Creating a Positive Team Climate: 20 Practical Ideas

Climate vs. Culture

Many people use the words climate and culture interchangeably, as if they mean the same thing. While both team culture and team climate are important, they are quite different. Climate measures and describes how satisfied team members are with various aspects of their team. We often get a climate reading from a survey that measures satisfaction.

Culture, on the other hand, describes how things get done in an organization or a team. Team norms or ground rules are a practical expression of a team's culture. For example, if team members consistently arrive late for meetings, that is a norm and is a partial description of the team's culture. Climate and culture often intersect. For example, a climate survey might measure the team ...