Ekvall (1987) suggested that there are two ontological interpretations of the organizational climate concept:
realistic and objectivistic; and subjectivistic and phenomenological. The objectivistic view sees climate as an
attribute of the organization while, according to the subjectivistic approach, organizational climate is the
organizational members' common perception of the organizational situation. It is regarded as “a product of
personal values and remains a property of individuals irrespective of the empirical level of anaylsis” (James,
James, & Ashe, 1990).