From culture to climate:

Clarity over chaos

We go to Nuwara Eliya to enjoy the climate. What is the relevance of climate to organisations? How is climate different from culture? What is the connection between them? Today's column will shed light in answering these questions, with clarity over chaos.

Last week we looked at organisational or corporate culture which is the pattern of values, norms, beliefs, attitudes and assumptions that may not have been articulated but shape the ways in which people behave and things get done.

In contrast, climate refers to those aspects of the environment that are consciously perceived by organisational members. Perception is essentially an understanding based on the information obtained by senses such as the eyes and ears. Hence, climate is something people see, hear and feel. That is why we see a difference when we enter a hospital, police station or a restaurant. In short, climate is what we see and feel when we enter an organisation, whereas, culture is something much deeper such as bedrock.

As organisational researchers attempted to clarify, climate is a perception and is descriptive. Employees distinguish between the actual situation (culture) and the perception of it (climate). Reichers and Schneider defined organisational climate as "the shared perception of the way things are done around here".

Lacking

Interestingly, Udai Pareek used the term OCTAPACE to identify them in a nutshell. It is an acronym for openness, collaboration, trust, authenticity, pro-action, autonomy, confrontation and experimentation. Let's look into them in detail, in the Sri Lankan context.

Openness. Employees feel free to express their ideas, when the climate has openness as a key feature. There is hardly any risk of employees being punished for telling the truth or for constructively being critical. It is in fact, a mature state of affairs with sound communication practices across the organisation.

Sri Lankan organisations in general have a long way to go in this respect. What we mostly have resembles a part of a nursery rhyme, 'Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full'. The ability to say no to seniors even when it is the reality is sadly lacking in some cases.

Confrontation. The point here is to confront issues without hiding them under the carpet. It is a case of tackling the bull by the horns. Highlighting the issues will pave the way for solutions without stagnation.

We have a cultural disadvantage here. Confronting issues may be perceived as asking for trouble. Delaying as much as possible has become the practice in resolving issues.

This escape route is not healthy for any progressive organisation. Perhaps, the reason why people are not doing enough could be deficits in communication, training and performance management.

Trust. How much employees trust one another is the focus here, with specific reference to leadership behaviour. Some seniors become micro-managers in checking every step of their subordinate's movements. It indicates a low level of trust. In contrast, there can be a climate where people are encouraged to take initiatives to achieve agreed targets.

We see both scenarios in Sri Lankan organisations. It again reflects the link between deep foundations of culture and what can be seen. A climate of trust has been the proven way forward.

Authenticity. It is the value underlying trust. It is the willingness of a person to acknowledge the feelings he or she has, and accept himself or herself and others who relate to him or her as people. The call has to be genuine, without posing as what one is not. When employees demonstrate authenticity, relationship-building becomes much easier.

The Sri Lankan scenario is often a mixed one in this regard. A lot depends on leadership style. There are model organisations where authenticity is fostered, with the fullest support from the top.

Habit

Pro-activity. This is the call to be pro-active rather than re-active. Employees should be action-oriented, to make things happen. It is a case of anticipating issues and exploiting opportunities appropriately.

Sri Lankan organisations can improve a lot in this respect. We are more reactive than pro-active. Waiting till the last moment to make key decisions has become a national habit. Prolonged union issues were seen in the past when proactive steps were not taken by managers.

Autonomy. It is the willingness to use power without fear and helping others to do the same. Employees should have some freedom to act independently within the boundaries imposed by their role. The essence is empowering employees.

Collaboration. We have a long way to go in the local context. The consolation is that HRM is increasingly taken more seriously by corporate leaders and the degree of empowerment is also on the rise.

Collaboration involves working together and using one another's strength for a common cause. People, instead of solving problems by themselves, should share their concerns with one another and prepare strategies, work out plans of action and implement them together. It essentially refers to teaming together.

We see a growing emphasis on team work and collaboration in Sri Lankan organisations. In the private sector, especially the team concept is highly emphasised. However, in some cases working as a team is just confined to wearing a T-shirt with team details (Team-X, Team-Y), which obviously limits cooperation.

Experimentation. Experimenting as a value, emphasises the importance given to innovation. It involves risk taking and trying out new ways of dealing with problems in the organisation. Unless there is a tolerance of failures, experimentation will not foster.

Organisations should encourage people to experiment within a reasonably accepted risk level.

We can do more in this regard in Sri Lankan organisations. Whether we are more creative-oriented or compliance-oriented is the fundamental question.

The challenge is to strike a balance between experimentation and expected results.

When we look into the components of corporate culture and climate, the links seen can broaden our understanding of the deeply-rooted organisational culture and its manifestations as climate.

The challenge is to convert this clarity into committed action, in moving beyond chaos to achieve concrete results.