气氛强度:理论基础及其研究框架

Climate Strength: Theoretical Foundation and Research Framework

随着多层次理论的发展,气氛强度成为组织管理研究中受到关注的新概念。以多层次理论中的合成模型和文化强度为理论基础,研究者对气氛强度的前因变量及其作用开展了一系列的研究。本文在回顾气氛强度的理论基础和研究框架的基础上,提出未来研究首先应补充气氛强度前因变量的探索;并在不同行业和不同工作类型中去验证气氛强度的作用;最后应关注对气氛的概念界定,从而扩展对气氛强度的研究。

For more than half a century, scholars have sought to understand the antecedents and influences of climates. Climate strength, an emerging concept in climate research, received little empirical exploration and much less validation. Research adopted dichotomous perspective has limited climate strength as a scientific construct. The dichotomous view suggests that dispersion of individual - level perception represents error, rather than theoretically significant phenomenon. Within - unit dispersion of individual - level construets can be theoretically meaningful. During the application of multilevel theory in organizational and management research, climate strength, i.e. , within - unit agreement among unit members＇ climate perceptions, has received much attention from researchers. Two different literatures in organizational sciences, compositional models and culture strength, were useful as a basis for the development of the concept of climate strength. Based on the existing research, we develop the research framework of climate strength. There are three perspectives to explain the antecedents of climate strength, i.e. , organizational structure, Attraction - Selection - Attrition model, and social interaction approach. According to the organizational structure perspective, organizational forms that are clearly mechanistic or clearly organic have strong climates, with weaker climates emerging for organizations with more ambiguous forms. Research based on ASA model indicated average worksite tenure was positively related to climate strength such that higher average tenure was associated with stronger climates. Empirical research based on social interaction approach illustrated that climate strength is influenced both by leadership style and group social interaction. While concerning the effect of climate strength, studies have yielded contradictory and inconclusive results. In some research, climate strength has been shown to have a moderating effect on the relationship between climate level and organizational outcomes. While in other studies, significant main effects were found for some of the climate strength - outcome relationships. Potential reasons of the results were discussed. For example, the tasks used in different studies were various. In some research, tasks were completed by individuals, while in others tasks required cooperation within team members. Thus, work interdependence may be a potential factor moderating the relationship between climate strength and outcomes. In future research, we should pay more attention to the prerequisite of climate strength, broaden the conceptualization of organizational climate, explore the effect of climate strength in a variety of work types and industries, and test the potential moderator influence of work interdependent between climate strength and organizational outcomes.