Understanding Organizational Climate

Typical climates correspond to human feelings or moods: excitement, depression, anger, fear, optimism or anxiety. Like human mood, an organization's climate can be caused by internal and external factors. If the CEO or other prominent leaders are in a certain mood, they can infect the entire organization. Leaders whose moods are highly variable could lead teams with wildly fluctuating climates. Just as most people won't be in the same mood all the time, we can't expect an organization's climate to be unchanging. Shifting emotions are a good thing as it makes the organization seem more human. It would feel like being part of a machine if the climate of your workplace never altered. An emotionally variable climate is, like a similarly expressive person, more open, transparent and understandable. We feel comfortable when we can read another person's feeling. The same applies to our workplace. It's unhealthy to suppress emotion in organizations or people.