The socio-psychological climate in a team is defined as the emotional state of the group, reflecting the real situation of the work environment (character, conditions, organization of work) and interpersonal relationships. The collective mood can easily move from a positive phase to a negative one, from hidden to open, from subconscious to conscious. Often drastic changes are caused by the slightest reason, an elementary reason.
The structure of the microclimate in the team
Important! Studies report that a negative team mood reduces productivity by 20%. One unbalanced person can ruin the mood of the majority and paralyze the normal activities of the group.
What it is
The term “psychological climate” was first uttered by N. S. Mansurov in the context of studying a production team. A little later, psychologists began to distinguish between socio-psychological and moral-psychological climate. Psychological climate is a broad concept, the rest are included in it.
Psychological climate is the nature of emotions that arise in relationships between people, based on their sympathies, coincidence of interests, characters and inclinations. The psychological climate includes 3 areas:
- Social climate – awareness of goals and objectives by all participants, respect for rights and responsibilities.
- Moral climate - values accepted in the group. Their unity, acceptance, consistency.
- The actual psychological climate is informal relationships in the team.
There are 4 approaches to studying the psychological climate in a team:
- Climate is a collective consciousness. Awareness by each member of society of relationships in the team, working conditions, methods of stimulating it.
- Climate is the mood of the team. That is, the leading role is given not to consciousness, but to emotions.
- Climate is the style of interaction between people that influences their condition.
- Climate is an indicator of the compatibility of the group, the moral and psychological unity of its participants. The presence of common opinions, traditions and customs.
The peculiarity of the psychological climate as a phenomenon is that it is created by the person himself, he is able to influence the climate, improve and change.
ONLINE ENTERPRISE ANALYSIS
During the study of the socio-psychological climate at MEDIC LLC, in addition to the use of special techniques, free observation was carried out, the purpose of which was to determine the characteristics of employee behavior.
Psychological climate analysis
A survey conducted according to the methodology of E.A. Borisova, gave the following results. Based on the survey, a positive trend is the desire of 59% of employees to continue their career growth. More than half of the employees of MEDIC LLC managed to implement all their skills and knowledge in their workplace. Despite the positive trend identified in the personnel planning process, 30% of employees want to change jobs and go to another institution, 37% of employees did not receive full satisfaction from being in their workplace and, for one reason or another, want to transfer to another division of the LLC “MEDIC”, and a third of the employees would like to leave everything in their place, as they are completely satisfied (Fig. 5).
Figure 5 — Desire to change jobs by employees of MEDIC LLC, %
Analyzing the data obtained from the analysis of questions 3 and 4 of the questionnaire, only a little more than half of the employees strive for a career, but the personnel policy of MEDIC LLC is aimed at forming a strong, cohesive team and promoting outstanding employees to higher positions (Fig. 6).
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Figure 6 — Factors determining the selection of qualified personnel, %
At the same time, the main factors hindering career growth are the lack of any skills, insufficient education and reluctance to work more, which indicates the weak work of the personnel apparatus with the staff of the institution.
Analysis of the psychological climate of the team
The first thing on which an opinion about the organization in which a new employee has joined is based is his workplace (Fig. 7).
The employee’s desire and ability to work well depends on satisfaction with the condition and equipment of his own workplace. 87% of MEDIC LLC employees are convinced that a well-equipped workplace will have a positive effect on the adaptation of a new employee to the institution. The goal of MEDIC LLC is to quickly and painlessly adapt a new employee to the team, so that he can get used to it as quickly as possible and start working at full capacity in his field.
Figure 7 — Factors influencing the adaptation of new employees, %
The fundamental factor that positively influences the high performance of an employee is the friendly atmosphere in the team. 87% of the organization’s employees surveyed consider their relationships within the team to be friendly. It is especially important for a person when his opinion is listened to, and he has a fairly high status in his work team.
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For an employee’s adaptation to a new team at the initial stage of work, help from work colleagues is especially important, since for many newly hired employees this work is new or not entirely familiar. 83% of MEDIC LLC employees always help their newcomer colleagues.
