Write a paper of 2,000-2,500 words in which you discuss the impact that culture, climate, and interventions influence organizational development. Support your responses with current research. In your

Running Head: ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Organizational Development

Psychology of Consulting and Coaching

Grand Canyon University

PSY-834

February 8, 2017

Introduction

When discussing the concepts of organizational culture and climate it may be difficult to comprehend because they are intangible notions that are vital to the organization but not often looked at from an operational understanding. These concepts are based on perceptions and feelings, two values that are not measured in terms of assigned value. This paper will delineate the difference between organizational culture and organizational climate and describe how they impact organizational development. Three major OD intervention techniques will be discussed and an explanation of appreciative inquiry and how it guides organizational development will be given.

Organizational Culture and Organizational Climate

The culture of an organization can be considered the skeleton of the organization and the climate as the skin. “According to Pirjol and Maxim, 2012, organizational culture is a notion that directs the employees to act according to the principles and values of the organization and to understand what is good, bad, ugly or beautiful for it. Organizational culture refers to those written and unwritten rules, concepts, ways of thinking that spiritually diverse an institution from another and that is reflected in every interaction with its external or internal environment. It is a lifestyle, a set of rules, traditions and beliefs common to all members of an institution”(Pirjol & Maxim, 2012). The culture of an organization is the foundation of beliefs that is determined by the founder(s) of the organization. When children are raised in a culture they are raised in an environment where concepts unique to that culture are embedded into the way they think, act, comprehend and make decisions. The culture of a family is determined by the parent(s) of the family. An individual can be exposed to and even influenced by certain cultures they see and come in contact with.“The J.M. Smucker Company in reference to the company culture states the following- as we grow, we are committed to preserving our culture, which is focused on the mutual respect of our fellow employees and an atmosphere that makes people proud to work here — where everyone makes a difference”(www.smuckers.com). The focus of this company’s culture is based on how people treat one another. The founder of this organization wanted to make sure that the work environment was such that people felt proud and respected when they came to work. “Among the factors that influence an organization's culture, the following can be mentioned: the founders of the organization, the national culture within which the company operates, age and size of the organization, managers, the activity profile and the work nature, characteristics of the human factor, etc. All these elements offer each organization a certain system of values and a certain perception of reality”(Pirjol & Maxim, 2012). This perception of reality is developed and nurtured so that the newest employee hired understands that they are expected to also nurture the culture of the organization.

Organizational climate is a surface feeling among the employees at an organization. The climate is akin to a snap shot of how employee attitudes are at a given moment. For example, you can have an organization that has a culture based on treating all of the employees with respect like at the J.M. Smucker company, but the climate at any given time can be very different based on an event that may have an undesirable impact on the employees. The climate at this company recently was not a cheerful pleasant environment as usual. People were respectful to one another, but interaction was all business with no underlying social characters at all. Because this company recently purchased other brands and began to expand operations away from their hometown headquarters office in Orville, Ohio employees were anxious and scared about the success of the company’s future. With all of the changes and new products, the current staff was easily overwhelmed and in some situations inexperienced and unable to handle the large change in operations. For a few months, the climate at the main headquarters location was defined by anxiety and uncertainty. “Kose, 2016 contends that studies indicate that organizational climate is linked to job satisfaction, resigning, commitment, and performance of workers. When workers perceive the organization as supportive and rewarding for the organizational climate, their creative behaviors increase. When the organizational climate is just as desired, it creates a positive organizational identity and causes behaviors of workers to make efforts for the organizational goals. Positive perception of organizational climate brings about positive behaviors. Positive behaviors lead to the realization of organizational and individual goals” (Kose, 2016). Like any feeling about a situation, it is based on individual perceptions of how a situation is unfolding for each individual. The climate during the J.M. Smucker expansion may have been overwhelming and full of anxiety for some but may have been considered exciting and uplifting to others. The climate is a changing notion based on the current feelings of those being asked, unlike a culture that is established and rooted at the very beginning of the company’s existence.

