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A021: Symbolic Frame

+Symbolic Assumptions

What is most important is not what happens but what it means

Activity and meaning are loosely coupled Events and actions have multiple interpretations as people

experience life differently

In the face of uncertainty and ambiguity, people create symbols

Many events and processes are more important for what is expressed than what is produced

Culture forms the super glue that bonds an organization, unites people, and helps an organization accomplish desired ends.

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+Symbolic Forms

Myths, Vision and Values

Heroes and Heroines

Stories and Fairy Tales

Rituals

Ceremony

Metaphor, Humor and Play

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+The role of organizational culture

Deal and Kennedy (1982): “The way we do things around here”

Culture is both a product and a process

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+Organizational Process as Theater

Meetings (“garbage cans”)

Planning

Evaluation

Collective Bargaining

Power

Managing Impressions

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