Determinants of organisational climate for academia

Abstract

Being aware of the factors that develop a positive organisational climate is especially important in universities, where the academic members of staff are, in large measure, self-motivated. To identify the determinants of organisational climate for university academia, the validity and reliability of the first-order constructs of autonomy, cohesion and pressure were examined. These three constructs were found to have inadequate validity in this environment. The remaining five valid constructs indicated a second-order organisational climate construct organisational climate was influenced by support, followed by trust and fairness, and then by recognition and innovation. The findings of our study will assist university managers to identify areas to focus upon when developing their academic staff in the pursuit of improving the organisational climate.

An evolving approach to developing academics’ understanding of transition for first year students. A Practice Report

“…The success of this FYE project in fostering engagement is demonstrated through the increasing participation in forums, grant applications and the leadership of the FYE and FYTE coordinators. Providing academics with opportunities to be connected via a shared community of practice and to take part in activities targeted at situated learning on transition, engages and rewards success, and develops a sense of belonging and identity within the first year conversation, a similar finding to McMurray and Scott (2013) as positive factors for organisational change. The impact of the FYE project on student transition is further evidenced in the recent 2013 University Experience Survey in which our commencing students were significantly more satisfied than later year students in the areas of teaching quality, student support and learning resources.…”

The influence of academic culture on quality management system ISO 9001 maintenance within Malaysian universities

“…Most university academic staff operate in an environment with high levels of autonomy in relation to their research efforts and teaching material choice (McMurray & Scott, 2013). The success of universities has relied on their autonomy and the concept of intellectual freedom (Massaro, 2010).…”

“…Academic staff tend to be individualistic and employed as individual experts (McMurray & Scott, 2013). Academics also paid little attention to organisational hierarchies because their work is based on individual preferences and schedules (Kuo, 2009).…”

Faculty's academic intellectual leadership: predictive relations with several organizational characteristics of universities

“…Like all organizations, the usage of formal and informal communication channels in universities effectively contributes to forming the flexible structure for conveying academics' expectations and demands in the process of performing their duties to relevant units in a convenient way (Beytekin & Arslan, 2013). Besides, the efficient use of organizational communication channels helps to actualize positive interactions among academics and administrators, so it expedites the creation of a more positive atmosphere for employees in the organization (McMurray & Scott, 2013).…”