Bottom Up Change Tool

Productive Climate

The climate consists of characteristics that describe and distinguish one organisation from another. The climate influences the behaviour of people working within an organisation. Organizational climate is affected by the style of management, organizational policies and general operating procedures.

The climate is composed of elements in the work environment that may be measured by the way the organisation deals with its personnel and its social and task commitments.

Goran Ekvall's Nine Factors
The work of Goran Ekvall identified nine dimensions of the internal environment or climate needed to stimulate change. The following list is a list of the nine produced by Andy Wilkins from The Innovation Agency.

They include:

Challenge and Involvement - being emotionally engaged and committed
Freedom - having the space and responsibility to make your own choices
Idea Time - having the time before acting to think things through
Idea Support - finding the necessary resources to give new ideas a try
Trust and openness - creating safe places to explore dangerous truths and different views
Playfulness and humour - creating a relaxed atmosphere
Absence of Conflict - putting in place 'rules' that encourage consensus building and dialogue
Debates - engaging in lively discussion of the pro's and con's of an issue or solution
Risk Taking - making it OK to think the unthinkable or try new things and be allowed to fail

Litwin and Stringer's Six Factors

Structure - the organisation's constraints, rules, regulations and red tape.
Individual Responsibility - the feeling of being one's own boss."
Rewards - the feeling of being adequately and equitably rewarded by the organisation.
Risk and Risk-taking - the degree of challenge and risk in the work situation.
Warmth and Support - the feeling of helpfulness and good fellowship in the job setting.
Tolerance and Conflict - the degree of confidence with which the internal climate of an organisation can tolerate differing opinions.

Other factors influencing organizational climate may include:

xxxxx the manager's active interest in developing subordinates;
xxxxx compliance with the organisations procedures;
xxxxx concern for training new incumbents;
xxxxx employee autonomy and
xxxxx boosting employee morale and job satisfaction.