13 HRD Culture, Climate and Interventions: Schein’s Three Levels of Culture, HRD Climate Survey, OD Interventions and Quality of Work Life

13.1 The Soil and the Seed

HRD systems are the seed; HRD culture and climate are the soil. A beautifully designed appraisal, training and career-planning architecture withers if the surrounding culture is closed, low-trust and risk-averse. This chapter covers the conceptual distinction between culture (deep) and climate (observable), Pareek and Rao’s HRD-climate survey, the family of OD interventions that change both, and Quality of Work Life (QWL) as an outcome and an intervention.

13.2 1 · Culture vs Climate — A Conceptual Distinction

HRD Culture vs HRD Climate

Dimension	Culture	Climate
Level	Deep, shared assumptions	Surface, perceived practices
Nature	Anthropological — “how we do things”	Psychological — “how it feels here”
Time horizon	Built over years; slow to change	Can change in months
Measurement	Ethnographic, qualitative	Survey instruments, quantitative
Example	“We value openness”	Score of 4.2 on openness in a climate survey

Distractor warning — Culture is DEEP, Climate is SURFACE

NTA stems frequently swap the two. Culture = deep shared assumptions; climate = surface perceptions. Culture changes slowly; climate can shift in months.

13.3 2 · Schein’s Three Levels of Organisational Culture

Edgar Schein (1985) proposed the most widely cited model of organisational culture — three layers like an iceberg.

Schein’s Three Levels

Level	What it is	Visibility
1. Artefacts	Observable behaviours, dress, language, rituals, office layout, logos	Visible but hard to interpret
2. Espoused values	Stated philosophy, strategies, goals, mission statements	Conscious, articulated
3. Basic underlying assumptions	Unconscious, taken-for-granted beliefs about human nature, truth, time	Invisible, hardest to change

flowchart TB
  A[Artefacts<br/>visible surface] --> V[Espoused values<br/>stated philosophy]
  V --> B[Basic underlying<br/>assumptions<br/>unconscious]
    classDef default fill:#003366,color:#ffffff,stroke:#ffcc00,stroke-width:3px,rx:10px,ry:10px;

13.3.1 Other Culture Frameworks Worth Knowing

Other Influential Culture Frameworks

Author	Framework
Handy (1976)	Four cultures — Power (Zeus), Role (Apollo), Task (Athena), Person (Dionysus)
Deal & Kennedy (1982)	Two-by-two: feedback speed × risk → Tough-guy macho, Work-hard play-hard, Bet-your-company, Process
Cameron & Quinn	Competing Values Framework — Clan, Adhocracy, Market, Hierarchy
Hofstede	National-culture dimensions (covered in IHRM chapter)

13.4 3 · HRD Climate

13.4.1 Pareek-Rao Definition

Pareek and Rao describe HRD climate as the perception employees have of the developmental orientation of the organisation — the extent to which the place treats them as learning, growing, responsible people.

13.4.2 Three Components of HRD Climate

Three Components of HRD Climate (Rao & Abraham, 1986)

Component	What it measures
General climate	Top-management commitment, openness, trust, autonomy, proactive behaviour
OCTAPAC values	The eight cultural values lived in the organisation
HRD mechanisms	Quality of appraisal, training, feedback, counselling, rewards, career-planning sub-systems

13.4.3 The Rao-Abraham HRD Climate Survey

A 38-item, 5-point Likert questionnaire developed by T.V. Rao and E. Abraham (1986). Scores are interpreted on a 0–100 scale where 60+ indicates a strong climate.

13.4.4 Indicators of a Good HRD Climate

Employees feel trusted and respected.
Mistakes are treated as learning, not catastrophe.
Supervisors invest time in development conversations.
Top management visibly takes interest in people development.
Rewards reinforce learning and risk-taking, not only delivery.
Cross-functional collaboration is the norm.

