Organisational Behaviour and Analysis: as Integrated Approach – Organisational Cultures and Climates,

Organisation culture and climate have many similarities as well as differences, such as they are both intangible aspects of the way employees think. Organisational culture can be defined as ‘a pattern of shared assumptions invented, discovered or developed within an organisation as it learns to cope with problems or external adaptation and internal integration’ Organisational climate is ‘a characteristic ethos or atmosphere within an organisation at a given point in time which is reflected in the way its members perceive, experiences and react to organisational context.

There are different techniques to understand culture such as Schein’s layered conceptualisation of culture, which involves 3 consistent levels to describe culture, basic assumption, values and beliefs and artefacts and creations. For example in artefacts and creations it is useful to distinguish the different signs such as norms, symbols and languages. Other frameworks for culture include Goffes and Jones contingency framework and Peter and Waterman’s characteristics of ‘excellent’ companies.

Every organisation has a climate, as employees tend to perceive their realities from their surrounding in the workplace. So climates emerge from a collaboration of events and are more of an experience aspect. As culture, climate can also change, as both can be influenced by circumstances in the workplace. Culture is more briefly described as climate is much more precise in terms of its associations. In terms of behaviour culture may not affect behaviour as much because it is believed that it is ‘…embedded in subconsciously held values’ on the other hand climate has effects on behaviour, which are