To effectively conduct work at MEDIC LLC, regular analysis and standardization of labor is necessary. The mood in the team and the desire to work of each employee depend on the result obtained after analyzing the work of all employees of the institution and, as a result, the correct distribution of the workload. 55% of the surveyed employees believe that at MEDIC LLC the workload on all employees is equal. At the same time, a third of the staff is overworked, and therefore, as a rule, they have conflict situations with the manager. More than half of employees consider themselves valued employees and generally have high status among colleagues (73%), and almost half are highly respected by senior management (46%). Despite the fact that 30% of employees want to leave the institution and get a job elsewhere, 87% of employees feel like they are part of a stable organization.
Analysis of socio-psychological climate
It should be noted that while 30% of employees want to leave MEDIC LLC, a third also want to change their workplace, but so far only within the institution itself. At the same time, 72% of employees need some additional training. At the current level of wages at MEDIC LLC, 39% are not satisfied with their wages, while 99% of employees consider the standard of living of their family to be more or less high. 89% of employees are convinced that a salary increase will have a positive effect on reducing the rate of staff turnover. At MEDIC LLC, 91% of employees are satisfied with the system of bonuses and rewards in the institution and therefore try to work well.
Any organization needs to conduct regular staff assessments. But at MEDIC LLC, 61% of the staff have a neutral attitude towards the assessment (or certification), only 27% of employees have a positive attitude towards this event (Fig. 8). But personnel assessment is carried out, as a rule, according to the subjective opinion of management.
According to information obtained during the study, 37% of MEDIC LLC employees would like to change their place of work within the institution. At the same time, the stability of the personal and economic situation in the institution does not decrease.
Figure 8 — Assessment of staff performance, %
It is well known that the relationships developed in a team, common values and rules of behavior can greatly affect the level of labor productivity. At MEDIC LLC, 87% of employees believe that relations within the team are friendly, which contributes to greater efficiency in the implementation of the institution’s core activities. Friendly relationships in the team contribute to the fact that 60% of employees celebrate major holidays, birthdays and other pleasant events together. About half of the employees constantly communicate and therefore are always aware of the problems and life difficulties of their colleagues and are always ready to help them.
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At MEDIC LLC, the K. Thomas test was conducted to study a person’s predisposition to conflict behavior. The results of the K. Thomas test are given in table. 3.
Table 3 - Results of a study of a group of employees of MEDIC LLC using the method of K. Thomas
Ways to regulate conflict | Number of persons | % |
1. Competition (rivalry) | 5 | 24 |
2. Device | 2 | 10 |
3. Compromise | 5 | 24 |
4.Avoidance | 2 | 10 |
5. Cooperation | 7 | 32 |
Total | 21 | 100 |
The results of a study of a person’s predisposition to conflict behavior according to the K. Thomas test indicate that 32% of employees of an institution choose cooperation as a way to resolve conflict, 10% choose avoidance, 24% compromise, 10% are ready to sacrifice their interests for the sake of resolving the conflict ( avoidance), and 24% strive to achieve the satisfaction of their interests to the detriment of others (competition) (Fig. 9).
Figure 9 — Selection of conflict resolution methods (according to the K. Thomas test) in the team of MEDIC LLC
In order to study the personal characteristics of the employees of MEDIC LLC, the method of multifactorial personality research by R. Cattell was used. The results obtained are presented in table. 4.
Table 4 - Indicators of a multifactor personality study according to the R. Cattell test in the team of employees of MEDIC LLC
Low scores 1 - 4 | Average indicators 5 - 8 | High performance 9 – 12 | ||||
Human | % | Human | % | Human | % | |
A (sociability) | — | — | 1 | 5 | 20 | 95 |
B (intelligence) | 12 | 57 | 8 | 38 | 1 | 5 |
C (emotional instability) | 2 | 10 | 16 | 76 | 3 | 14 |
E (dominance) | 10 | 48 | 8 | 38 | 3 | 14 |
F (incontinence) | 4 | 19 | 13 | 62 | 4 | 19 |
G (normative behavior) | 2 | 10 | 7 | 33 | 12 | 57 |
N (courage) | 3 | 14 | 9 | 43 | 9 | 43 |
I (sensuality) | 1 | 5 | 18 | 86 | 2 | 9 |
L (suspiciousness) | 8 | 38 | 13 | 62 | — | — |
M (practicality) | 7 | 33 | 13 | 62 | 1 | 5 |
N (diplomacy) | 7 | 33 | 14 | 67 | — | — |
O (anxiety) | 3 | 14 | 13 | 62 | 5 | 24 |
Q1 (radicalism) | 4 | 19 | 13 | 62 | 4 | 19 |
Q2 (nonconformism) | 13 | 62 | 7 | 33 | 1 | 5 |
Q3 (self-monitoring) | 1 | 5 | 13 | 62 | 7 | 33 |
Q4 (tension) | 4 | 19 | 13 | 62 | 4 | 19 |
MD (self-esteem) | 8 | 38 | 11 | 52 | 2 | 10 |
According to the results of Cattell's multifactorial test, it was revealed that 95% of the subjects had high levels of sociability, and 5% had average levels. This fact can be explained by the fact that communication skills are the professional qualities of medical workers.
