IS IT EASIER TO CHANGE ORGANISATIONAL CLIMATE OR

ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE?

STUDENT ID: 14068621

BUSINESS PSYCHOLOGY
MANAGING ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE AND CHANGE
2015

This essay is bound to point out which organisational change

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intervention is easier to accomplish and moreover why and how is
organisational climate different from culture.
Some general information regarding organisational culture and climate
characteristics set up the big picture of the discussion, like their implicit or
more empirical values (Pettigrew, 1979,1990; Moran & Volkwein, 1992) or the
sometimes overlapping of the two. To add some consistency to the evaluation,
some elements regarding the difficulty of culture change are presented (Kotter
& Heskett, 1992) while the discussion continues with comparisons between
organisational change factors and the less complicated climate set of factors.
The essay, focussing on the difficulty of achieving organisational cultural
change then shows some clear findings related to intervention successes over
time (Carr, Hard & Trahant, 1996; Smith, 2002a; Mourier & Smith, 2001; Troy,
1994) and some straightforward description of more unique interventions in
this area that achieved their goal and their reason for success (Larson, Early,
Cloonan, Sugrue & Parides, 2000; Mitroussi, 2003). Also, topping up the
comparison, a study regarding how and when is climate change used (Du &
Choi, 2013) is analysed.

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Now, even though numerous studies have been done on
organisational climate, efforts made to define it in a way that distinguishes it
from organisational culture have proven to be difficult (Field & Ableson, 1982).
Furthermore, even if the two are recognisably different components within
organisations, they sometimes overlap (Moran & Volkwein, 1992).
Some noted that organisational culture is generally seen as a sum of
elemental values and belief systems that define organisations (Pettigrew,
1979; Schein, 1985; Sackmann, 1991; Hatch, 1993). In this manner, culture is
said to be a more implicit notion than climate, which embodies more empirical
components like characteristics of behaviour or attitude (Drexler, 1977;
ODriscoll & Evans, 1988; Moran & Volkwein, 1992). The dispute that climate
involves shared perceptions, while culture consists of shared assumptions is
another thing that differentiates the two (Ashfort, 1985). Nevertheless, the
concept of organisational climate theoretically has the power to link
organisational and individual behavioural circumstances (Falcione, Sussman
& Herden, 1987; Moran & Volkwein, 1992), this making climate a more
tangible construct than culture is. However, with values being one of
organisational cultures components (Pettigrew, 1979, 1990) there are
arguments that values on their own cannot be perceived directly, but can be
deduced from their illustration in substitutes of behaviour though (Hofstede,
Neuijen, Ohayv & Sanders, 1990). If so, then this is a clear example of culture
blending in with climate, the two being most likely interdependent. But some
important dissimilarities do exist between them. Climate is taken as a brief
perception of how an organisation handles its members and environments
thus developing especially from internal factors predominantly under

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managerial authority (Ostroff & Schmitt, 1993), while culture is moulded from
a wide range of internal and external elements, some being claimed to stand
beyond managerial influence (Alvesson, 1991). In fewer words, this leads to
the conclusion that organisational culture is more complex and at the same a
broader construct than climate is.
Culture is mostly difficult to change in organisations because of a
number of factors. Kotter & Heskett found that organisations which have been
prosperous in the past may hold on to their cultural values even if these
values restrain the company from adapting to changing business
environments, these kind of cultures being usually bureaucratic and autocratic
ones (1992, p.142). Also, leaders might lose faith early in the process of
change when results are not as expected (Kotter & Heskett, 1992, p.111), fail
to sustain change efforts of mid-level managers or even fail to present or
elaborate a convincing need for change (Kotter & Heskett, 1992, p.101). The
length of the change process again negatively influences its positive outcome
(Kotter & Heskett, 1992, p. 105). With cultural change interventions ranging
from four to ten years and averaging six, the longer the time needed, the more
possibilities of it going wrong come to place, and even if the intervention is a
success, changes may fade out over time due to an inefficient strategy in
transferring the change to new managers (Kotter & Heskett, 1992, p.144).
As climate only consists of empirical characteristics like behaviour or
attitude (Drexler, 1977; ODriscoll & Evans, 1988; Moran & Volkwein, 1992),
culture needs much more than that as some theories regarding the causes of
resistance to change state. Piderit for example suggests that the concept of
resistance to change is built on three psychological dimensions: cognitive,

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affective and behavioural (2000). The cognitive dimension shows how
employees think about the change, the affective one relates to how they feel
about the change while the behavioural dimension shows what intentions of
action are thought of in response to change (Piderit, 2000). However, as these
cover only issues coming from the individual, Ford, Ford & McNamara
suggest change resistance is also a justification of the on-going background
conversations taking place and setting the scene for both the change initiative
and the responses coming from it. When presenting stories regarding their
past, hard feelings and other experiences of changes, organisation members
develop and show their own resistance (2002). Resistance to change is then
not a personal occurrence but an essential social one where resistance is
sustained by the organisations background communications (Ford & Ford,
1995). In addition to that, people would rather sustain change to the degree
that is in relation to their particular values, identities and self determination
(Eliam & Shamir, 2005). Then if organisational cultures values would be
changed for example, this would affect the personal identity of members
directly, creating another cause of resistance. Organisational climate, on the
other hand, could be briefly summarized as what it feels like to work here,
while these perceptions of how it feels like are: management style at
organisational degree, particularly regarding awareness to levels of threat and
insecurity; management style regarding projects; freedom of expressing ideas
and worries, chance for innovation or participation level in interpreting goals;
the level of any kind of threat or constraint aimed in causing someone to react
in a certain manner; the level of environmental threat for an individual (Gray,
2001, p.104). These elements are more surface-like, dependant mostly on

