Rachel Pierce

OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA-Symbolic Frame Worksheet
Worksheet Objectives:
1. Describe the symbolic frame
2. Apply the symbolic frame to your personal case situation

Complete the following making sure to support your ideas and cite from the textbook and other
course materials per APA guidelines. After the peer review, you have a chance to update this and
format for your Electronic Portfolio due in Module 6.

1) Briefly restate your situation from Module 1 and your role.

The situation I am discussing is the ‘perceived’ labor shortage that took place in
Starbucks stores 2016-17. During this time there was a push to increase sales and the
mobile order app had been launched. In an effort to increase profits more there was a cut
in the amount of “labor” managers were given to staff the stores with. This means that
they could not schedule as many hours a day, so while we were still open the same
operation hours, they were working with less scheduling hours. This caused strain on
baristas and upset customers. Eventually there was a meeting between a barista that
started a petition and the head of Starbucks. During this time, I worked in a store as a
barista and shift lead.

2) Describe how the symbols of the organization influenced the situation.

In this situation it was eventually the symbols of the organization that acutally
help to repair it. Howard Schultz was in the process of retiring from the role of CEO and
handing the reins over to Kevin Johnson. It was when Howard Schultz finally got
involved that things started to happen for the better. He met with the barista that started
the petion to hear him and hear what was being felt in the stores.

This was effective in making baristas feel more heard because of the symbolisim
that was held in Howard Schultz as a person. He is very much painted as the hero of
Starbucks. He embodies all of the company’s core values and beliefs. When there are
conversations about what needs to change or be done in the company there is almost a
feeling of “What would Howard do?” as silly as that might sound.

3) Recommend how you would use organizational symbols for an alternative course of
action regarding your case.

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 Rachel Pierce

I think organizational symbols were used well in this situation. The main problem is
that they were used as a reaction instead of being consistant throughout. If the company
had held to it’s “mythology and symbols” I don’t think it would have gotten as far as it
did. They needed to remember their identity as an organization that sets their “partners”
high up and values them.

Instead of using a meeting with the hero of the company a way to quiet the
complaints they could have looked at how to keep that image of the hero going even
while he was stepping down. Just because a leader steps down doesn’t remove their
importance or history. There are still iconic leaders and heros of countries who had
impact far after their time in office or whaterever their role may have been.

4) Reflect on what you would do or not do differently given what you have learned
about this frame.

As I said above I think good eventually came out of the situation however I do
think things could have been done differently. Ideally the company would have
remembered their values and not succumb to the pressurs of expected growth. However,
they are a publicly held company and they have to honor their share holders as well as
their employees. Eventually something like this would happen, and it will more than
likely happen again.
What I would like to see happen differently next time is that they remember their
story, or mythology, of holding their employees in such a place of values that they call
them partners. They pride themselves on taking care of their employees (and they do) and
listening but the feel short on the listening part in this situation. They needed to
remember their own set up story and handle things through that lense from the get go.
Instead of telling their employees that they were wrong – and that corporate wasn’t
cutting hours. They should have noticed there are a lot of the same complaint coming to
us lets hear what this is about and how can we address it.

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 Rachel Pierce

Reference or References