Organizational Culture Theory HCOM Quiz

OCT name

Organizational Culture Theory

Who was OCT created by

Pacanowsky and O’Donnel-Trujillo

OCT Overview

Humanistic study of communication that shows how organizations evolve over their life cycles.

Views organizations using a cultural (ethnographic) lens.

Culture

systems of shared meaning that constitutes an organization. constructed through communication by organizational practices, each culture distinct to each organization. Culture is created over a period of time, longlasting, resilient

Organizational culture

essence of organizational life. Influnce emotional/psychological atmosphere (ex. Employee morale) symbols (actions, routines) and meanings that people attach to these symbols.

What theory is OCT based off of

Geertz’ symbolic-interpretive approach in the book “The Interpretation of Cultures” that views people/organizations as an interconnected web

• Culture is the webs spun by spider

• Each web is different

Assumptions of Organizational Cultural Theory

• Organizational members create and maintain a shared sense of organizational reality, resulting in a better understanding of the values of an organization

• The use and interpretation of symbols are critical to an organization’s culture.

• Cultures vary across organizations, and the interpretations of actions within these cultures are diverse.

Organizational members create and maintain a shared sense of organizational reality, resulting in a better understanding of the values of an organization.

Assumption of OCT.  Done through symbols. People are important. They create and maintain their reality. People share in the process of discovering an organization’s values

Values:

standards and principles within culture that have intrinsic worth to a culture. Values inform members what is important. Derived from moral knowledge

The use and interpretation of symbols are critical to an organization’s culture.

Assumption of OCT

• Symbols are representations for meaning (symbols create meaning)

• Members of organizations create, use, interpret symbols every day for org. reality

• Symbols can be verbal, behavioral, and physical 

Ethnography and OCT

Ethnography (Geertz’ original work) is the underlying methodology of Organizational Culture Theory. Ethnography influenced Pecanowsky and O’Donnell-Trujillo to subscribe to direct observation, interviews, and participant observation in finding meaning in culture. cultural performances are an ensemble of texts!

Field Journal

Geetz used a Field Journal: personal log to record feelings about communicating with people in a different culture from one’s own

Thick description

Ethnography is a kind of Thick description: explanation of the layers of meaning in a culture

(from google: a qualitative research method that provides detailed, contextual accounts of social and cultural phenomena, going beyond superficial observation to reveal underlying meanings and significance)

Can ethnography fully “capture” a culture?

Ethnography cannot ever fully “capture” a culture.

Performance

metaphor suggesting that organizational life is like a theatrical presentation. Ex. people take on roles as employees, workplace is the stage, scripted dialogues

5 cultural performances:

ritual, passion, social, political, and enculturation

Ritual performances:

• regular and recurring presentations in the workplace.

Personal Rituals:

• routines done at the workplace each day. Ex. checking email

Task Rituals:

•  routines associated with a particular job in the workplace. Ex. issuing tickets

Social Rituals:

• routines that involve relationships with others in the workplace. Ex. happy hour gatherings, employee of the month awards

Organizational rituals

•  routines that pertain to the organization overall. Ex faculty meetings

Passion Performances:

• Organizational stories that employees share with one another. Ex. storytelling, exaggerated speech

Social Performances:

• Organizational behaviors intended to demonstrate cooperation and politeness with others. Ex. “Good Morning!”

Political Performances

•  organizational behaviors that demonstrate power or control. Es. yelling bosses

Enculturation Performances

• Organizational behaviors that assist employees in discovering what it means to be a member of an organization. Ex. orientations, interviews

Critique

Too individualized, vast, vague, organizations too unique

Logical consistency: although theory says stories are told and retold and contribute to culture of an organization, stories may not have shared meaning

What context/approach is OCT

Organizational, Interpretive/Hermeneutic