Organizational Climate and Culture: An Introduction to Theory, Research, and Practice

Organizational Climate and Culture breaks down the barriers between the fields of organizational climate and organizational culture to encourage a broader understanding of how an organization’s environment affects its functioning and performance.

Building on in-depth reviews of the development of both the organizational climate and organizational culture literatures, the book identifies key research issues as well as how practitioners can utilize the key concepts when conducting organizational cultural inquiries and leading change efforts. The book identifies the key strengths and limitations of research and theory on each topic and then presents ways each field could learn from the other. The authors also identify how practitioners can leverage the key concepts in the two literatures when conducting organizational cultural inquiries leading to climate and culture change efforts. The end product is an in-depth discussion and reconciliation of organizational climate and culture unlike anything that has come before it.

In this updated edition, Mark G. Ehrhart, Benjamin Schneider and William H. Macey present a thorough examination of both the history and current status of research in each field, as well as areas for their potential integration. Academics, practitioners, and students will all deepen their understanding of how organizations function and will gain insights into how to improve both organizational research and organizational effectiveness.

Mark G. Ehrhart is a Professor at the Department of Psychology at the University of Central Florida, USA. His research interests include organizational climate and culture, organizational citizenship behavior, gratitude, leadership, and implementation.

Benjamin Schneider is Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland, USA. His research interests concern organizational climate and culture, employee engagement, service quality, staffing issues, and the role of personality in organizational life.

William H. Macey is Senior Research Fellow at CultureFactors, Inc., USA. He has over 35 years of experience consulting with organizations to design and implement survey research programs.