Cultural Approach to Cultural Approach to OrganizationsOrganizations

communication creates and constitutes the taken-for-

granted

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-a-china-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-a-china-shop fears for consultants who have ethical concerns about how their corporate analyses might be used.” (Griffin, p. 282)

CONSULTING

How do you feel about the use of communication analysis to extend corporate control over workers?

Most communication consultants are hired by top management to extend corporate control over workers.

Is this an ethical use of communication analysis? Why or why not?