According to the intelligence factor, the test subjects had the following values: 5% had high scores, 38% had average scores, and 57% had low scores. This corresponds to the distribution of employees depending on the level of education: 43% have higher education, 57% have secondary specialized education.
According to the results of the study, 10% of workers had emotional instability, and 76% had average indicators and 14% had high indicators of emotional stability and stability.
Study of the socio-psychological climate of the team
It was found that 48% of the subjects had subordination and shyness as a factor in interpersonal interaction, 38% had average values, and 14% had indicators of dominance, self-confidence and independence.
According to the test, it was found that 19% of the institution’s employees are reserved, 62% are more expressive, and 19% are cheerful, talkative, and very expressive.
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In 10% of people, susceptibility to feelings, disagreement with generally accepted moral standards, inconstancy were identified, average indicators of normative behavior were noted in 33% of the subjects, and high normative behavior, strong character, conscientiousness and responsibility - in 57%.
The values for the courage factor are presented as follows: 43% of subjects had high scores, 43% had average scores, and 14% showed timidity and indecisiveness.
The results of the study showed that 5% of the subjects showed cruelty, severity, and low sensitivity, 9% had soft-heartedness, tenderness, and sensitivity, and 86% had average values.
Suspicion and envy were noted among 38% of the institution's employees, the remaining 62% were more gullible.
Developed imagination, daydreaming, absent-mindedness were found in 5% of employees, practicality, down-to-earth aspirations - in 33%, and average indicators in 62%.
Diplomatic behavior and reasonableness were noted in 67% of subjects, straightforwardness and spontaneity - in 33%.
Among the employees of MEDIC LLC, 14% are self-confident, carefree, energetic and fearless, 24% showed increased anxiety, concern, vulnerability, and 62% have average scores on this factor.
The results of the study on the “conservatism-radicalism” factor indicate that 19% of the subjects are prone to moralization and moralizing, are skeptical about new ideas, conservatives, 62% have average values for the factor, 19% noted radicalism, which manifests itself in free-thinking, distrust of authorities and analytical thinking.
Conformity, dependence on the group, lack of independence, lack of initiative were noted in 62% of employees, average indicators - in 33%, self-sufficiency, independence, non-conformism - in 5%.
In terms of the self-control factor, 62% of workers had average scores, 5% had low scores (these people are poorly controlled, inattentive, undisciplined) and 33% had high scores (a person with high self-control is precise, strong-willed, can subjugate himself, acts according to conscious plan).
Relaxation, lethargy, and equanimity were noted in 19% of subjects, tension, composure, and activity were also noted in 19%, and average indicators were observed in 62% of subjects.
The results of the self-esteem study revealed the following values: high - for 10% of employees, medium - for 52%, low - for 38%.
The general results of studies using the Cattell test are clearly shown in the form of a histogram in Fig. 10.
Figure 10 — Results of the Cattell test in a team of employees of MEDIC LLC
To identify intragroup relationships and the personal sociometric status of each employee, J. Moreno's sociometric technique was used.
Assessment of socio-psychological climate
A study of a team of employees of MEDIC LLC using the sociometric method of J. Moreno (Table 5) showed that two subjects (No. 6 and No. 18) are “stars”. They received a significantly larger number of positive choices than others.
Table 5 - Sociomatrix of employees of the MEDIC LLC team
Seventeen people (81%) are in the “preferred” zone, and the two who received the maximum number of negative choices are “rejected” (No. 4 and No. 14). The data from the results of the technique are systematized in table. 6.
According to the sociometric study, 3 people were selected. Of these, subject No. 18 is the “star,” subject No. 11 is the “preferred” subject, and subject No. 4 is the “rejected” subject.
