Control climate in public sector: relationship with role stress, coping strategy and personal variables

Organizational climate, a leading indicator of organizational performance, influences the motivation and behavior of organizational members. Control climate emphasizes excessive control in the organization for consolidation of personal power and impairs the working environment. Study of control climate and its relationship with role stress, coping strategy and personal variables was undertaken in a public sector industry to gain a better understanding about measures to de-emphasize dysfunctional organizational climate. Six motives of organizational climate and ten types of role stress were measured on 453 executives. Eight types of coping strategy were measured on 155 executives taken from the earlier sample. Age, hierarchical level and qualification level were recorded for each respondent. Bivariate correlations were computed to study the relationship of control climate with role stress, coping strategy and personal variables. Control climate is positively correlated with seven role stressors, total role stress and hierarchical level. It is negatively correlated with age and not related with the coping strategy. The study reveals an unconventional finding that control climate is positively correlated with the qualification level. Measures for de-emphasizing control climate in public sector have been suggested based on the findings of the study.