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

2. SFVSC T-shirt

3. 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

4. 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

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

6. Cell Tower – “hidden” infra.

7. LAPD Disp. - wide

8. LAPD Disp. - scores

9. Artifacts Material objects manufactured by people to facilitate culturally expressive activities

10. VW car club

11. In N Out burger -wide

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

13. Semantics – “Paradigm”

14. Semantics – FAA “customers”

15. Gesture Movements of parts of the body used to express meanings

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

19. Upside-down horseshoe

20. SFVSC T-shirt

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

22. Culture – United Rentals - 2

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

24. Culture – United Rentals - 2

25. Folk-tale A completely fictional narrative

26. 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

27. Santa Anita – missing #13

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

29. Santa Anita – missing #13

30. 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

31. Santa Anita – missing #13

32. 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

33. “Back-pocket” Slides

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

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

36. Rite of Passage

37. Spelling – “Nosie/Noise”

38. Rite of Degradation

39. Spelling – “Nosie/Noise”

40. Rite of Enhancement

41. Rite of Renewal

42. Rite of Conflict Resolution

43. Spelling – “Nosie/Noise”

45. Rite of Integration

46. 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

47. 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

48. 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