Table 6 - Sociometric status of MEDIC LLC employees
Sociometric status | Sociometric index | Number of people | % | |
1 | Stars | More than 0.2 | 2 | 9 |
2 | Preferred | -0.19 to 0.19 | 17 | 81 |
3 | Rejected | Less than -0.2 | 2 | 9 |
As a result of a comparative analysis of data from the sociometric method and the K. Thomas test, the following was noted. Subject No. 4 (“rejected”, since he received the maximum number of negative choices) has a strategy of competition, which to a greater extent reflects conflict behavior. Subject No. 18, who is the leader of the group (“star”, since he received the maximum number of positive choices) and has a cooperation strategy, and subject No. 11 (“preferred”) has an adaptation strategy, he received the same number of positive and negative choices according to sociometry.
Assessment of the socio-psychological climate in the team
Now let’s look at the results of a study of MEDIC LLC employees on a multifactorial personality study using the Cattell test. The results obtained are presented in the form of a graph in Fig. eleven.
Figure 11 - Comparison of personal characteristics of employees of MEDIC LLC with different strategies of behavior in conflict situations. The figure shows that in subject No. 4, compared to others, expressiveness (factor F), courage (N) and self-confidence (O) prevail ). All these qualities are necessary for a person in conflict situations with competitive tactics. While non-conflict subjects (No. 11, No. 18) show high normative behavior (G), high control (Q3). These data indicate that there is a connection between the personal characteristics of these employees and their behavior strategies in conflicts, which significantly influences the formation of the socio-psychological climate in the institution’s staff.
As observations at MEDIC LLC have shown, radical measures taken by management usually help resolve conflict situations. In addition, it is necessary to initially select for work people who have professionally important qualities and psychological personality traits that are not prone to conflicts.
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The seller must have a number of professional knowledge, for example, knowledge of the characteristics of the product being sold, the technology of its manufacture, the positive and negative qualities of the product in comparison with similar products from competing companies, prices for similar products, their fluctuations depending on territorial, seasonal characteristics, etc. P. On the other hand, he must undoubtedly have such personal characteristics as empathy, sociability and sociability, energy, activity, self-confidence, efficiency, perseverance in achieving goals, focus, etc. It is these factors of the Cattell test such as “rigidity - sensitivity” (I), “closedness - sociability” (A), “restraint - expressiveness” (F), “timidity - courage” (I), “self-confidence - anxiety” (O), “emotional instability - emotional stability” (C), “susceptibility to feelings - high normative behavior” (G), “low self-control - high self-control” (Q), and allow you to effectively measure and assess the degree of presence or absence of the above characteristics of the personality of a medical worker.
When hiring, it is useful to take into account the personal characteristics of the candidate from the point of view of his future work in a team, sometimes in an already established team. To do this, you should pay attention, for example, to the method for diagnosing Thomas’s predisposition to conflict behavior.
Moreover, it must be remembered that the data from a psychodiagnostic study of employees in each individual case must be considered in the context of the totality of all available information about the person. These are his interests, hobbies, family situation, socio-economic status, territorial characteristics of the region, etc. Excessive categoricalness and specificity of psychological recommendations can be dangerous if they are considered by management without taking into account the totality of all factors influencing the choice of a candidate.
Thus, the analysis of the attitude towards work of the institution’s employees made it possible to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the socio-psychological climate of the MEDIC LLC organization.
Weaknesses in the organization of work and relationships among managers include: regulation of the job responsibilities of employees, the condition and maintenance of computers (equipment), the level of labor organization, and the level of technical equipment. Weaknesses in the organization of personnel labor include: assessment of employee performance, availability of instructions and rules of behavior for employees, level of labor organization, and opportunities for professional growth.
In the team of MEDIC LLC, in the process of communication, certain interactions take place between its individual members, between the individual and the team as a whole, which have a significant impact both on the dynamic processes occurring in it, and on the state, behavior and development of its constituent individuals, and during which various types of relationships are established.
The results of the study allow us to develop a program to improve the socio-psychological climate in the team of MEDIC LLC. When determining ways to form a favorable socio-psychological climate in a team, we are primarily interested in interpersonal relationships, which are based on the emotional states of interacting people.
Favorable and unfavorable climate
The psychological climate can be favorable or unfavorable. The first is characterized by:
- friendly attitude of participants towards each other;
- camaraderie;
- adequate mutual exactingness, which determines creative and effective activity;
- mutual assistance;
- joy from communication and openness of communications;
- safety and comfort;
- optimism;
- self-confidence and team confidence;
- the opportunity to think freely and creatively, to discover and realize one’s own potential.