Culture and Climate Impact on Organizational Development

“The culture and climate have an impact on organizational development in that it sets the mood and the pace that employees will feel obligated to do what they have been hired for. There is growing recognition that leadership is a collective cultural activity rather than an individual activity. Leadership potential exists at all levels of an organization and is shared by large numbers of people”(Spiers, et al., 2010). When leadership has buy in to the organization’s culture it can be cultivated at all levels not just from the top down. The impact from having a team that is all in will resonate in the actions of all employees at every level. Then various groups of individuals from an organization get together there is likely to be levels of conflict or disagreements about processes or ideas. How these agreements are resolved and how a team communicates with one another is determined by the culture of the company. When a culture promotes collaborative communication the conflicted climate that may be present one day can be resolved quickly allowing for the individuals to begin working as a team again. The expectation that teams will work together helps to promote organizational development by clearing the way for work processes and the creation of innovative ideas.“Some empirical evidence, suggest that when people experience positive interaction, lower levels of stress, and feel valued, they are more likely to engage in creative behaviors, generate creative ideas, and solve problems creatively”(Fredrickson, 2001;Cohen-Meiter, Carmeli & Waldman, 2009). A culture that promotes collaboration and a climate that is regularly pleasant and open to the sharing of new ideas will cultivate communication and the willingness to share these ideas with coworkers and managers. “Isaksen & Ekval, 2010 state that many forms of negative tension that exist in workplaces today serve as a barrier and distraction to effectively meeting the innovation challenges organizations face”(Isaksen & Ekval, 2010). When a culture does not take into account how the organization should interact with each other, stakeholders and customers it sends a message that the people who make up the organization and the people who support its mission are not valued. A lack of collaboration impacts an organization by stifling its ability to develop new ideas, new processes for improvement and communication between the levels of the workforce.

Three major OD intervention techniques

An organizational development intervention is an action set in motion that is meant to influence how an organization makes decisions to improve its effectiveness. A successful OD intervention is contingent on a thoughtfully and collaboratively planned out proposal. In the proposal, there should be planned changes, team-based decision-making, inclusive collaboration, an emphasis on performance improvement workforce wide, a systems thinking approach and confidence in the scientific methods used and statistical data gathered. “Neuman et al., state that in the last four decades, OD techniques have been used in attempts to achieve both organizational and employee goals by improving organizational effectiveness and productivity, emphasizing employees' welfare, and lessening the problems confronting organizations and their members” (Neuman et al., 1989). This is still the goal today for OD practitioners.

I would apply three major OD intervention techniques to my organization, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), in an effort to minimize the volume of grievance and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaints that are filed each month. My first intervention would involve an analysis of the complaints filed over the past 5 years. Through the analysis of this data I would determine what category each filing fell under. “In a study by Isaksen and Ekvall, (2010) they identified that literature by DeDreu, 2006 and Jehn, 1995 defined three types of conflict. The first is called task conflict and refers to disagreements focused on work content, and includes differences in viewpoints, ideas, and opinions. The second type is referred to as emotional relationship or affective conflict and is characterized by anger, aggression, frustration or hostility among or between individuals on a personal level. The third type is called process conflict and refers to disagreements over the approach to the task, the desired group processes, and the method the group chooses to follow” (DeDreu, 2006 & Jehn, 1995).

Once I have determined what category each grievance or EEO complaint falls under I would then prioritize what category to first begin an intervention. Prolonged task conflict may lead a team to question itself and its capability to perform effectively as a unit (O'Neill, 2013). For the task conflict category I would create a survey of questions that would be administered to the screening workforce only. My sample would consist of 100 front line nonsupervisory screening Officers. The questions would specifically address the Officer’s level of knowledge of the standard operating procedures, their knowledge about the combined bargaining agreement and questions about their knowledge pertaining to contacting a Supervisor or Manager when a prohibited item is found. From the answers provided, I would then be able to suggest to the Training Manager areas of knowledge that may need more training and clarification due to varying perceptions of how the policy should be applied.

My second intervention would be specific to the group of grievances and EEO complaints that fall under the affective conflict category. Affected conflict involves emotions and feelings. For this category I would implement a system that allows employees at all levels to communicate with one another openly without fear or reprisal from Managers or Supervisors. I would implement the use of facilitated conversations. Facilitated conversations are not mandatory and all parties involved must be willing to be a part of the conversation. The individual not involved in any of the conflict is a neutral third party trained facilitator. The facilitator acts as an adjudicator for the process and the resolution of the conflict. Facilitated conversations allow members of a workforce to communicate and discuss underlying issues that they may not readily discuss without a facilitator in a controlled environment. When employees suppress feelings of annoyance toward one another the feelings become stronger with each instance of annoyance. “Relationship conflict creates anxiety, fear, and remorse, and such sentiments are likely to interfere with the efficient information processing that is needed for creative thinking”(Carnevale & Probst, 1998). During a facilitated conversation individuals can openly speak their minds as a facilitator controls the flow of information between the parties. This technique provides a level playing field for all parties and provides a forum for Officers to speak to one another on a personal level.

