Organizational climate refers to the notion of perceived environmental quality. This paper reports research conducted in ten New South Wales State secondary schools measuring organizational climate by taking account of pupil and teacher perceptions. It builds on the earlier work of Finlayson, Banks and Loughran in the United Kingdom and serves as a means of validating their dimensions of organizational climate. A technique for clustering schools according to organizational climate and for identifying the separation of the clusters is reported enabling a comparison across schools to be made.
The measures reported have potential for schools wishing to review their current state of organizational health as a means of improving the quality of life for all concerned.
References
1.
ArgyrisC.Some problems in conceptualizing organizational climate: a case study of a bank. Administrative Science Quarterly, 1958, 2, 501–520.
2.
BrownR. J.Identifying and classifying organizational climates in Twin City Area elementary schools. Minnesota, USA: Unpublished doctoral thesis, University of Minnesota, 1964.
3.
BrownA. F.HouseJ. H.The organizational component in education. Review of Educational Research, 1967, 37, 399–416.
4.
CattellR. B.The meaning and strategic use of factor analysis. In CattellR. B. (Ed.) Handbook of Multivariate Experimental Psychology. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1968, 174–243.
DeerC. E.The relationship between organisational climate and the interrelationships between the school, the home and the community. Unpublished doctoral thesis, Macquarie University, NSW, Australia, 1977.
7.
DixonW. J. (Ed.) BMD: Biomedical Computer Programs. Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 1970.
8.
FinlaysonD. S.Parental aspirations and the educational achievement of children. Educational Research, 1971, 14, 61–64.
9.
FinlaysonD. S.The influence of personality and motivational variables on pupils' perception of their school. Paedagogica Europaea, 1973, 8, 85–93. (a).
10.
FinlaysonD. S.The school perceptions of teachers of differential status. Research in Education, 1973, Number 9, 83–92. (b).
FinlaysonD. S.Organisational climate. Research Intelligence, 1975, 1, 1, 22–36.
14.
FinlaysonD. S.BanksO.LoughranJ. L.Administrative Manual for Pupil Questionnaire for School Climate Index. Slough: National Foundation for Educational Research in England and Wales, 1971. (a).
15.
FinlaysonD. S.BanksO.LoughranJ. L.Administrative Manual for Teacher Questionnaire on Teacher Perceptions of Teacher Group Behaviour. Slough: National Foundation for Educational Research in England and Wales, 1971. (b).
16.
FinlaysonD. S.BanksO.LoughranJ. L.Administrative Manual for Teacher Questionnaire on Teacher Perceptions of Head of Department Behaviour. Slough: National Foundation for Educational Research in England and Wales, 1971. (c).
17.
FinlaysonD. S.BanksO.LoughranJ. L.Administrative Manual for Teacher Questionnaire on Teacher Perceptions of Head Behaviour. Slough: National Foundation for Educational Research, 1971. (d).
18.
ForehandG. A.On the interaction of persons and organizations. In TagiuriR.LitwinG. H. (Eds.) Organizational Climate: Explorations of a Concept. Boston: Harvard University, 1968, 65–82.
19.
FoxD. J.The Research Process in Education. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1969.
20.
GetzelsJ. W.Administration as a social process. In Halpin, A. W. Administrative Theory in Education. Chicago, Ill.: Midwest Administrative Center, University of Chicago, 1958, 150–165.
21.
GetzelsJ. W.ThelenH. A.The classroom group as a unique social system. In HenryN. B. (Ed.) The Dynamics of Instructional Groups: Sociopsychological Aspects of Teaching and Learning. N.S.S.E. Yearbook, LIX, Part 2. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1960, 53–82.
22.
GoodladJ. I.The individual school and its principal: key setting and key person in educational leadership. Educational Leadership, 1955, 13, 2–6.
23.
GreinerL. E.LeitchD. P.BarnesL. B.The simple complexity of organizational climate in a government agency. In TagiuriR.LitwinG. H. (Eds.) Organizational Climate: Explorations of a Concept. Boston: Harvard University, 191–221.
