Does organizational climate impact upon burnout in staff who work with people with intellectual disabilities? A systematic review of the literature

Staff stress and burnout is a prominent area of research in relation to services for people with intellectual disabilities. The aim of this article is to review the literature in relation to organizational climate in order to investigate whether there is a relationship between organizational variables and staff burnout. A systematic literature search yielded 21 articles which fell into two categories. Earlier studies tended to focus on deinstitutionalization, whereas later studies appeared to be influenced by work-stress theories, including 'person-environment fit' and demand control. Overall, it was found that an organizational climate that has a better 'person-environment' fit promotes greater job satisfaction and reduced burnout. Future research could focus upon the social or therapeutic aspects of the environment within services for people with intellectual disabilities to address an area of research which appears to have been overlooked.