University of San Francisco (USF) - Communication Climate Inventory

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Communication Climate Inventory

Organizational Communication - OB 321
Supplementary Materials

James I. Costigan and Martha A. Schmeidler

Instructions: The statements below relate to how your supervisor and you communicate on the job. There are no right or wrong answers. Respond honestly to the statements, using the following scale:

1 - Strongly Agree

2 - Agree

3 - Uncertain

4 - Disagree

5 - Strongly Disagree

1. My supervisor criticizes my work without allowing me to explain.	1	2	3	4	5
2. My supervisor allows me as much creativity as possible in my job.	1	2	3	4	5
3. My supervisor always judges the actions of his or her subordinates.	1	2	3	4	5
4. My supervisor allows flexibility on the job.	1	2	3	4	5
5. My supervisor criticizes my work in the presence of others.	1	2	3	4	5
6. My supervisor is willing to try new ideas and to accept other points of view.	1	2	3	4	5
7. My supervisor believes that he or she must control how I do my work.	1	2	3	4	5
8. My supervisor understands the problems that I encounter in my job.	1	2	3	4	5
9. My supervisor is always trying to change other people's attitudes and behaviors to suit his or her own.	1	2	3	4	5
10. My supervisor respects my feelings and values.	1	2	3	4	5
11. My supervisor always needs to be in charge of the situation.	1	2	3	4	5
12. My supervisor listens to my problems with interest .	1	2	3	4	5
13. My supervisor tries to manipulate subordinates to get what he or she wants or to make himself or herself look good.	1	2	3	4	5
14. My supervisor does not try to make me feel inferior.	1	2	3	4	5
15. I have to be careful when talking to my supervisor so that I will not be misinterpreted.	1	2	3	4	5
16. My supervisor participates in meetings with employees without projecting his or her higher status or power.	1	2	3	4	5
17. I seldom say what really is on my mind, because it might be twisted and distorted by my supervisor.	1	2	3	4	5
18. My supervisor treats me with respect.	1	2	3	4	5
19. My supervisor seldom becomes involved in employee conflicts.	1	2	3	4	5
20. My supervisor does not have hidden motives in dealing with me.	1	2	3	4	5
21. My supervisor is not interested in employee problems.	1	2	3	4	5
22. I feel that I can be honest and straightforward with my supervisor.	1	2	3	4	5
23. My supervisor rarely offers moral support during a personal crisis.	1	2	3	4	5
24. I feel that I can express my opinions and ideas honestly to my supervisor.	1	2	3	4	5
25. My supervisor tries to make me feel inadequate.	1	2	3	4	5
26. My supervisor defines problems so that they can be understood but does not insist that his or her subordinates agree.	1	2	3	4	5
27. My supervisor makes it clear that he or she is in charge.	1	2	3	4	5
28. I feel free to talk to my supervisor.	1	2	3	4	5
29. My supervisor believes that if a job is to be done right, he or she must oversee it or do it.	1	2	3	4	5
30. My supervisor defines problems and makes his or her subordinates aware of them.	1	2	3	4	5
31. My supervisor cannot admit that he or she makes mistakes.	1	2	3	4	5
32. My supervisor tries to describe situations fairly without labeling them as good or bad.	1	2	3	4	5
33. My supervisor is dogmatic; it is useless for me to voice an opposing point of view.	1	2	3	4	5
34. My supervisor presents his or her feelings and perceptions without implying that a similar response is expected from me.	1	2	3	4	5
35. My supervisor thinks that he or she is always right.	1	2	3	4	5
36. My supervisor attempts to explain situations clearly and without personal bias.	1	2	3	4	5

COMMUNICATION CLIMATE INVENTORY

SCORING AND INTERPRETATION SHEET

Instructions- Place the numbers that you assigned to each statement in the appropriate blanks. Now add them together to determine a subtotal for each climate descriptor. Place the subtotals in the proper blanks and add your scores. Place an X on the graph to indicate what your perception is of your organization or department's communication climate. Some descriptions of the terms follow. You may wish to discuss with others their own perceptions and interpretations.

