A Primer on Organizational Culture Rites and their practical and expressive consequences Wayne Smith, Ph.D. Department of Management CSU Northridge

SFVSC T-shirt

Student Success: Culture—Surface Attributes (“Observable Culture”) Physical Setting Those things that physically surround people and provide them with immediate sensory stimuli as they carry out culturally expressive activities Artifacts Material objects manufactured by people to facilitate culturally expressive activities Language A particular manner in which members of a group use vocal sounds and written signs to convey meanings to each other Gesture Movements of parts of the body used to express meanings Symbol Any object, act, event, quality, or relation that serves as a vehicle for conveying meaning, usually representing another thing Story A narrative based on true events—often a combination of truth and fiction

Student Success: Culture—Sub-Surface Attributes (“Core Culture”) Legend A handed-down narrative of some wonderful event that has a historical basis but has been embellished with fictional details Folk-tale A completely fictional narrative Myth A dramatic narrative of imagined events, usually used to explain origins or transformations of something. Also, an unquestioned belief about the practical benefits of certain techniques and behaviors that is not supported by demonstrated facts Ritual A standardized, detailed set of techniques and behaviors that manages anxieties but seldom produces intended, practical consequences of any importance Rite A relatively elaborate, dramatic, planned set of activities that combines various forms of cultural expression and that often has both practical and expressive consequences

Physical Setting Those things that physically surround people and provide them with immediate sensory stimuli as they carry out culturally expressive activities

Cell Tower – “hidden” infra.

LAPD Disp. - wide

LAPD Disp. - scores

Artifacts Material objects manufactured by people to facilitate culturally expressive activities

VW car club

In N Out burger -wide

Language A particular manner in which members of a group use vocal sounds and written signs to convey meanings to each other

Semantics – “Paradigm”

Semantics – FAA “customers”

Gesture Movements of parts of the body used to express meanings

Symbol Any object, act, event, quality, or relation that serves as a vehicle for conveying meaning, usually representing another thing

Upside-down horseshoe

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Story A narrative based on true events—often a combination of truth and fiction

Culture – United Rentals - 2

Legend A handed-down narrative of some wonderful event that has a historical basis but has been embellished with fictional details

Culture – United Rentals - 2

Folk-tale A completely fictional narrative

Myth A dramatic narrative of imagined events, usually used to explain origins or transformations of something. Also, an unquestioned belief about the practical benefits of certain techniques and behaviors that is not supported by demonstrated facts

Santa Anita – missing #13

Ritual A standardized, detailed set of techniques and behaviors that manages anxieties but seldom produces intended, practical consequences of any importance

Santa Anita – missing #13

Rite A relatively elaborate, dramatic, planned set of activities that combines various forms of cultural expression and that often has both practical and expressive consequences

Santa Anita – missing #13

Sources This presentation is adapted from the following article: Beyer, J., and Trice, H. (1987), “How an Organization’s Rites Reveal Its Culture”, Organizational Dynamics

“Back-pocket” Slides

Cultural Forms These “types” are neither Mutually-exclusive, nor Collectively-exhaustive

Rites Rites of Passage Rites of Degradation Rites of Enhancement Rites of Renewal Rites of Conflict Resolution Rites of Integration

Rite of Passage

Spelling – “Nosie/Noise”

Rite of Degradation

Spelling – “Nosie/Noise”

Rite of Enhancement

Rite of Renewal

Rite of Conflict Resolution

Spelling – “Nosie/Noise”

Rite of Integration

Practical Consequences Social Consequences Practical Consequences Evident A thorough evaluation of candidates’ potential and improvement in their administrative skills so that only the best qualified candidates are promoted to management positions Hidden The relative priorities placed on various areas of performance in the company are communicated and enforced; members of management who act as trainer sharpen and reinforce their own skills; new and old managers size up one another’s strengths and weaknesses

Expressive Consequences Social Consequences Expressive Consequences Evident The transformation of the successful candidate’s social identity among people both within and outside of the organization Hidden The enhancement of the prestige of the managerial role within the company; the motivation of non-management personnel to perform according to priorities; the development of social and emotional bonds among managers

Managing Cultures At root, cultural skills are learned by experience, not learned by education A new manager needs to know “the ropes to skip and the ropes to know” A new manager needs to which aspect of culture to use when to achieve a personal or organizational goal “Boiling frog” syndrome