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Examining organizational climate in institutions of higher education

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Abstract

Two major questions related to organizational climate have existed in the organizational theory literature for the past twenty years. First, at what level of analysis should the construct of climate be operationalized (i.e., does climate have greater relevance at an organizationwide or subunit level?). Second, in what specific ways do organizations with positive climates differ from those with comparatively more negative climates. This study examines organizational climate in nine four-year public colleges and utilizes data from 2,937 respondents. The most significant findings are: (1) Climate does have relevance at the organizational level in that it distinguishes carnpuses from one another, but subunits, particularly academic departments, account for the largest proportion of variance; (2) administrators have significantly and consistently more positive perceptions of organizational climate than do faculty; (3) faculty at campuses with comparatively more positive climates report greater goal clarity and performance standards.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs, State University of New York at Plattsburgh, 12901, Plattsburgh, NY

    E. Thomas Moran

  2. Office of Institutional Research, State University of New York at Albany, 12222, Albany, NY

    J. Fredericks Volkwein

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  1. E. Thomas Moran
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  2. J. Fredericks Volkwein
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Thomas Moran, E., Volkwein, J.F. Examining organizational climate in institutions of higher education. Res High Educ 28, 367–383 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01006405

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