Dr. Steven Whitaker – Posted on June 27, 2021
What is an Organizational Climate of Change?
An organizational climate of change is the context that accompanies or is conducive to change whether developmental, transitional, or transformational changes. Within organizations, this climate of change is instrumental for change as lens through which organizational members form perceptions of practices, policies, and procedures that encourage, support, and value change-related behavior. As it turns out, a climate of change is a method to motivate organizational members change-related behavior. Interestingly, a climate of change is also the foundation that connects organizational members during difficult times of change.
Goal-Setting Theory (GST)
Goal-setting theory (GST) holds the basis that a high goal can lead to a higher degree of performance than any low goal(s); thereby, there is a linear correlation between performance and the degree difficulty of a goal. Noted in GST are moderators such as the capability for degrees of knowledge and skill for performing a task, such as creating an organizational climate of change. GTS, derived from empirical research, informs that when human beings reach their limit of capability of high goal difficulty level, and performance levels off. However, persistence and effort serve as mediators; whereas the effects of the degree of goal difficulty on performance can lead to increased persistence and effort, rather than goals that are less difficult. GST could serve as a motivator to foster creating an organizational climate of change, for organizational members of business organizations, as does human motivation theory.
Human Motivation Theory
Human motivation theory holds the basis that humans fulfill basic needs before motivation for achieving higher-level needs. This theory has a hierarchy of five clusters of needs. Physiological needs include sleep, clothing, shelter, water, food, and breathing, including the fundamental elements and tools organizational members require to meet first-level needs. Safety and security needs include social stability, family, property, employment, and health including a sense of familiarity and comfort that organizational members must have to meet second-level needs. Love and belonging needs include a sense of connection, intimacy, family, and friendship including a sense of belonging and having others accept that organizational members must have to meet third-level needs. Self-esteem needs include the need to be a unique individual, respect of others, achievement, and confidence including the need to be respected and valued by others that organizational members must have to meet fourth-level needs. Self-Actualization needs include meaning and inner potential, experience purpose, acceptance, spontaneity, creativity, morality needs, and intrinsic learning, including helping organizational members become all that they are capable of becoming to meet fifth-level needs.
Organizational members that fulfill self-actualization needs develop positive affiliations and feelings of empathy for others within business organizations. Therefore, self-actualization will allow for effective communication, which, is a significant tool when organizational members listen to the personal obstacles of managers of business organizations. Such as when managers seek to create an organizational climate of change. Additionally, organizational members are more receptive to solve problems that coincide with helping managers create a climate of change. Furthermore, self-actualization is not an end state, but instead a means of adaptive growth behavior and unlimited self-expression like self-determination.
Self-Determination Theory (SDT)
Self-determination theory (SDT) holds the basis for what motivates human behavior, and why and how motivation occurs. SDT is the framework for the study of human motivation and supports humans’ tendencies (intrinsic or natural) for behavior. In SDT, basic psychological needs (relatedness, competence, and autonomy) identify the means of support for healthy development and functioning. Such identity fosters a volitional form and high quality of motivation and engagement for various activities, such as performance and persistence for creating an organizational climate of change. Thus, organizational members could develop an effective self-determination plan within their business organizations. Through GST, the self-determination plan could relate to creating an organizational climate of change, which, could involve taking action, the choice targets (goals), and the means to express each target (goal) that is meaningful for organizational members.
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Dr. S. Steven Whitaker Ψ 