Positive and Negative Affective Climate and Culture

Abstract

This chapter addresses the affective side of organizational culture and climate. The authors make the case that both climate and culture are reflective of the work environment, which can be either positive or negative. They then provide a detailed analysis of culture and climate in both positive and negative work environments, pointing out how positive affective climates and cultures lead to productive outcomes, whereas negative affective climates and cultures can foster deviant and unproductive behaviors. Moreover, consistent with Affective Events theory (Weiss & Cropanzano, 1996), the authors argue that the intensity of both positive and negative affect in an organizational setting is likely to vary over time, and can even coexist. As a result, although positive and negative affective cultures are unlikely to coexist, the same does not hold for positive and negative affective climates. Impediments to developing positive affective organizational culture and climate are also discussed, and suggestions are offered for how such impediments might be overcome. Finally, the chapter concludes with a list of seven crucial questions that remain to be resolved in future research.