You often hear people bandy about the terms “climate” and “culture” as if they mean the same thing.
They don’t.
Culture is the deeply rooted set of values that manifest into every aspect of the organization’s character. Culture doesn’t change quickly. Climate, on the other hand, is a snapshot of the team experience at any given time.
Climate changes like the weather.
Swedish researcher Göran Ekvall identified ten dimensions that affect team climate. Nine make it better. One makes it worse. Unlike culture, where a team leader can hardly make a dent, climate is a place where team members can have a big impact. Look at the ten dimensions. Where are your team’s strongest? What needed the most attention? What actions can take to improve things?
According to Ekvall, leaders are responsible for up to 67 percent of the team climate, but every team member has the power to change what’s happening. So read carefully.
Ten Dimensions that Affect Team Climate
While the first nine dimensions support a productive climate, the tenth one destroys it.
Did you notice that “debate” and “conflict” are on opposite sides of the list? Ekvall found that debate is an asset. Conflict is a liability. Debate happens when you fight over an idea or issue. The goal is to achieve a better solution. Debate can get passionate, but afterwards, you go out for pizza. In conflict, the fight gets personal. People attack each other’s identity, not just their ideas. Conflict hurts. Afterwards, you don’t want to go out for pizza. You want to go out for revenge.
It’s encouraging to know that a team can turn things around by attending to the right things.
“A team climate is going to happen whether you attend to it or not,” says creativity and innovation expert Marysia Czarski. “So be mindful of it, be alert, be present, and then generate it.” When Marysia works with teams, she uses Ekvall’s insights to help leaders identify their team’s strengths and zero in on a few climate dimensions they could improve.
She asks teams to do a quick sort.
Choose one of the dimensions that really needs attention and, with your team, come up with some simple, often no-cost or low- cost, things you could do to improve on that dimension.
Here’s to sunny weather.
This article is an excerpt from Good Team, Bad Team, by Sarah Thurber and Blair Miller, PhD.