Toward a Shortened Measure of Organizational Climate in Tourism and Hospitality

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the properties of a shortened, and therefore more conveniently applied, version of the seven dimension Tourism and Hospitality Organizational Climate Scale (THOCS). Responses to the revised instrument, the THOCS-R, from 400 employees of a single, large tourism organization were analyzed. Subscales of the THOCS-R demonstrated levels of reliability ranging from acceptable to high. Confirmatory factor analysis provided support for the notion that the THOCS-R reliably measured four dimensions of the original instrument. Analyses were also conducted to investigate whether the THOCS-R has any explanatory utility in the prediction of other organizational variables. Regression analyses found the four replicated climate dimensions to explain 19.36% of the variation in employee turnover intentions and 20.07% of the variation in employee perceptions of customer satisfaction. It was concluded that the THOCS-R reliably measures four dimensions of organizational climate in tourism employees and is potentially a useful tool to examine the impact of climate on organizational outcomes. © 2004 International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education.