Symbolism & Culture

Assumptions

• Most important is not what happens but what it means

• Activity and meaning are loosely coupled

• Use of symbols to create meaning• Role of expression vs. product• Culture unites

Organizations as Cultures• The way we do things

around here• Shared understandings

and expectations• Norms, values, beliefs and

assumptions• Expression via artifacts

and symbols

Thought Questions

• How would you describe to others “how we do things at William & Mary” based on your interactions as a student?

• What are the parts of culture that are articulated? Not captured in formal documents?

• How does culture set the stage for organizational change?

Societal culture

Organizational Cultures (societal subcultures)

Organizational subcultures

Cultures and subcultures

Organizational Subcultures

• Occupational (R&D, legal)

• Work group (teams, branch offices)

• Hierarchical (top mgt, middle, workers)

• Previous affiliations (merger, acquisition, joint venture)

• Siehl & Martin’s study• Enhancing (support corporate values)• Orthogonal (exist independently)• Counter (defy corporate values)

Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture

– Individualism– Power distance– Uncertainty avoidance– Masculinity/femininity– Time orientation (long vs short run)

Criticisms

• Conducted entirely within one firm (IBM)• Measures unstable across time• Results do not have face validity

Schein’s 3 Levels of Culture

Artifacts

Values

Assumptions

Visible but often undecipherable

Greater level of awareness

Taken for granted, invisible

Thought Questions

• Thinking about your institution’s culture, what are some of the artifacts, values, and assumptions?

• How might these differ based on sub-cultures?

• How are institutional cultures influenced by changes overall in higher education?

• How has the climate changed?• How does the saga shift?

Organizations as Symbols• Objects that convey

meaning (Tierney)– Language– Dress– Structural roles– Spatial organization

• Branding– Logos– Sayings

Symbols of Leadership

Tierney stated:• Symbols demand

corroboration• Use of symbols is

consistent with the organization’s culture

• Need to use all symbolic forms

Artifacts of Organizational Culture

Category: Examples:

Objects

Art/design/logo; Buildings/décor/furnishings; Dress/appearance/costume/uniform; Products/equipment/methods; Posters, photos, cartoons, signage.

Verbal expressions

Jargon/names/nicknames; Explanations/theories; Stories/myths/legends/heroes/villains; Superstition/rumors; Metaphor/proverbs/slogans; Speeches/rhetoric/oratory.

Activities

Ceremonies/rituals/rites of passage; Meetings/retreats/parties; Communication patterns; Traditions/customs/social routines; Gestures; Play/recreation/games; Rewards/punishments

Symbolic-Interpretive Approaches

• Symbols, symbolism, symbolic behavior

• Organizational stories, narratives & narrating

• The Theatre Metaphor: Dramaturgy & performativity

Photo courtesy of Phil Mirvis

The Theatre Metaphor

Performativity

• Words do things.• Utterances

perform actions.

University of RochesterRecruitment Video• What is symbolized?• How do you understand

the culture?

Myths, Vision, and Values

• Induction Stories– Hewlett Packard – garage– Start of Apple Computer

• Translation of vision /values to stories

Heroes and Heroines

• Founding Stories

• Tank in Tiananmen Square

• Norma Rae/Rosa Parks/JFK

• Becoming the Hero/heroine

Stories and Fairy Tales

• Accounts and stories of real events.

• Involve plots and characters.

• Incorporate storytelling (how the story is told).

• Stories can be abbreviated by organizational members

• Our life stories and experience are narratives.

Ritual

• Traditional routines– Start of the year meeting– Celebrations

• Socialization to the organization

• Protocols

Ceremony

• Less frequent than rituals

• Highlights special moments– 50th anniversary– Graduation of 1000 student– Retirements

• Meeting Goals

Metaphor, Humor, Play

• Metaphors for visuals

• Humor to convey message—plus and minus

• Play as form of celebration—summer picnic/donkey basketball

Interpreting Artifacts: The Culture Spiral

Verbal Artifact:hero/villain

Verbal Artifact:

joke

Physical Artifact:object

Behavioral Artifact:ritual

Theme

Thought Questions

• How might the culture look different depending on institutional role? Faculty? Leader?

• What is the impact on faculty roles with the increased emphasis on interdisciplinary work? With more adjuncts?

• How does level of analysis matter?

Deconstructing Organizational Culture

to …

• Role of Discourse Analysis

• expose dominant narratives and ideologies.

• explore how narratives privilege some groups over others.

• see whose voices are silenced and marginalized.

• uncover multiple and opposing interpretations.

• surface manipulation.

Organizational Culture in Summary…

Modern Symbolic-Interpretivism

Postmodern

Metanarrative.

Organizational identity.

Organizational stories & heroes.

Unity and coherence of values & norms.

Communicated through stories & symbols.

Local narratives.

Context for making meaning & identities.

Multiple stories & interpretations.

Webs of meaning.

Re/constructed in interactions.

Contested narratives.

Simulacra and no shared meaning.

Intertextuality.

Power struggles & fragmentation.

Masks silences & marginalized groups.

Ambiguity of Leadership

• Homogeneity of leaders– New ACE president study shows decline

in minority leaders (13%) and small uptick in women (26%)

– Hiring committees• Constraints• External factors• New President at RBC