Occurrence and perception of thoughtless behaviors in groups from the perspective of organizational climate and group identity

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to inquire about organizational climate effects on the occurrence of thoughtless behaviors, and the effect of group identity on the perception of thoughtlessness within varsity clubs. Organizational climate was measured through two subscales, Management scale (M) and Frankness scale (F). The M scale assessed perceived functional maintenance of a group, while the F scale assessed perceived freedom to express one’s thoughts or attitudes within a group. Organizational climate perceived by each participant was grouped into three categories according to the subscale scores. Perceived functional maintenance negatively affected perceptions of thoughtless behaviors within a group, and frankness negatively affected perceptions of interpersonal thoughtless behaviors. Thoughtless behaviors in group were perceived more in clubs with high M than in clubs with low M and high F, and members with high group identity perceived more thoughtless behaviors in group. Organizational climate and group identity did not affect perception of interpersonal thoughtless behaviors.