The Organizational Culture Profile Revisited and Revised: An Australian Perspective

Abstract

This paper examines the development and validation of an updated version of the Organizational Culture Profile (OCP) (O'Reilly, Chatman & Caldwell 1991). The current study aimed to overcome the limitations associated with the Q-sort methodology used in earlier versions by developing an instrument based on a Likert-type scale and using a large, Australia-wide sample of executives (N = 1918). Confirmatory factor analysis using AMOS (Arbuckle & Wothke 1999) was used to test the theoretically-derived factor structure. The psychometric properties of the seven-factor instrument were examined and provided evidence of the reliability and validity of the OCP. Using confirmatory factor analyses, competing models were specified and assessed according to a range of fit indices. A higher-order model produced the most parsimonious solution and indicated that innovation appeared to play a pivotal role in terms of executive perceptions of organizational culture. The further development of a rigorous instrument to evaluate perceptions of culture should encourage researchers and practitioners to use the instrument for empirical and diagnostic purposes.