24.
GrossN.MasonW. S.McEachernA. W.Explorations in Role Analysis. New York: Wiley & Sons, 1958.
25.
HalpinA. W.Theory and Research in Administration. New York: Macmillan, 1966 and 1967.
26.
HalpinA. W.CroftD. B.The Organizational Climate of Schools. Chicago: Midwest Administration Center, University of Chicago, 1963.
27.
HemphillJ. K.Group dimensions: a manual for their measurements. Research Monograph Number 87. Columbus, Ohio: Bureau of Business Research, Ohio State University, 1956.
28.
HughesL. W.Organizational climate: another dimension to the process of innovation. Speech delivered to National Association of Elementary School Principals Annual Meeting, Cleveland, Ohio, April 17–22. ED 050 463.
29.
JohannessonR. E.Some problems in the measurement of organizational climate. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 1973, 10, 118–144.
KenneyJ. B.RentzR. R.The organizational climate of schools in five urban areas. Elementary School Journal, 1970, 71, 61–69.
32.
LitwinG. H.Climate and motivation: an experimental study. In TagiuriR.LitwinG. H. (Eds.) Organizational Climate: Explorations of a Concept. Boston: Harvard University, 1968, 167–190.
33.
McDillE. L.RigsbyL. C.Structure and Process in Secondary Schools: The Academic Impact of Educational Climates. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1973.
34.
MehraN.Standardized versus unstandardized factor analysis in a study of “organizational climate”. Journal of Experimental Education, 1973, 42, 2, 60–67.
35.
MilesM. B.Planned change and organisational health: figure and ground. In CarlsonR. O. (Ed.) Change Processes in the Public Schools. Centre for the Advanced Study of Educational Administration, University of Oregon Press, 1965. Reprinted in Harris, A., Lawn, M. and Prescott, W. (Eds.) Curriculum Innovation. London: Croom Helm, 1975, 192–203.
36.
NovotneyJ. M.The organizational climate of parochial schools. Unpublished doctoral dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education, University of California, Los Angeles, USA, 1965.
37.
SchneiderB.Organizational climate: individual preferences and organizational realities. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1972, 56, 211–217.
38.
SellsS. B.An approach to the nature of organizational climate. In TagiuriR.LitwinG. H. (Eds.) Organizational Climate: Explorations of a Concept. Boston: Harvard University, 1968, 83–103.
39.
SinclairR. L.Elementary school educational environment: measurement of selected variables of environmental press. Unpublished dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Education, University of California, Los Angeles, 1968.
40.
TagiuriR.An overview. In TagiuriR.LitwinG. H. (Eds.) Organizational Climate: Explorations of a Concept. Boston: Harvard University, 1968, 1–6.
41.
ThayerG. D.Some relationships between school and classroom organizational climate. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles, 1971.
42.
ThomasA. R.Organizational climate: A meaningful variable in Australian schools? In KatzF. M.BrowneR. K. (Eds.) Sociology of Education. Melbourne: Macmillan, 1970, 202–213.
43.
ThomasA. R.Innovativeness and organizational climate in a sample of South Australian primary schools. Unpublished doctoral thesis, University of New England, NSW, Australia, 1972.
44.
ThomasA. R.SlaterR. C.The OCDQ: A four factor solution for Australian schools?Journal of Educational Administration, 1972, 10, 197–208.
45.
TyeK. A.The culture of the school. In GoodladJ. I.KleinM. F.NovotneyJ. M.TyeK. A.Toward a Mankind School: An Adventure in Humanistic Education. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1974, 20–40.
46.
VacchiniI. F.Organisational climate description questionnaire. Unpublished dissertation for the Diploma in Educational Administration, University of New England, NSW, Australia, 1968.
47.
VeldmanD. J.Fortran Programming for the Behavioral Sciences. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1967.