But it is worth noting that a combination of mutual demands and mutual assistance is mandatory. Mutual assistance alone will turn into permissiveness, a “brotherly” attitude, which over time will create an unfavorable climate.
An unfavorable or unhealthy climate includes the opposite characteristics:
- pessimism;
- mistrust and disrespect;
- coldness and secrecy in relationships;
- inhibition of personal potential;
- irritability;
- tension and conflict;
- uncertainty;
- misunderstanding;
- fear of error, punishment and rejection;
- suspicion.
It has been noted that a healthy climate increases productivity and labor efficiency. Unfavorable climate causes frequent incidents of safety violations and reduces productivity by 20%.
A healthy climate satisfies the needs of its members and does not conflict with social norms and values. For example, in a criminal group there may be a unity of opinions, views and beliefs, but for society the activities of its members are harmful, in fact, as in the end for the participants themselves (they just don’t know it).
Climate levels
Climate has two levels: static and dynamic.
Static
This is a stable attitude of employees towards work, constant interpersonal relationships. The climate is stable and tolerates external influences well. It is not easy to create a climate at this level, but then it is easy to maintain. Team members feel this stability, which makes them more confident in their own position. Climate correction is practically not required, control is occasional. This level is also called the socio-psychological climate.
Dynamic
This is the changing nature of the team. The climate changes daily due to the changing moods of its participants. This level is also called the psychological atmosphere. It changes faster and is less felt by the participants. As changes accumulate, it can create an unhealthy climate in the team.
Climate structure
The structure of the climate in the workforce includes two elements:
- Relationship between people.
- Attitude to work.
Interpersonal relationships are of two types (branch to the side in the structure):
- horizontal relationships, that is, between subordinates;
- vertical relationships, that is, between subordinates and superiors.
Each of the three types of relationships affects team cohesion, employee satisfaction and their motivation to continue working in this team.
Climate diagnostics
The socio-psychological climate in a team is an indicator of the level of development of the team. Therefore, it is important to regularly carry out diagnostics and monitor dynamics, to identify the properties that hold the team together or destroy it. For this purpose, the method of assessing the level of psychological climate of A. N. Lutoshkin’s team is suitable.
The subject is asked to answer 13 statements regarding the team in which he is located. The score can be from -3 to 3.
Answer form
22 points and more – highly favorable climate.
8-22 points – moderately favorable climate.
0-8 points – low favorable climate.
From 0 to -8 – initial unfavorability.
From -8 to -10 – moderately unfavorable climate.
From -10 and more – pronounced unfavorability, unhealthy climate.
Each team member takes the questionnaire. When summing up, all points are summed up and divided by the number of people surveyed. The final number is the overall score of the team. You can also calculate an overall score for individual criteria.
Factors that determine the socio-psychological climate of an organization
Types of adaptation - what can be attributed to them, meaning
The moral and psychological aspects of labor organization are determined by the composition and characteristics of organizations, the socio-demographic composition of personnel, the interests of employees, and management style. The individual attitude of employees and the general atmosphere of the team are of greatest importance.
Personal (each employee)
Daily work activities are accompanied by stable personal contacts between employees. They form the emotional basis of relationships. Moral values, needs, interests, views, and attitudes are revealed. An employee’s knowledge and skills, personal adaptation potential, communication skills, and level of anxiety are reflected in social and labor relations and the results of general activities in the life of the team.
General (team)
The socio-psychological climate is influenced by the size of the group, the degree of centralization of power, the participation of workers in the planning and distribution of resources, and the composition of departments (by age, professional skills, ethnic level).
Physical, sanitary and hygienic conditions are also important for creating a positive attitude among employees. Low levels of ventilation, lighting, and sound insulation provoke irritability and can indirectly affect the psychological climate of the group. Comfortable workplaces and compliance with sanitary and hygienic conditions increase satisfaction from work processes and contribute to a favorable safety and health situation.
Job satisfaction is of great importance in the formation of corporate culture. The indicator is determined by a number of factors:
- material reward;
- friendly interpersonal relationships;
- creative, interesting activities;
- the opportunity to attend advanced training courses, trainings, master classes;
- the likelihood of professional and personal growth.
Indicators that determine the mood of the team
The nature of work is also subject to correction. Monotonous activity, an increased level of responsibility, the presence of a risk to the health and life of workers, emotional intensity - factors that negatively affect the working mood of the team.
