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As companies began to see the importance and influence of human capital on the results of everything they do, amid various concerns that began to emerge, one deserves special attention – the organizational climate.
What it is, why it is so important and how to promote it effectively, are some of the reflections that we will bring in today’s content.
What is organizational climate?
Among many possible definitions, the organizational climate can be seen as the “mood”, the behavior and reactions of the company in the face of the most diverse events in its daily life.
This is because in the same way that each person who makes up the human capital of an organization has a mood, behavior and reactions, which vary and depend on, as well as are influenced by each experience, the collective of people in a company, too.
After all, companies are made by people.
A person can react in two very different ways to the same situation, but it happens at two different times. Also, two different people can also behave in different ways to a theoretically identical situation.
That is, as they say, there was a different climate at each of the moments and depending on those involved.
With companies or organizations, it is no different. Even if a given team is the same, its behavior may vary over time and across cases.
Therefore, the climate is the result of this collective of people in a company and how it manifests itself in customer service, in the relationship with suppliers, with partners, between the different departments and their working relationships, as well as in the vertical relationships between managers and collaborators.
How to classify the organizational climate?
There are a variety of classifications and their breakdown, depending on what you want with the climate survey.
The organizational climate survey, in turn, is the instrument that aims to identify how the climate is and which, in macro terms, is usually defined as:
- Good or positive climate;
- Medium or neutral climate;
- Bad or negative weather.
However, as with people, it is possible – and even desirable – to be more specific and check status adjectives, as is done with people, so that as a result of the research, it is identified, for example, that in addition to being positive, the climate is one of motivation, engagement and resilience.
On the other hand, it is possible to determine that, in addition to being negative, demotivation, skepticism and interpersonal conflicts predominate.
In the first case, triggering actions that are potentiated by these types of feelings is quite opportune to take advantage of the favorable atmosphere and thus obtain better results, in addition to seeking to identify which factors produced such positive aspects, in order to guarantee their maintenance. .
As for the second, identifying the causes should be the first step in seeking solutions, as well as knowing that everything that is highly dependent on these feelings will have its results severely compromised.
A team dominated by such conditions, only delivers results based on professionalism, that is, it only does the minimum that is expected of it and due to its sense of responsibility.
It means that a climate survey that intends to be useful, more than determining whether it is good or bad, positive or negative, must be of greater or deeper specificity, so that maintenance actions can be more accurate than expected. want to preserve and correction of what should be eliminated.
What influences or contributes to the organizational climate?
Again, as it is with individuals, in which a multitude of factors have an influence, such as, for example, the set of circumstances we are going through (problems, joys, changes, decisions, etc.), the personal and professional goals we are reaching or no, our stage of human and professional development, the environment we are in, the many relationships we have (friends, family, relatives, neighbors, work colleagues, etc.), the climate of the collective is also determined by this.
However, in the case of the organization’s climate, there are specific and influential aspects:
- How leadership is exercised over teams by managers;
- The company’s human resources policy, starting from the moment of admission and the onboarding process, the job and salary policy, employee promotion, the benefits plan, etc.;
- The company’s values and principles, such as transparency with customers and employees, ethical commitment, social responsibility, respect for customers and their rights, as well as for employees, etc.;
- The quality of internal communication, both intradepartmental (within the department) and interdepartmental (between different departments);
- How the management system affects the work (organization and method, standard operating procedures, planning, contingency plans, etc.);
- The quality of life at work (QWL) – or the lack of it – is another foundation that has an essential impact on the organizational climate;
- The many EndoMarketing actions that may exist, such as Incentive Marketing for example;
- The way in which the relationship with suppliers, partners and customers takes place
- The support that employees receive from the organization, their recognition, the promotion of their professional development (eg corporate education) and the openness they have to give ideas and feedback;
- The use of technology to help the company and, consequently, employees in their daily tasks.
As can be seen from the list above, which can include other items, the range of factors that determine the climate is quite extensive.
However, there is another one of extreme relevance and that is often neglected, which is the nature of human capital itself, or if you prefer, the professional profile of people.
The set of hard skills and soft skills is largely responsible for composing the mood, behavior and reactions of the collective in the face of the most diverse circumstances.
When you hire the right people, who meet the demands of the positions they will occupy, they naturally tend to produce a more positive atmosphere, even in the face of non-ideal environmental variables. Logically, as long as it is not a permanent condition.
On the other hand, a group that is predominantly composed of inappropriate profiles requires more and more intense actions to produce the desired climate.
Why is a good organizational climate important?
In view of everything we have seen, it is quite natural and even intuitive that the results that a company has are highly influenced by the organizational climate.
As already mentioned, the results can even come when you have a team with a high sense of responsibility and, therefore, even if they are unmotivated, dissatisfied, relating strictly on a professional level, they manage to deliver the minimum or who knows even something reasonably satisfactory.
But high productivity, maximum quality in everything we do and even exceeding expectations, only comes with very positive climates.
Characteristics such as the much-desired resilience, which is especially important in adversity, can only survive in favorable working environment conditions.
Bad and persistent climates can undermine even the most determined. The “contamination” capacity of a negative climate is greater than the opposite.
You also have to be careful with the medium or neutral climate. Associated with it are postures such as apathy, little interest or indifference, monotony and routine and, like the negative, it has greater power of influence than the positive.
How to produce a good or positive organizational climate?
The “recipe” to produce a good organizational climate seems easy once we know everything that has influence power.
But it’s not as simple as it seems.
First, even though it is a condition that can be perceived or felt by those responsible for promoting changes, that is, managers, it can also be illusory or misleading.
The degree of certainty regarding the climate is only possible through regular climate surveys, which need to be developed and conducted by experienced professionals in the Human Resources area. This is because the accuracy of the results even depends on how the research is applied and on the knowledge of Psychology.
With the diagnosis, it is also necessary to determine the causes that produced the condition you have.
Without the necessary expertise, it is common to give the “right medicine for the wrong problem” or “treat symptoms” and not their causes.
In practice, the paradigm is common – and it is a mistaken belief – that motivation and satisfied and happy employees are achieved and, consequently, a good climate, with awards, salary increases and promotions.
It might even be sometimes. But who has never seen people who gave up high salaries and even changed their professional occupation, because they didn’t feel fulfilled in the company where they worked? Or the promotion, which resulted in the loss of a great salesperson and the gain of a terrible manager, because he was not prepared for the position or did not even have the profile?
We live in a time when different generations coexist in the labor market, each with different aspirations and characteristics. Their very harmonious coexistence in the business environment is a challenge that needs to be well managed by managers, without which, the climate will be compromised.
At this point, it should have become clear that there is no one-size-fits-all recipe. Here again, the role of leaders, together with the Human Resources department, is crucial to know what to do and when to do it.
Conclusion
The organizational climate is an aspect that, if neglected or treated in an unprofessional manner, can compromise the results of any company.
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