13.5 4 · Organisation Development (OD) — Definitions and Characteristics

13.5.1 Definitions

Three Standard Definitions of OD

Author	Definition
Richard Beckhard (1969)	“A planned, organisation-wide, top-managed effort to increase organisation effectiveness and health through planned interventions using behavioural science knowledge”
Warren Bennis	“A response to change — a complex educational strategy to change beliefs, attitudes, values and structure”
French & Bell	“A long-range effort to improve an organisation’s problem-solving and renewal processes through collaborative diagnosis and management of culture”

13.5.2 Six Defining Characteristics

Planned and systematic.
Long-term — not quick fixes.
System-wide in scope, even if interventions are local.
Top-management sponsored.
Grounded in behavioural science.
Problem-solving and culture-changing — not only performance-improving.

13.6 5 · OD Process — Action Research

The standard OD process is action research — diagnosis and action proceed together in iterative cycles.

flowchart LR
  E[Entry &<br/>contracting] --> D[Diagnosis]
  D --> F[Feedback]
  F --> P[Planning]
  P --> I[Intervention]
  I --> EV[Evaluation]
  EV -. cycle .-> D
    classDef default fill:#003366,color:#ffffff,stroke:#ffcc00,stroke-width:3px,rx:10px,ry:10px;

13.7 6 · Lewin’s Three-Step and Force-Field Analysis

Kurt Lewin’s three-step model — unfreeze, change, refreeze — remains the OD spine.

13.7.1 Force-Field Analysis

For any change, two sets of forces operate:

Lewin’s Force-Field Analysis

Force	Description	Strategy
Driving forces	Push the change forward	Strengthen carefully
Restraining forces	Resist change	Reduce — usually more effective than strengthening drivers

Reducing restraining forces is usually more effective than strengthening driving forces — adding pressure raises tension; reducing resistance dissolves it.

13.8 7 · Classification of OD Interventions

French and Bell classify OD interventions by the target of change.

OD Interventions by Target

Target	Examples
Individual	Coaching, counselling, sensitivity (T-group), Johari window, life and career planning
Dyad / Triad	Process consultation, third-party peacemaking, role-negotiation
Team	Team building, role analysis, responsibility charting, Gestalt OD
Inter-group	Inter-group conflict resolution, organisational mirroring
Total organisation	Survey feedback, confrontation meeting, Grid OD, strategic planning, large-group interventions (Future Search, Open Space, World Café)
Structural / techno-structural	Job redesign, MBO, work redesign, quality circles, TQM, sociotechnical systems
Human-process	T-group, team building, process consultation
HRM-related	Career planning, performance appraisal, reward systems

13.8.1 A Closer Look at Five Big Interventions

Five Frequently Tested Interventions

Intervention	Author	Idea
Sensitivity (T-group) training	Kurt Lewin / NTL	Unstructured group; participants learn from feedback about self-in-group
Survey feedback	Mann	Climate survey results fed back to the team that generated them
Process consultation	Edgar Schein	Consultant helps the group see and improve its own processes
Confrontation meeting	Richard Beckhard (1967)	One-day session — sub-groups list issues, prioritise, plan action
Grid OD	Blake & Mouton	Six-phase programme based on the managerial grid (9,9 ideal)

13.9 8 · Quality of Work Life (QWL)

13.9.1 Concept

QWL is the favourable conditions and quality of working life that promote and sustain employee satisfaction, well-being, and productivity. The label dates to the 1970s and is associated with Richard Walton.

13.9.2 Walton’s Eight Dimensions of QWL (1973)

Walton’s Eight Dimensions of QWL

#	Dimension
1	Adequate and fair compensation
2	Safe and healthy working conditions
3	Opportunity to use and develop human capacities
4	Opportunity for continued growth and security
5	Social integration in the work organisation
6	Constitutionalism (rights, privacy, equity) in the workplace
7	Work and the total life space (balance)
8	Social relevance of work life

13.9.3 Common QWL Interventions

Job redesign — rotation, enlargement, enrichment, Hackman-Oldham JCM.
Autonomous work groups / self-managed teams (the Volvo Kalmar plant became the canonical case).
Flexible work arrangements — flexi-time, job sharing, hybrid.
Quality circles (Japanese origin — small voluntary groups solving work-area problems).
Worker participation in management.
Wellness and work-life balance programmes.

13.10 9 · Resistance to Change and How to Overcome It

13.10.1 Sources

Economic — fear of job loss or pay cut.
Psychological — fear of the unknown, of loss of competence, of loss of status.
Social — disruption of long-standing groups.
Structural — sunk investment in existing routines.