Team management should be based on the correct organization of joint activities. Thoughtful group structure, distribution of powers, and setting common goals help improve the microclimate of the organization. Unclear distribution of tasks, inconsistency of workers with their professional roles, and lack of psychological compatibility of participants in the process increase tension in relationships.
Signs characterizing climate
Externally, you can judge the climate of a team by the following signs (useful for those applying for a job):
- staff turnover;
- product quality;
- level of discipline;
- claims and complaints, negative feedback from employees;
- frequent breaks from work;
- negligence and carelessness.
The better these indicators, the more favorable the climate. Signs of a favorable climate also include:
- trust and high demands in relationships;
- kind and constructive criticism;
- freedom of speech and opinion;
- providing initiative to employees, lack of managerial pressure;
- awareness of participants in team issues;
- satisfaction from belonging to this group;
- mutual assistance and highly developed empathy;
- responsibility for yourself and the entire team.
What affects climate
The climate is influenced by a number of factors:
- Type of organization, team. Open or closed, private or public, scientific or industrial organization. Family, class, criminal group, charitable association.
- The image and standard of living of the team members.
- Micro (everyday for a particular person) and macro (city, country, culture of society) conditions: normal, complicated, extreme.
- Rational organization of work, compliance with the regime and rights, taking into account the capabilities and characteristics of each team member.
- Team structure.
- Informal leaders or groups in a team.
- Leadership style and features. A favorable climate requires attention from the manager not only to production issues, but also to the personal problems of team members. That is, the democratic style.
- Individual psychological and personal characteristics of team members. Personal opinion, mood and behavior of a person contribute to the overall climate. This is based on passing external factors and events through the prism of one’s own character and personality.
- The combination of the characteristics of all participants forms a new collective quality - the psyche of the collective. Therefore, the psychological compatibility of the participants, primarily in terms of temperament, plays a big role. Psychologically, people must be compatible in terms of psychomotor reactions, emotional and volitional manifestations, the work of thinking and attention, and character. Incompatibility causes antipathy, hostility, and conflicts.
- Self-assessment of each participant. His self-awareness and the correspondence of claims and achievements.
The leader has a great influence on climate formation. You should pay attention to his personal qualities, attitude towards other participants, authority, leadership style. A positive climate is created by a leader who:
- principled;
- responsible;
- active;
- disciplined;
- kind, responsive and sociable;
- has organizational skills.
Rudeness, selfishness, inconsistency, disrespect, and careerism have a negative impact on the health of the climate.
The conditions that dictate the climate also depend on the leader. Necessary:
- be friendly and respectful in relationships;
- provide employees with the opportunity to choose their own area of activity;
- notice and celebrate the activity and creativity of employees;
- promote employee interest in self-development;
- motivate employees for career advancement with the aim of not only material gain, but also to gain prestige and recognition from the team;
- be a good qualified leader and a kind mentor.
What a leader can do for a favorable climate:
- It is justified from a psychological standpoint to select personnel.
- Organize regular training and certification.
- Study and practice the theory of psychological compatibility, that is, have a good understanding of people.
- Contribute through practical activities (through organizing events) to the development of interaction and relationship skills.
Levels
In psychology, it is customary to consider the psychological climate at two levels (two types):
- Static level. This is that part of the climate that is determined by the stable characteristics of the team: the system of likes and dislikes, attitude towards work, values and beliefs of employees. This level of climate is resistant to the influence of negative external factors. Reaching this level is the height of mastery. A static climate is typical for older groups, but even such groups do not always manage to reach this level.
- Dynamic level. This is the part of the climate that changes daily and depends on mood, current life problems and important events in the lives of workers. This level is typical for fresh, young teams. However, even in an old team there can be a dynamic, that is, unstable climate. He is weak to the influence of external factors.
In a static climate, participants feel safe. At the dynamic level there is tension, a feeling of instability.
Creating a favorable climate
A favorable climate is formed where participants clearly see the goals of the team, clearly understand and accept them. At the same time, they have a flexible system of means and ways to achieve them.
The higher the level of development of the team, the more favorable the climate. However, even at a low level of development, a favorable climate can be created.
It is important to maintain the unity of motives, interests, beliefs, ideals, attitudes, needs of the participants and correctly combine their individual characteristics.