The grievances and EEO complaints that pertain to process conflict can be resolved through an intervention involving a process standardization committee. This group of senior Officers would meet periodically to discuss the various ways policies and procedures are being implemented at all of screening checkpoints. This committee would field questions from the workforce and conduct periodic sight visits to each checkpoint to safeguard against process deviation.

Appreciative Inquiry

“Appreciative Inquiry (AI) guides organizational development by emphasizing collaboration and participation of all voices in the organization and approaches change as a journey rather than an event. It has a systems orientation that focuses on changing the organization rather than the people”(Martinetz, 2002). AI looks at what is going well or right in an organizational team and focuses on how to make that process better and a part of the everyday operation. Instead of looking for a problem with how employees are performing their tasks or decision making, AI promotes what is happening to make a process perform well. When processes are working and employees are getting recognized for work well done, an organization will begin to develop into an effective unit with less conflict and barriers to communication. “By definition, AI captures the practice of asking questions (inquiring) into a dynamic when participants can take stock of (appreciate) what was positive in that moment. The topical area may be virtually anything including peak learning, leadership, communication, personal relationships, leading or being led, and so forth” (Conklin & Hartman, 2014). This open dialogue technique allows members of organizational teams to discuss what an experience meant to them, how it changes a feeling or belief and allows individuals to find if not common ground, ground similar to what they are standing on.

Conclusion

This paper discussed the difference between organizational culture and organizational climate and described how they impact organizational development. Three major OD intervention techniques were presented and an explanation of appreciative inquiry and how it guides organizational development was given.

References

Carnevale, P. J., & Probst, T. M. (1998). Social values and social conflict in creative problem

solving and categorization. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 1300–1309

Cohen-Meiter, R., Carmeli, A. and Waldman, D.A.(2009) Linking Meaningfulness in the

Workplace to Employee Creativity: The Intervening Role of Organizational Identification

and Positive Psychological Experiences. Creativity Research Journal, 21, 361–75.

Conklin, T. A., & Hartman, N. S. (2014). Appreciative inquiry and autonomy-supportive classes

in business education: A semilongitudinal study of AI in the classroom. Journal of

Experiential Education, 37(3), 285-309. doi:10.1177/1053825913514732

De Dreu, C.K.W. and Gelfand, M.J. (eds.) (2008) The Psychology of Conflict and Conflict

Management in Organizations. Lawrence Erlbaum, New York.

Fredrickson, B.L. (2001) The Role of Positive Emotions in Positive Psychology. American

Psychologist, 56, 218–26.

Isaksen, S. G., & Ekvall, G. (2010). Managing for innovation: The two faces of tension in

creative climates. Creativity & Innovation Management, 19(2), 73-88.

doi:10.1111/j.1467-8691.2010.00558.x

Jehn, K.A. (1995) A Multimethod Examination of the Benefits and Detriments of Intragroup

Conflict. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40, 256–82.

Kose, A. (2016). The Relationship between Work Engagement Behavior and Perceived

Organizational Support and Organizational Climate. Journal of Education and Practice, 7(27), 42-52.

Lowman, R. L. (2002). The California school of organizational studies. A comprehensive guide

to theory, skills, and techniques. Handbook of organizational consulting psychology. San

Francisco, John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Martinetz, C (2002). Appreciative Inquiry Performance Improvement, 41(8), 34-39. Retrieved

from www.ispi.org

Neuman, G. A., Jack, E. Edwards and Nambury, S. Raju. (1989). Organizational development

interventions: A meta-analysis of their effects on satisfaction and other attitudes.

Personnel Psychology, 42(3), 461-89.

O'Neill, T. A., Allen, N. J., & Hastings, S. E. (2013). Examining the pros and cons of team con

flict: A team-level meta-analysis of task, relationship, and process conflict. Human

Performance, 26(3), 236-260. doi:10.1080/08959285.2013.795573

Pirjol, F., & Maxim, R. G. (2012). Organizational culture and its way of expression within the

organization. Annals of the University of Oradea, Economic Science Series, 21(2), 371-376.

"Smucker's Corporate Culture - The J.M. Smucker Company." Smucker's Corporate Culture –

The J.M. Smucker Company. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Feb. 2017.

Spiers, J. A., Cummings, G. G., Langenhoff, P., Sharlow, J., & Bhatti, A. (2010). But we can't go

back. Journal of Leadership Studies, 4(1), 6-19. doi:10.1002/jls.20151