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

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A Primer on Organizational Culture

Wayne Smith, Ph.D.Department of

ManagementCSU Northridge

Rites and their practical and expressive consequences

SFVSC T-shirt

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Student Success:Culture—Surface Attributes

• 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

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Student Success:Culture—Sub-Surface Attributes

• 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

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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

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Artifacts

Material objects manufactured by people to facilitate culturally

expressive activities

VW car club

In N Out burger -wide

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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”

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Gesture

Movements of parts of the body used to express meanings

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Symbol

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

representing another thing

Upside-down horseshoe

SFVSC T-shirt

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Story

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

fiction

Culture – United Rentals - 2

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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

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Folk-tale

A completely fictional narrative

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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

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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

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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

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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

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“Back-pocket” Slides

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Cultural Forms

• These “types” are neither– Mutually-exclusive, nor– Collectively-exhaustive

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Rites

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

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Rite of Passage

Spelling – “Nosie/Noise”

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Rite of Degradation

Spelling – “Nosie/Noise”

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Rite of Enhancement

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Rite of Renewal

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Rite of Conflict Resolution

Spelling – “Nosie/Noise”

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Rite of Integration

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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

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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

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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