A favorable psychological climate cannot arise by itself. This is the product of the coordinated and hard work of the entire team, and the competent organizational activities of the leader.
Purposeful work must be carried out to create a favorable climate. This is a responsible and creative undertaking that requires knowledge of human psychology, the ability to predict likely situations in relationships, and understand emotions and their regulation.
Creating climate begins with changes in each individual person. In order for interpersonal relationships to develop favorably, you need to:
- work on your own negative character traits;
- to form positive moral qualities (respect for people, recognition of their dignity and honor, attention, recognition of the beliefs and interests of other people, trust, observance of politeness and rules of behavior, objective assessment and self-esteem, tact);
- use polite words and phrases, observe etiquette;
- master methods of emotional and mental self-regulation (necessary for the prevention and elimination of irritation, resentment, burnout, nervousness, anger, fatigue, agitation, apathy);
- know strategies for behavior in conflict situations and be able to resolve them competently;
- avoid maximalism in judgment and behavior, egocentrism, labeling, categoricalness, inflated expectations and ideas.
Each member of the team should be valuable, unique and positive in their own way, and in a group setting they should complement each other, not interfere or overshadow each other.
General procedure for assessing the psychological climate in a team
To analyze the psychological state in a team, it is important to take into account all possible contacts of people in the organization and assess the degree of satisfaction from the work they perform. To do this, it is enough to analyze the following aspects:
- Employees’ attitude towards their work: are they satisfied with working conditions, are they overloaded, what are their responsibilities, salary level, etc.
- Assessing relationships between employees: analyzing relationships between colleagues in the same department and between different departments. Here it is important to analyze the contacts of people on the same line;
- Assessing the relationship between employees and management: are employees satisfied with management and vice versa, how do employees evaluate the work of management and vice versa, the advantages and disadvantages of each link;
- The presence of traditions in an organization or a specific department: the desire to help each other, give gifts (for a certain occasion), participation in joint events (corporate events, competitions), etc.
If there are more negative aspects, then it is important to develop an action plan to improve the psychological climate in the organization. Here it is important to analyze who and how influences the psychological element of the department/company, to understand how or where to direct negative energy (conversation, transfer to another department, dismissal, promotion, etc.).
Satisfaction as a criterion
The basis for climate assessment is people’s satisfaction/dissatisfaction with relationships in the team and the activity itself. However, you need to understand that satisfaction can be subjective and objective.
It often happens that one person is completely satisfied with the team, while another is not at all satisfied with the working conditions. This is subjectivity in assessment. Differences in experience, conditions and quality of life, interests, character of people and other individual characteristics contribute. The principle of subjective satisfaction is the relationship between the parameters “I give” and “I receive”.
Dissatisfaction with delayed wages, regular punishments, non-compliance with labor standards, violation of rights is an objective indicator.
How to determine what climate prevails at an enterprise?
To diagnose the psychological climate, you can use general data and specific techniques.
Common factors that allow you to evaluate relationships in a company include:
- Staff turnover;
- Violations/compliance with labor discipline;
- Number of breaks (the more, the worse);
- Team cohesion or its division into small groups;
- Availability of freedom of speech and opinion, the possibility of self-expression;
- Mutual assistance and mutual assistance;
- Availability of company traditions (corporate events, competitions, events);
- Corporate Policy;
- Etc.
You can diagnose what kind of climate prevails in a team using banal research methods:
Method No. 1. Observation.
It is enough to simply observe a certain group of people for some time (a week, a month, etc.) in order to identify what kind of relationships prevail in it, who has the greatest authority or is a leader, whether employees know how to listen and understand each other, whether they are ready to replace colleagues, who “lays”/reports to the authorities what emotions and feelings prevail (joy, anger, friendship or conflict, indifference, etc.).
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master's theses
Method No. 2. Interview, survey.
This method will allow you to determine the opinion of each employee about the current situation of the company, relationships in the team, and then combine the results obtained into groups. If there are more negative reviews, this will indicate an unfavorable climate and vice versa.
When conducting an interview, it is important that the respondent takes a neutral side, does not prompt employees or dictate specific conditions. He is asked a specific question and receives a specific answer to it from each participant.
Method No. 3. Participation of a professional psychologist.
This specialist will organize and conduct a test or other event that allows an objective assessment of the situation in the labor society. Most often, psychologists use sociometric tests, methods for assessing the psychological atmosphere (for example, according to A. F. Fiedler), etc.