Background & Objective: Nurses' perspective on organizational climate can affect job satisfaction and quality of care. Organizational climate influences staffs' attitudes and behaviors in either positive directions, such as productivity, satisfaction, and motivation, or negative directions, such as absenteeism, staff turnover, and work accidents. The purpose of this study was to determine factors that influence the nurses' perspectives about organizational climate.

Methods & Materials: This descriptive study was carried out in four educational hospitals in Tehran during fall 2009. A total of 140 nurses were selected for the study using simple sampling method. Data were gathered using organizational climate questionnaire including 25 items about in-service education, work communication, group participation, leader supervision, job promotion, and work policies and standards. Data were analyzed in the SPSS v.13.

Results: The most important dimensions of organizational climate from the respondents' point of view were: leader supervision (31.4%), coworker communication and support (19.26%), and skills in practice (17%). The most important negative factors that influenced the nurses' perspectives were: lack of reward system (49.3%), high work pressure (47.1%), and lack of participation in important decision-makings (39.3%). The most important positive factors influenced nurses' perspectives were: adequate job information (63.6%), having good communication with coworkers and having supportive coworker (47.9%), and having good communications with the leaders (40.7%).

Conclusion: Using effective communication skills and making supportive systems in hospitals can help to create optimal organizational climate; and may reduce rate of job dissatisfaction, absenteeism, and staff turnover.