Symbolic Frames

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Symbolic Frames
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Outline of presentation

• Introduction to symbols
• Introduction to symbolic frames
• Core assumptions
• Organizations as culture
• Organizational symbols
• Myths, vision, and values
• Break time
• Heroes and Heroines
• Stories and Fairy Tales
• Rituals and Ceremonies
• Metaphor, humour and play
• Organization as theatre
• Organizational structure as theatre

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Introduction to Symbols
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Symbolic Frames

• Focused on how we make sense of our world
  through
• Meaning (not given, we have to create it)
• Belief
• Faith

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Activities !!!!
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Symbols

• Does anyone recognize any of the following?

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Symbolic Frames

• What do the following make you think of?

• Hollister

• Hummer

• Starbucks

• Lululemon

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Symbols

• Represent things but also have a symbolic
  resonance

• Carry intellectual and emotional messages
• Mind and heart

• Building blocks of our meaning/culture

• Often invisible to us

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What does it mean to be Canadian?
18-19

• For me

English/French
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What does it mean to be Canadian?
John Smith ?

• For others

Joe ?
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Organizational Culture Symbols
Harley-Davidson as a way of life

• All owners have one point in common their
  dedication to Harley

• Brand loyalty is emotional and based on pattern
  of associations

• Symbols permeate organizational fiber through
  organizational culture
• Harley-Davidsons unique culture

• Other examples???
• Boats Jeep owners

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Symbols in tragedy

• Symbols are especially important in times of
  tragedies and triumph

• Eg. the spiritual magic behind the American flag
  on 9/11 to honour victims and heroes

• Other examples??? Hockey fans

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Introduction to Symbolic Frames
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Organizational Culture and Symbols

• The symbolic frame focuses on how we make sense
  of the world. Meaning is not given to us, it is
  created.

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Organizational Culture and Symbols

• Symbols are the basic building blocks of the
  meaning system or cultures we experience.
• Symbolic frame derives and highlights basic
  meanings and beliefs that make symbols powerful.
• E.g. Christian cross

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Symbolic Assumptions

• The core assumptions of the symbolic frame are
• What is most important is not what happens, but
  what it means.
• Activity and meaning are loosely attached events
  have several meanings because each persons
  experience is unique in itself.

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Symbolic Assumptions

• People create symbols to solve confusion, create
  direction, instill faith and hope, and decrease
  uncertainty.
• Events and processes are more important in what
  is expressed rather than what is produced.
• Culture is the glue that holds and organization
  together and binds people together around shared
  values and beliefs.

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The Symbolic Frame

• Serendipitous and unforeseen lens rather than
  predictable and linear
• Organizations are also unpredictable and complex.
• Symbols help direct our understanding to a more
  comfortable level.

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Organizations as Cultures

• A culture is a pattern of shared basic
  assumptions that a group learned as it solved its
  problems of external adaption and
  integrationenough to be considered and validto
  be taught to new members as the correct way to
  perceive, think, and feel in relation to those
  problems. (Schein)

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Organizations as Cultures

• Culture is both a product and a process.
• Product it gathers wisdom
• from those who came before
• us and created traditions.
• Process it is constantly
• renewed and recreated as
• newcomers adapt to the
• old ways and become
• teachers themselves.

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Organizations as Cultures

• What is the relationship between culture and
  leadership?

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Organizations as Cultures

• Every organization develops distinct beliefs,
  values and patterns.
• Newcomers who enter the organization need to
  learn the culture in order to fit in.

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Organization and Culture At Its Best

• E.g. The Nordstrom Employee Handbook
• Welcome to Nordstrom.
• Were glad to have you with our company.
• Our number one goal is to provide outstanding
  customer service.
• Set both your personal and professional
• goals high. We have great confidence
• in your ability to achieve them.
• Nordstrom Rules
• Rule 1 Use your good judgment in all
• situations.
• There will be no additional rules.

