An exploratory study of the cultural context of organisational climate and human resource practices

The climate' construct has an important and long history in organisational science. This study explores a specific type of organisational climate, known as human resource (HR) climate, in the context of an organisation operating in Turkey. The competing values framework is used to interpret the findings regarding the nature of HR climate, and to compare and contrast HR climate with organisational climate. This study employs an exploratory qualitative research design in which several in-depth interviews were conducted with HR managers/directors. The findings suggest that although some dimensions of HR climate show similarities with those of organisational climate, there are significant differences. In addition, several dimensions of the HR climate found in this study reflect cultural characteristics of Turkey, specifically collectivism and paternalism. This extends knowledge of the concept of HR climate and shows that the construct may have dimensions that are culturally specific (particular) rather than universal.