The Likert Organizational Profile : Methodological Analysis and Test of System 4 Theory

A 20-item Likert Organizational Profile (LOP) was administered twice to 256 employees in 13 Brazilian development banks. Actual and ideal bank profiles were similar to those found in the U.S. and elsewhere: employees want participative-group management methods but say their organization uses autocratic or consultative methods. Factor analyses did not yield the six dimensions predicted by Likert ' s theory; factors were only partially consistent over time and for different hierarchical levels. Retrospective scores were quite accurate and equally so for 6, 12, and 18 month time periods since original administration. Test-retest reliability of the LOP as a whole was moderate. Bank LOP scores were unrelated to objective measures of organizational effectiveness, but were positively related to employee satisfaction. The LOP appears useful for current and retrospective organization studies, but the theory of management systems measured by it was only partially supported.