Transcript Cultural Approach to Organizations

Cultural Approach to
Organizations
communication creates and
constitutes the taken-forgranted
Clifford Geertz & Michael Pacanowsky
Please take a stab at offering your
interpretation of what the next
slide means
MANAGERS AS AGENTS OF
CHANGE
“Managers who regard themselves as
agents of cultural change create bull-in-achina-shop fears for consultants who have
ethical concerns about how their
corporate analyses might be used.”
(Griffin, p. 282)
CLICKER
“Managers who regard themselves as agents of cultural
change create bull-in-a-china-shop fears for consultants
who have ethical concerns about how their corporate
analyses might be used.” (Griffin, p. 282)
A = CONSULTANTS WORK FOR $ ONLY;
B = MANAGERS WANT TO TREAT THE WORKER
AS EQUALS;
C = CONSULTANTS DO NOT WANT THEIR
ANALYSES USED TO MANIPULATE THE
WORKERS;
WHAT CULTURE IS
• Systems of shared
meaning
• Actions by which
members constitute
and reveal their
culture(texts)
• Symbolic expression
STUDYING
ORGANIZATIONAL
CULTURE
• A Soft Science
• Not an experimental
science in search of
law
• An interpretive
science in search of
meaning
ETHNOGRAPHERS ARE
INTERESTED IN
• The Significance of seemingly mundane
activity for the actor
• Not Statistical Summaries/Frequencies
• Not Generalizations, but
• Localized Insight
• With special attention to:
– imaginative language; stories told; nonverbal
rites and rituals
WHAT ETHNOGRAPHERS DO
• Ethnographers map out
social discourse
– they observe
– they record
– they analyze
• Participant Observation
– participating in some
event while collecting
data (e.g., living in a community)
METAPHORS
• Especially when used by members
throughout an organization
– E.g., “lattice organization” [lines of comm are a
lattice, not a pyramid]
• The importance of one-on-one communication
throughout the organization
– E.g., “the waterline operating principle: (pp.
292-293)[boring holes below the waterline
could sink us all, so consult with others]
SYMBOLIC
INTERPRETATON OF STORY
• Three types of narrative that dramatize
organizational life:
– 1. Corporate Stories
• these reinforce company policy
– 2. Personal Stories
• personnel tell about themselves (how they would
like to be seen within the organization)
– 3. Collegial Stories
• how the organization really works
MANAGERS AS AGENTS OF
CHANGE
“Managers who regard themselves as
agents of cultural change create bull-in-achina-shop fears for consultants who have
ethical concerns about how their
corporate analyses might be used.”
(Griffin, p. 282)
CONSULTING
Most communication consultants are hired by top
management to extend corporate control over workers.
How do you feel about the use of communication analysis
to extend corporate control over workers?
Is this an ethical use of communication analysis? Why
or why not?