13.10.2 Kotter and Schlesinger’s Six Strategies

Kotter-Schlesinger Strategies for Overcoming Resistance

#	Strategy
1	Education and communication
2	Participation and involvement
3	Facilitation and support
4	Negotiation and agreement
5	Manipulation and co-option
6	Explicit and implicit coercion

13.10.3 Kotter’s Eight Steps of Leading Change

John Kotter (1996) generalised the change-leadership model to eight steps:

Kotter’s Eight-Step Change Model

#	Step
1	Establish a sense of urgency
2	Form a powerful guiding coalition
3	Create a vision
4	Communicate the vision
5	Empower others to act on the vision
6	Plan for and create short-term wins
7	Consolidate improvements and produce more change
8	Institutionalise new approaches in the culture

13.11 Practice Questions

Q 01 Schein levels Medium

Schein's three levels of organisational culture, from surface to deepest, are:

AAssumptions → Values → Artefacts
BArtefacts → Espoused values → Basic underlying assumptions
CValues → Artefacts → Assumptions
DSymbols → Rituals → Practices

View solution

Correct Option: B

Visible artefacts → stated values → unconscious assumptions.

Q 02 Culture vs climate Easy

The best contrast between organisational culture and climate is:

ACulture is surface; climate is deep
BCulture is deep shared assumptions; climate is surface perceived practices
CCulture is measurable; climate is not
DThey are the same

View solution

Correct Option: B

Culture = anthropological depth; climate = psychological surface.

Q 03 Rao-Abraham survey Hard

The HRD climate survey commonly used in Indian organisations was developed by:

APareek and Rao
BT.V. Rao and E. Abraham (1986)
CSchein and Bennis
DLikert and Hall

View solution

Correct Option: B

Rao and Abraham, 1986 — 38-item Likert questionnaire.

Q 04 OD definition Medium

"A planned, organisation-wide, top-managed effort to increase organisation effectiveness through planned interventions using behavioural-science knowledge" is the definition of OD given by:

AFrench and Bell
BRichard Beckhard
CWarren Bennis
DEdgar Schein

View solution

Correct Option: B

Beckhard, 1969 — the classic OD definition.

Q 05 Force-field Hard

In Lewin's force-field analysis, the generally more effective change strategy is to:

AStrengthen driving forces
BReduce restraining forces
CIgnore both
DUse force-field to predict the future

View solution

Correct Option: B

Reducing resistance dissolves tension; adding force raises it.

Q 06 Handy cultures Medium

Charles Handy's four organisational cultures are Power, Role, Task and:

AProcess
BPerson
CMarket
DClan

View solution

Correct Option: B

Power (Zeus), Role (Apollo), Task (Athena), Person (Dionysus).

Q 07 Walton QWL Hard

Richard Walton's QWL framework lists how many dimensions?

ASix
BSeven
CEight
DTen

View solution

Correct Option: C

Eight dimensions, 1973.

Q 08 Process consultation Medium

Process consultation, in which the consultant helps a group see its own processes, was developed by:

ASchein
BLewin
CBeckhard
DFrench & Bell

View solution

Correct Option: A

Edgar Schein.

Q 09 Kotter Hard

Kotter's eight-step change model begins with:

ACreating a vision
BForming a guiding coalition
CEstablishing a sense of urgency
DInstitutionalising new behaviour

View solution

Correct Option: C

Step 1: establish a sense of urgency.

Q 10 Intervention target Medium

Team building is best classified as a:

AStructural intervention
BHuman-process intervention at the team level
CStrategic intervention
DTechnical intervention

View solution

Correct Option: B

Team building targets group processes.

Q 11 Quality circles Medium

Quality circles originated in:

AUSA
BJapan
CGermany
DIndia

View solution

Correct Option: B

Japanese origin (Ishikawa) — small voluntary groups solving work-area problems.

Q 12 Volvo Kalmar Hard

The Volvo Kalmar plant is famously associated with:

AAssembly-line specialisation
BAutonomous work groups / QWL redesign
CTime-and-motion studies
DOutsourcing pioneering

View solution

Correct Option: B

Sociotechnical, autonomous-work-group redesign — canonical QWL case.