Part 1: Defensive Scores
Evaluation	Neutrality
Question 1 ______________	Question 19 ______________
Question 3 ______________	Question 21 ______________
Question 5 ______________	Question 23 ______________
Subtotal ______________	Subtotal ______________

Control	Superiority
Question 7 ______________	Question 25 ______________
Question 9 ______________	Question 27 ______________
Question 11 ______________	Question 29 ______________
Subtotal ______________	Subtotal ______________

Strategy	Certainty
Question 13 ______________	Question 31 ______________
Question 15 ______________	Question 33 ______________
Question 17 ______________	Question 35 ______________
Subtotal ______________	Subtotal ______________

Subtotal for Defensive Scores
Evaluation ______________
Control ______________
Strategy ______________
Neutrality ______________
Superiority ______________
Certainty ______________
Total ______________

Defensive-------------------------- Defensive to Netural ----------------------------------Neutral to Supportive-------------------Supportive------------------

Part II.: Supportive Scores
Provisionalism	Spontaneity
Question 2 ______________	Question 20 ______________
Question 4 ______________	Question 22 ______________
Question 6 ______________	Question 24 ______________
Subtotal ______________	Subtotal ______________

Empathy	Problem Orientation
Question 8 ______________	Question 26 ______________
Question 10 ______________	Question 28 ______________
Question 12 ______________	Question 30 ______________
Subtotal ______________	Subtotal ______________

Equality	Description
Question 14 ______________	Question 32 ______________
Question 16 ______________	Question 34 ______________
Question 18 ______________	Question 36 ______________
Subtotal ______________	Subtotal ______________

Subtotals for Supportive Supportive Scores
Provisionalism ______________
Empathy ______________
Equality ______________
Spontaneity ______________
Problem Orientation ______________
Descritpion ______________
Total ______________

Supportive-------------------------- Supportive to Netural------------------------------Netural to Defensive----------------------- Defensive-------------------

EXPLORING SUPPORTIVE AND DEFENSIVE

COMMUNICATION CLIMATES

James I. Costigan and Martha A. Schmeidler

The communication climate in any organization is a key determinant of its effectiveness. Organizations with supportive environments encourage worker participation, free and open exchange of information, and constructive conflict resolution. In organizations with defensive climates, employees keep things to themselves, make only guarded statements, and suffer from reduced morale.

Gibb (1961) identified six characteristics of a "supportive environment" and six characteristics of a "defensive one." Gibb affirmed that employees are influenced by the communication climate in the organization. He characterized a supportive climate as one having provisionalism, empathy, equality, spontaneity, problem orientation, and description and a defensive climate as having evaluation, control, strategy, neutrality, superiority, and certainty. These items are paired opposites. Capsule definitions of the terms follow:

Characteristics of a Defensive Climate

Evaluation-The supervisor is critical and judgmental and will not accept explanations from subordinates.

Control- The supervisor consistently directs in an authoritarian manner and attempts to change other people.

Strategy- The supervisor manipulates subordinates and often misinterprets or twists and distorts what is said.

Neutrality- The supervisor offers minimal personal support for and remains aloof from employees' personal problems and conflicts.

Superiority- The supervisor reminds employees who is in charge, closely oversees the work, and makes employees feel inadequate.

Certainty- The supervisor is dogmatic and unwilling to admit mistakes.

Characteristics of a Supportive Climate

Provisionalism- The supervisor allows flexibility, experimentation, and creativity.

Empathy- The supervisor attempts to understand and listen to employee problems and respects employee feelings and values.

Equality- The supervisor does not try to make employees feel inferior, does not use status to control situations, and respects the positions of others.

Spontaneity- The supervisor's communications are free of hidden motives and honest. Ideas can be expressed freely.

Problem Orientation- The supervisor defines problems rather than giving solutions, is open to discussion about mutual problems, and does not insist on employee agreement.

Descriptive- The supervisor's communications are clear, describe situations fairly, and present his or her perceptions without implying the need for change.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INSTRUMENT

The Communication Climate Inventory uses the twelve factors described above as a means of assessing the communication climate within work groups in an organization. Thirty-six questions are presented in a Likert response format. The odd-numbered questions describe a defensive atmosphere, and the even-numbered questions describe a supportive environment. The following chart shows which questions are linked to which characteristic.

