A consensus approach to the measurement of organisational climate

Abstract

The assumption that organisational climate refers to individuals' perceptions of organisational attributes has led to the common practice of aggregating measures of individuals' perceptions, and subsequently considering these averages to be indicators of the degree to which climate is experienced by all organisation members, hence organisational climate. The question arises, however, whether an organisation should be described in terms of an aggregated climate if no real, statistically based, consensus of perceptions exists. Using cluster analysis, 390 employees were grouped into five significantly different clusters based on the consensus of perceptions across 10 climate dimensions. The results suggest that average measures are not accurate indicators of an organisation's climate.

Opsomming
'n Konsensus benadering tot die meting van organisasieklimaat: Die aanname dat organisasieklimaat na individue se persepsies van organisasie-attribute verwys het tot die algemene praktyk van die berekening van die gemiddeldes van individue se persepsies gelei. Die gevolg is dat hierdie gemiddeldes as indikatore beskou word van die mate waarin klimaat deur alle organisasielede ervaar word, dus organisasieklimaat. Die vraag ontstaan egter of 'n organisasie in terme van 'n gemiddelde klimaat beskryf kan word indien daar geen werklike, statisties gebaseerde, konsensus van persepsies bestaan nie. Met behulp van bondelontleding, is 390 werknemers in vyf betekenisvol verskillende bondels op grond van die konsensus van persepsies oor 10 klimaatdimensies saamgegroepeer. Die resultate dui daarop dat gemiddelde metings nie akkurate indikatore van 'n organisasie se klimaat is nie.