How Does Work Climate Affect Performance

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How Does Work Climate Affect Performance?

• Gregory Rodway, MBA
• Workplace Climate Consultant

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Diagnosis

• Increasing employee absenteeism and tardiness
• Decreasing employee productivity
• Disengagement and inflexible work habits
• Reports of dissatisfaction among your clients
• The failure of your work group to meet specific
  performance targets
• Frequent or unresolved conflict among staff

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Diagnosis

• Common staff complaints
• This place is so disorganized. We dont know
  what direction we are going in. Today, one task
  has high priority, but tomorrow a different task
  has priority.
• We are asked to produce results, but we dont
  have support or necessary resources.
• No one appreciates our work. No one says
  thanks.

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Reflection

• Think about a time when you were part of a great,
  high performing workgroup or team..
• What did it feel like to participate?
• How did you respond?

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Impact!

• Climate impacts how you feel and behave.

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What is Work Climate?

• Work Climate is the prevailing workplace
  atmosphere as experienced by employees
• Climate captures what it feels like to work in a
  group, it is the weather of the work place.

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What is Work Climate?

• a negative work climate impedes performance and
  leads to increasing levels of absenteeism and
  turnover.
• a positive work climate leads to and sustains
  employee motivation and improved performance.
• influences the discretionary effort, or level
  of effort above and beyond job expectations, that
  employees exert.

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Why impact Climate?

• When we looked at the impact of climate on
  results .. work climate accounts for nearly a
  third of the results. And that is simply too much
  of an impact to ignore. (Goleman, 2000, p82)

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What causes Work Climate?
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School Leadership Effectiveness
Individual Characteristics Competencies
Job Requirements
Motivation Performance
Work Climate
Leadership Management Styles
Adapted from Watkin, 1999
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What Do The Experts Say?

• What the boss of a workgroup does is the most
  important determinant of climate (Stringer 2002,
  p99)
• 50 to 70 percent of employees perception of
  working climate is linked to the characteristics
  of the leader (Goleman, 2001, p42)

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Reflection

• Think about a time when you were part of a great,
  high performing workgroup or team..
• What did the manager/leader do?
• How did the manager/leader behave?

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How do Manager/Leaders influence Work Climate?

• Manager/Leaders influence climate by focusing on
  
• Ensuring clarity and standards
• Providing support, rewards and responsibility
• Delivering challenge and encouraging pride and
  team commitment

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How is Climate Determined?

• Use a climate assessment tool - assessment tools
  are available commercially
• Usually a 180 degree view, i.e. manager/leader
  and subordinates
• Collect additional qualitative data
• Contrast manager/leader view with subordinate
  view

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Climate Assessment Uses?

• Assessment / Measurement used as a performance
  indicator
• Development to give feedback for developmental
  purposes

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One example - the MSH Work Climate Assessment
(WCA)

• Easy to Use
• 12 Items measure Clarity, Support, Challenge
• Manual Calculation or Spreadsheet Support

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MSH WCA Example

• . We are recognized for individual contributions
• . We have a common purpose
• . We have the resources we need to do our jobs
  well
• . We develop our skills and knowledge
• . We have a plan which guides our activities
• . We strive to improve our performance
• . We understand each others capabilities
• . We are clear what is expected in our work
• . We seek to understand the needs of our clients
• 0. We participate in the decisions of our work
  group
• 1. We take pride in our work
• 2. We readily adapt to new circumstances

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Use the WCA

• Complete the assessment
• Review your results
• What gaps exist / which gaps are largest?

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Why impact Climate?

• The better the leader/head understands their
  climate, the underlying competencies that can be
  used to shape it and how to use leadership (and
  management) styles to motivate, the greater
  possibility of sustained success. (Watkin 1999,
  p13)

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Appendix
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Work Climate Process

• Five Step Process-
• Prepare
• Administer
• Analyze
• Report
• Act

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Facilitation Prepare

• Ensure Goals are Clear
• Select assessment
• Who will be assessed?
• Where and when will the assessment occur?
• Is an Administrator needed to manage the data
  collection?

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Facilitation Act

• Measurement Only
• Consultant Review
• Feedback for Work Groups
• Consultant Review road test results
• Manager Feedback
• Strategy Development
• Work Group Action Planning

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References

• Goleman, D. 2000, Leadership that gets results,
  Harvard Business Review, MarchApril
• Goleman, D. 2001, An EI-Based theory of
  performance in The Emotionally Intelligent
  Workplace, eds. G. Cherniss D. Goleman,
  Jossey-Bass, San Francisco
• Johnson, S. Rodway, G. 2002, Creating a Work
  Climate that Motivates Staff and Improves
  Performance, The Manager Volume 11 Number 3, MSH
  Boston
• Stringer, R. 2002, Leadership and Organizational
  Climate, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New
  Jersey
• Watkin, C. 2000, The leadership program for
  serving headteachers probably the world's
  largest leadership development initiative, The
  Leadership and Organization Development Journal,
  Vol.21 No.1