I just recently went on vacation to a much warmer climate at a place with a pool. It was much-needed time off and a much-needed change in temperature, considering that I left during a blizzard. I love going on vacations because not only does it bring me some much-needed relaxation, but it also allows me to do some thinking about life. Considering I went from 27ºF to 80ºF, the topic of climate (corporate climate) came to mind.

When I moved to upstate New York, I really had to change my mindset. It was cold, I had to learn to plow snow and drive in wintery weather. My wardrobe completely changed. Hats, gloves, jackets, sweaters and so on, all needed to be added to my closet. My climate created a change in my habits.

I think this applies to the corporate world as well. "Climate" is the newbuzz word regarding corporate culture. There is a lot of discussion around company culture and climate. I know a lot of people use these terms interchangeably, but are they? Not really.

Organizational culture is the shared behavior and shared expectation in a work environment. It is what we call “the way the work is done.” It is the day-to-day operational mode. Organizational climate is how we as employees perceive the impact of the work environment (culture) on ourselves. In other words, the "culture" is what we do or experience at work every day while "climate" is more defined by the organization's policies, practices, procedures and rewards.

If an organization wants to create a change, then it must start at the top with corporate climate. This climate will then affect how employees work and structure their daily operations. Last week when I went from 27ºF to 80ºF, my behavior, clothes and mindset changed. I was in a warm climate, so I ditched the big jacket for a bathing suit, I ditched the hot tea for a chilled iced tea, and I ditched the fuzzy boots and thick socks for flip-flops. I adapted to my climate. Employees do the same thing in the workplace; they adopt to their corporate climate.

A corporation, company or organization should clearly define what they want their culture to look like so they can determine the climate they want to create in the day-to-day operations for their employees. For example, if an organization wants a culture of improvement in customer service, then they should focus on creating a climate that supports that notion by asking for improvement ideas and asking humble inquiry questions of their customers. If a company wants to be known for a culture of food safety, then they would focus on creating a climate that supports food safety by creating policies and procedures, training, rewards etc., and makes it easy for employees to follow the path of food safety first.

Basically, climate is the vertical and horizontal approach which helps to create environment of success for the culture to succeed. I am not a culture or a climate academician, these are just my observations from my vacation. There are more thoughts to come in the next few weeks. Things like the how and the why culture and climate are critical to the mission and vision of the organization. Climate defines our mindset for how our daily operations: I am back in New York and mindset-adapting to my (still) cold climate: coats, boots, hats and sweaters.

Corporate culture: adapting to climate

Join for free* to continue reading.