Sources of Organizational Culture
Pacanowsky and Trujillo
argue that there are seven sources of information about an organization’s
culture. Researchers can use these sources to develop an understanding
of the culture and individuals can use information revealed by these sources
to learn to "fit in."
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Relevant constructs:
Try to discover and organization’s general and specific goals and what their
shared meanings are. These notions will become important to you as you gain
experience in the organization and can rely on it for important information.
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Facts:
From the relevant constructs you should be able to gain an appreciation for
what counts as information for the organization.
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Practices:
Try
to find out how this particular organization knows when it has accomplished
its goals and how communication practices are viewed in relation to
accomplishing the goal.
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Vocabulary:
Try to learn the particular jargon or technical language used by the
organization and its members. The more you learn to use the organization’s
language, the more likely they are to accept you into the culture.
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Metaphors:
Listen to how the organizational members talk about themselves and the
organization. What are the typical metaphors they use to describe their
organizational experiences? This can reveal valuable information about how
they see themselves within the group or organization. Are they “playing the
game,” or “changing the system?”
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Stories:
Listen to the stories individual organizational members tell about
themselves and others. Are there ritualized “screw-ups” when the boss is
away, or perhaps an important event happened when the computer system broke
down? In stories we reveal significant information about the members and
the organization.
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Rites
and Rituals:
Every culture has its own ceremonies and important dates and observances.
Examples are the semi-annual reviews of performance, weekly staff meetings,
daily coffee breaks, etc. Knowing what these rites and rituals are provides
valuable insight into the inner workings of the groups, as well as a sense
of what the operating roles are.
Based
on Pacanowsky, M.E. & O’Donnell-Trujillo, N. (1982). Communication and
organizational cultures. Western Journal of Speech Communication, 46,
115-130.