| The Burke-Litwin Model of Individual and Organizational Performance (1989) is a functional cause and effect model, depicting the relationships between organizational variables such as Leadership, Culture, Climate, and Performance. The model's purpose is to go beyond mere description of the relationships between organizational variables to allow both scholars and consultants to predict behavior and performance consequences.;This study tested a structural model derived from the Burke-Litwin model. The focus of the research was on the relationship between the variable, Organization Culture, and the other domains of the model. Culture was hypothesized to influence and to be influenced by these other domains.;The variables in the model were operationalized by creating scales from survey items designed to measure different aspects of Leadership, Organization Culture, Management Practices, Work Unit Climate and Individual and Organizational Performance. A sample of 260 employees of a large medical center in northern New England participated in the study by completing the 148 item survey.;Two tests for confirmation of the overidentified path model were conducted, and both supported the linkages the model predicts. The path model clearly indicated the central role that Culture plays in explaining the variance in the two dependent variables, Work Unit Climate (R;The path model confirmed in this study supports, to a considerable degree, Burke's and Litwin's theoretical model. Of particular interest is the empirical support provided for the theoretical distinction made by Burke and Litwin between Organization Culture and Work Unit Climate.;This study also provides evidence that Organization Culture can be measured by the methods of survey research. It suggests that people do hold an ordered system of perceptions linking what happens in their larger organizational environment to their experiences in their work group, and to their own feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction.;Potential modifications of the Burke-Litwin model and the methodology used to confirm it are discussed, as are suggestions for future research. |