Q 13 Match Hard

Match the contribution with the author:

(i)	Three levels of culture	(a)	Beckhard
(ii)	Confrontation meeting	(b)	Schein
(iii)	Force-field analysis	(c)	Kotter
(iv)	Eight-step change model	(d)	Lewin

A(i)-(b), (ii)-(a), (iii)-(d), (iv)-(c)
B(i)-(a), (ii)-(b), (iii)-(c), (iv)-(d)
C(i)-(c), (ii)-(d), (iii)-(a), (iv)-(b)
D(i)-(d), (ii)-(c), (iii)-(b), (iv)-(a)

View solution

Correct Option: A

Schein-culture; Beckhard-confrontation meeting; Lewin-force field; Kotter-eight steps.

Q 14 Action research Medium

The defining feature of action research is:

ADiagnosis only
BAction only
CIterative cycles of diagnosis and action
DSingle-shot survey

View solution

Correct Option: C

Iterative diagnose-act-feedback-act loops.

Q 15 Resistance Medium

"Education and communication" as a strategy for overcoming resistance to change is most associated with:

AKotter and Schlesinger
BLewin and Schein
CPareek and Rao
DFrench and Bell

View solution

Correct Option: A

Kotter & Schlesinger's six strategies.

Q 16 Climate level Hard

In Rao-Abraham's HRD climate framework, which is not a component?

AGeneral climate
BOCTAPAC values
CHRD mechanisms
DWage structure

View solution

Correct Option: D

Three components: general climate, OCTAPAC values, HRD mechanisms. Wage structure is unrelated.

Q 17 Survey feedback Medium

"Survey feedback" as an OD intervention means:

ASending a satisfaction survey out
BFeeding the survey results back to the team that generated them so it can act
CConfidential complaints to HR
DCustomer NPS report

View solution

Correct Option: B

The feedback loop to the source team is the heart of the intervention.

Q 18 Schein artefact Medium

An "artefact" in Schein's framework is:

AAn unconscious assumption
BAn observable surface feature — dress, language, rituals, layout
CA stated value statement
DA KPI

View solution

Correct Option: B

Observable but hard to interpret.

Q 19 QWL dimension Hard

Which is not a Walton QWL dimension?

AAdequate and fair compensation
BSafe and healthy conditions
CSocial relevance of work life
DMaximum overtime opportunity

View solution

Correct Option: D

Walton's eight do not include overtime; they include work and the total life space (balance).

Q 20 Grid OD Hard

In Blake and Mouton's Grid OD, the desired managerial style is:

A1,1 — impoverished
B1,9 — country-club
C9,1 — task
D9,9 — team

View solution

Correct Option: D

9,9 team management — high concern for people and high concern for production.

13.12 Quick Recall

Quick recall

Culture = deep shared assumptions; Climate = surface perceptions. Culture is slow to change; climate moves faster.
Schein’s three levels: Artefacts → Espoused values → Basic underlying assumptions.
Handy’s four cultures: Power (Zeus), Role (Apollo), Task (Athena), Person (Dionysus).
HRD climate components (Rao-Abraham, 1986): general climate + OCTAPAC values + HRD mechanisms. 38-item Likert survey.
OD definitions: Beckhard (1969) — planned, organisation-wide, top-managed, behavioural-science.
OD process — action research: entry → diagnosis → feedback → planning → intervention → evaluation → cycle.
Lewin — three-step (unfreeze-change-refreeze) + force-field (driving vs restraining). Reduce restraining forces for more durable change.
OD interventions by target: individual, dyad, team, inter-group, total org, structural, human-process, HRM.
Key interventions: T-group (Lewin), survey feedback (Mann), process consultation (Schein), confrontation meeting (Beckhard), Grid OD (Blake-Mouton, 9,9 ideal).
QWL (Walton, 1973) — eight dimensions: fair compensation, safe conditions, capacity use, growth & security, social integration, constitutionalism, total life space, social relevance.
Quality circles — Japanese origin (Ishikawa). Volvo Kalmar — autonomous-work-group QWL case.
Kotter & Schlesinger — six strategies to overcome resistance.
Kotter (1996) — eight-step change model, starting with sense of urgency.