The Organisational Atmosphere in Higher Education Institutions: Perceptions and Reactions of Tunisian Faculty Members
Authors: Bouderbala Rym , Skandrani Hamida , Souei Wafa 
Published: September 2024

Purpose: Despite only a few studies addressing the topic of organisational atmosphere in higher education (HE), this issue is gaining a growing interest among academicians. Such interest stems from wide recognition of the important role that the organisational atmosphere plays in improving employee job satisfaction in organisation settings in general, and in the HE context in particular. This study aims to provide a better understanding of the impact of atmospheric factors on the emotional and/or behavioural responses of the Faculty Members (FMs) in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).Methodology: Consistent with our study objectives, a qualitative methodology is deemed appropriate. Semi-structured interviews with 20 FMs working in four Tunisian HEIs were used for data collection until no further key information was revealed by interviewing an additional respondent. Consent was obtained before recording the interviews, which were subsequently fully transcribed. We then performed thematic content analysis using Sphinx IQ software.Findings: The results of this study reveal two main classes of factors of organisational atmosphere in an HEI’s site which are physical and social. The social factors can be classified into two groups. The first refers to interpersonal relationships with colleagues, students and administrative staff. The second group relates to the socio-affective interactivity dimension and concerns the process of integrating the FM into the HEI and the role played by the institution’s dean and his staff in facilitating the newly recruited or transferred FM’s integration. These factors are considered as levers for job satisfaction and quality improvement in HE. Despite the importance of social factors, physical factors are found to be relevant too as they are most often sources of negative attitudes and even operate as inhibiting factors. Contribution: Previous essays to conceptualise the organisational atmosphere impact on the on-site occupants remain mainly theoretical. Furthermore, the few studies examining the role of organisational atmosphere on the employee responses adopt different conceptualisations and have mainly focused on commercial environments. This study extends the focus to the higher education context. It allowed two specific groups of factors of HEIs’ organisational atmosphere to be highlighted: social factors (interpersonal relationships, leadership, and the integration process) and physical ones (both inhibiting and facilitating). These factors are likely to elicit positive emotional responses (love, gratefulness and feel-good mood) and negative ones (fear and frustration). They also trigger behavioural reactions in the form of approach (e.g. patience, responsibility, motivation) or avoidance responses (e.g. shock, disappointment, intention to leave).Limitations: As our study is exploratory in nature, and as we interviewed FMs from only four HEIs, our results may lack generalisability. Furthermore, the conditions in which the interviews were conducted may have influenced the FMs’ perceptions of the organisational atmosphere in their HEIs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These limitations can be overcome in future studies.