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physical factors like managers (which could be changed) or work environment
arrangement and safety (again that could easily be changed).
In terms of culture change in an organisation, past interventions have
rather seen more fails than successes. A conference board study investigated
166 North American and European organisations that had been subject to
organisational change, and only 32 per cent announced success in the
changing of organisational culture (Troy, 1994). Another survey found only 10
per cent of organisations that undergone management style change were
successful (Carr et al., 1996), while Smith (2002a; Mourier & Smith, 2001)
acknowledged 19 per cent of culture change attempts ranked amongst the
first 25 per cent of successful organisational change interventions. Smith
(2003) again conducted a set of surveys regarding organisational culture
change, and similarly to previous studies, he found that only 19 per cent of
cultural change interventions proved successful or anywhere near success.
Just like the previous factors correlated with failure, Smith found faulty
leadership, inadequate communication with employees regarding change, as
well as the toughness of the previous culture to be noteworthy barriers to
cultural change (2003).
Successful cultural interventions do exist however. The key is if either
culture does not undergo a total change or if a great amount of time is
expected, time when change is constantly encouraged.
One of these examples is An Organisational Climate Intervention
Associated With Increased Hand Washing and Decreased Nosocomial
Infections (Larson et al., 2000). In their study they actually attempted a
cultural change regarding hand-washing behaviour in two hospital

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organisations guided by Scheins framework (1985). Even this shows the
powerful overlapping between the two concepts, with some studies even
mistaking one for the other. They presented their results as a success, but not
immediate ones though. Changes were initially unexceptional, but continued
to increase over time. Their conclusions for their success of the intervention
were that unlike other intervention studies conducted in the same way, there
was a constant interaction and support from the top-management of the
organisation (Larson et al., 2000). This points out the complexity of the
process, with it being lengthy and in need of constant sustainability from
leaders in order to achieve success.
Another example could be a case study about the evolution of safety
culture of The International Maritime Organisation (Mitroussi, 2003). The
intervention had its success with the safety culture slowly evolving over a
period of about ten years, and the aim was always about strengthening the
culture, rather than changing it completely. Also, some other factors (which
were held responsible for contributing in the process of change to other types
of organisations) played a role in the cultures evolvement: a dynamic
environment, a crisis as well as leadership change (Mitroussi, 2003). This
shows not only that cultural change is complex and lengthy, but is deemed for
success if only portions of it are altered or enhanced.
Studies referring to climate change, are actually focusing on a greater
issue and use this set of perceptions for aid in achieving that purpose. As an
example, Du & Choi (2013) used a notion such as change climate to ease
the way of achieving a change in leadership. Change climate concerns
member perceptions of organisational policies, practices, and procedures

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that support, encourage, and value organisational change activities
(Charbonnier-Voirin, Akremi & Vandenberghe, 2010), suggestively linked to
the formerly mentioned organisational climate characteristics. In this example,
climate is just a phase of change towards a greater goal, thus its a much
smaller concept than culture.

Summing up, there a lot of aspects to take into consideration when

admitting that one type of change is easier than the other. At a first glance the
two are very similar, so differentiating one from the other may prove
challenging (Field & Ableson, 1982). But, then again climate is surely a part of
culture, even if a large one however. As culture is the sum of elemental values
and belief systems (Pettigrew, 1979; Schein, 1985; Sackmann, 1991; Hatch,
1993), while climate is only relying on empirical characteristics like behaviour
or attitude (Drexler 1977; ODriscoll & Evans, 1988; Moran & Volkwein, 1992)
it is so clear why the distinction between the two is hard to point out, as one
forms the other. Supporting this, one of the studies shown in this essay clearly
mistakes climate change for cultural change (Larson et al., 2000), even
though the methods and results are consistent.
Another issue is that culture is a fairly more complex notion than
climate, being formed from a wide range of internal and external elements,
some being beyond managerial influence (Alvesson, 1991), whereas climate
is only described as a set of perceptions of how it feels to work there (Gray,
2001) being influenced by more physical elements that could be easily
changed (managers, working environment). Also, taking into account Du &
Chois intervention (2013), climate change was just a piece of the puzzle in

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managing a change in leadership, rather than an important construct of the
organisation. Going beyond that, cultural change, except in isolated cases
where culture is merely strengthened not fully changed, is set up of the basic
values of the organisation, values that are usually hard to change if the
company proved prosperous in the past (Kotter & Heskett, 1992). Adding the
fact that cultural change is a lengthy process of up to ten years, which has
more chances of fading out over time if the concept isnt transferred to newer
managers (Kotter & Heskett, 1992), it is clear that culture change is harder to
achieve.
All in all, climate is easier to change, but as being clearly a part of
culture, some may attempt to change culture by using climate change in the
first place, hoping for drastic improvements in culture over time. The latter
cant be achieved otherwise.

WORD COUNT: 1997 words

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STUDENT ID: 14068621