The validity of collective climates

The objective of this study is to test the validity of the collective clima te concept. It was expected that membership in collective climates was rela ted to membership in the collectivities defined by departmental membership, hierarchical level, shift, job location and organizational tenure. The stu dy sample was composed of 195 employees from a central administration agenc y. Using a combination of hierarchical and non-hierarchical clustering meth ods, three different collective climates were obtained. The results showed that only hierarchical level was related to collective climate membership. Based on all the results obtained, the debate on the validity of collective climates is reconsidered, and research on climate formation and relevant f actors in that process is emphasized.