Defensive Climate

Questions 1, 3, 5 ------- Evaluation
Questions 7, 9, 11 ----- Control
Questions 13, 15, 17 - Strategy
Questions 19, 21, 23 - Neutrality
Questions 25, 27, 29 - Superiority
Questions 31, 33, 35 - Certainty

Supportive Climate

Questions 2, 4, 6 ------- Provisionalism
Questions 8, 10, 12 --- Empathy
Questions 14, 16, 18 - Equality
Questions 20, 22, 24 - Spontaneity
Questions 26, 28, 30 - Problem Orientation
Questions 32, 34, 36 - Description

GUIDELINES FOR INTERPRETATION

The Communication Climate Inventory is designed so that the lower the score the greater the extent to which either climate exists in an organization. However, low defensive scores will probably be an indication that supportive scores are high and vice versa, simply because both climates would not exist together in an organization, although scores will vary according to the supervisor being evaluated.

If the communication climate of an organization appears to be supportive and nondefensive, then probably no changes need to be made. However, if the communication climate is defensive and nonsupportive, an intervention is called for to improve the climate. Structured experiences that develop interpersonal communication skills are useful for this purpose. Overall ratings can be gleaned by having each department plot its scores on the scale at the bottom of the scoring sheet and then looking at any trouble spots.

Scoring the Instrument

If a person agrees or strongly agrees (a score of 1 or 2) with the statements measuring a specific characteristic, that factor is important in the person's work environment. If the person scores the statement as a 4 or 5 (disagree or strongly disagree), it indicates that the characteristic being measured is not part of the person's work environment. A score of 3 indicates uncertainty or that the characteristic occurs infrequently in the environment.

The total of the scores from the odd-numbered questions indicates the degree to which the work environment is defensive, and the total of the scores from the even-numbered questions indicates the degree to which the work environment is supportive. For each individual characteristic, then, a total score of 3 to 6 indicates agreement or strong agreement on either the defensive or supportive scales, a total of 12 to 15 indicates disagreement or strong disagreement, and a total of 7 to 11 indicates a neutral or uncertain attitude.

The lowest possible overall climate score is 18 on either the defensive or supportive scales, which means that the respondent strongly agreed with all questions. The highest possible overall score is 90, which means that the respondent strongly disagreed with all questions. Both extremes are highly improbable.

If more than one person fills out the questionnaire, obtaining the mean score for each item is the most convenient method of scoring the inventory. Summing the means for the questions in each category provides the overall score for the type of climate (defensive or supportive), and comparing those two scores provides a rough estimate of the general organizational climate. The following scales can be used to provide a way of checking the communication climate.

Defensive Scale

Defensive, 18-40
Defensive to Neutral, 41-55
Neutral to Supportive, 56-69
Supportive, 70-90

Supportive Scale

Supportive, 18-40
Supportive to Neutral, 41-55
Neutral to Defensive, 56-69
Defensive, 70-90

In administering the inventory, it is important to be specific about which communication climate (which supervisor's communication) is being surveyed.

USES OF THE INSTRUMENT

The Communication Climate Inventory can be used to measure the organization's total communication environment or the climate of individual work areas. The scores from this inventory can be used to plan needed changes in the communication environment or to indicate which practices should be encouraged.

Organizational consultants can use the inventory to determine whether the communication environment is causing problems. Educators can use it to help students understand the characteristics of supportive and defensive climates. Supervisors can use it to assess how their subordinates feel about their handling of communications in the work environments.

REFERENCES

Combs. G. W. Defensive and supportive communication. In J. E. Jones & J. W. Pfeiffer (Eds.). The 1981 annual handbook for group facilitators. San Diego. CA: University Associates 1981.

Gibb J. R. Defensive and supportive communication. Journal of communications, 1961, 11, 141-148

James 1. Costigan, Ph.D., is a professor of communication and the chairman of the Department of Communication at Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. He is a co-author of Developing Communication Skills: Influences and Alternatives and is actively engaged in teaching, research, and consulting. Dr. Costigan's background is in the areas of organizational communication, interpersonal communication, and communication theory.

Martha A. Schmeidler is the director of religious education for St. Joseph' s Parish in Hays, Kansas. She formerly held the position of youth minister in Pasco, Washington. Her background and training are in the areas of interpersonal and organizational communication and religious education, and she has directed numerous workshops and programs for youth.


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