizational Climates
Are created by SHARED psychological climates
It is the employee’s PERCEPTION of the work environment and not the environment that is important
Definitions of Culture
The shared values, beliefs, and behavioral norms in an organization (Ouchi, 1981)
The social process by which members share their values, beliefs, and norms

Culture describes the social context of the work environment
Climate describes the psychological impact of the work environment
Why are climate and culture important?
The success of Human Services organizations generally depends on the relationships and interactions between service providers and service recipients. These relationships are central to the quality and outcome of services.
The Role of Norms & Values
The norms and values that drive service providers behavior and communicate what is valued in organizations and the shared perceptions that influence service provider attitudes create a social and psychological context that shapes tone, content, and objectives of the service
How Does Climate Develop or Change?
Individual Differences
Administrators use selective hiring and firing as means of either maintaining existing norms or changing them.
Individual perception is consistent across work environments - Positive or negative views carry from one workplace to another.
Importing Climate and Culture From the External Environment
Organizations adopt ways from other organizations with which they compete or cooperate.
Organizational mimicry- norms of one organization adopted in effort to emulate success.
Impact of Organizational Design: Structure, Technology & Leadership
Structure, core technology, and leadership describer the patterns of interaction between practitioners, interaction of practitioners and clients and administration’s style of governance.
Structure Impacts:
Flexibility, approval seeking, risk taking and innovation
Highly centralizes structure restricts participation in decision making
Highly formalized division of labor with strict procedures place little value on flexibility and innovation
Core Technology Impacts
Introduction of new computer technology
New service delivery methods
New technologies may impact the relationships among workers
Leadership Impacts
Manipulation of culture is an essential function of leadership
Values in practice are often those of the leader
Symbolic acts are important
Leadership shapes perception of fairness and support
Leadership Impacts (cont.)
Good leadership has been identified as one of the few factors that contributes to both employee job satisfaction and commitment, each which is highly correlated with positive organizational climate
How Are Climate & Culture Maintained in an Organization?
The Need for Certainty
Organizations abhor uncertainty
Certainty is engendered by sharing common ideas about the way things get done
Culture contributes to certainty in through shared norms and values
The Need for Power
Power is distributed both formally and informally through processes of conflict that lead to a negotiated order.
Many have an investment in maintaining existing norms to maintain power base.
Mergers, reorganizations and new administrations are are opportunities for culture change.
Transferring Climate and Culture to New Employees
New employees are socialized into the culture and climate of their work group or they resign.
Employee selection is important in maintaining existing cultures and climates.
More experienced, competent hires may import new norms, values and perceptions.
Conclusion
Organizational climate and culture are important to social welfare administration because they provide the critical links between organizational characteristics and service outcomes.