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Organizational Symbols
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Organizational Symbols

• An organizations culture is communicated most
  clearly through its symbols

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Organizational SymbolsMcDonalds

• Golden arches
• The core values we live by (McDonalds website)
• unparalleled levels of Quality, Service,
  Cleanliness and Value
• committed to our people
• honesty and integrity
• give back to the communities
• give back to the system
• strive to achieve new heights

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Organizational SymbolsVolvo

• Importance of symbols in corporate life more
  widely appreciated
• Göran Carstedt became head of Volvo France in
  1982
• Sales were declining
• Carstedts actions illustrated the power of
  symbols and culture

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Organizational SymbolsVolvo

• Began meeting with Volvos 150 French dealers
• Asked for ideas about what should be done to
  increase the sale of Volvos cars
• His next steps relied on values, ritual, ceremony
  and humour

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Organizational SymbolsVolvo

• The customer was king.
• Dealers were invited to a conference that opened
  with a funny film.

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Organizational SymbolsVolvo

• Volvos new car models were shown via telecast
  from a beautiful showroom somewhere in France.
• Carstedt took the dealers with him to Sweden to
  show them the culture behind the cars and Volvos
  identity.

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Organizational SymbolsVolvo

• The dealers then toured a Volvo factory and then
  prizes were handed out to the best dealers.
• The next day, the dealers were immersed in
  touring Stockholm landscape, parties and the
  culture.
• Carstedt closed the excursion with a speech
  explaining Volvos philosophy and values and
  their importance to success.

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Organizational SymbolsVolvo

• To convey the difference between where Volvo was
  and where Volvo needed to go, he used visual
  images
• each finger pointing out what was wrong with
  someone else VS a supportive grasp
• Volvos sales and market share doubled within
  four years

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Organizational SymbolsContinental Airlines

• Gordon Bethune demonstrated a turnaround of what
  was once considered the worst air carrier
• 1994 late flights, lost luggage, complaints,
  overbooked
• Bethune came up with symbolic actions to fix the
  problems in the company to save the company

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Organizational SymbolsContinental Airlines

• What Bethune did
• Opened the doors to the executive suite and
  removed cameras
• Held open houses and tours of his office with
  food and drink for all executive employees
• Sat in a different chair at each meeting
• Set old employee manuals full of rules and
  regulations afire, joined by his employees
• Had the planes repainted with a new scheme
• Invited best employees to his home for dinner
• Employees were given monetary rewards for on-time
  flights

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Organizational Symbols

• Volvo and Continental are two examples of using
  symbols to find meaning in chaos, clarity in
  confusion, and predictability in mystery

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Organizational SymbolsMyths, Vision, and
Values

• Myths
• the story behind the story
• operate at the deepest levels of consciousness
• explain, express, legitimize and maintain
  solidarity and cohesion
• communicate unconscious wishes and conflicts
• mediate contradictions
• are a narrative to anchor the present in the past
• Myths support claims of distinctiveness, and all
  organizations rely on varying strengths of myths

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Organizational SymbolsMyths, Vision, and
Values

• Myths anchor an organizations values
• Values
• define what an organization stands for
• are intangible
• define a fundamental character and sense of
  identity
• When an organization tries to articulate their
  values through mission statements, they can lose
  their meaning

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Organizational SymbolsMyths, Vision, and
Values

• Vision turns an organizations core ideology or
  purpose into an image of what the future will
  bring
• Vision is important in contemporary organizations
  unique drive for progress (Collins and
  Porras)

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Organizational SymbolsMyths, Vision, and
Values

• The ideas of myths, vision, and values conjoin
• eBay
• Vision a perfect marketplace with a caring
  community
• Values treat other people online as you would
  like to be treated, and give others the benefit
  of the doubt
• Myth the vision took place while Pierre Omidyar
  ate dinner with his fiancée and she complained
  that their move to the Silicon Valley was hard
  for her to collect Pez dispensers so he made it
  for her

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BREAK TIME!!!!!!