OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA-Symbolic Frame Worksheet

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

On a short, routine flight from New York to Washington, D.C., I was the service

manager, flying with the minimum required crew. One of my first-class passengers

requested alcoholic miniatures to take with him off the airplane when we landed. I

politely explained to the passenger that we were not allowed to offer alcohol that could

be taken off the aircraft for safety and legal reasons. The passenger became angry,

getting up from his seat and threatening to go to the cockpit to speak to the pilot. I was

able to employ my interpersonal skills and understand the situation and how to handle

him. I calmed him down and said I would talk to the pilot later in the flight. He settled

down, and I carried on with what I was doing. And then, while serving another set of

passengers, the man threw his glass with ice, mix, and miniatures from his tray table at

me but luckily missed me. In following TWA operating procedure, I immediately

informed the captain of the incident. When we arrived in D.C., the passenger was

removed from the flight and taken away by police. The cockpit crew and I filed a police

report and continued on our trip. Several years later, the airline contacted me to testify in

a lawsuit that the passenger filed in court against them resulting from the incident.

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

One of the areas where symbolism influenced this situation would be the

differences in seating classification from first-class and coach class. The man was seated

in the first-class cabin, which is a more expensive seat than the coach cabin. First-class

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offers its passengers additional and upgraded services such as wider seats, more legroom,

cocktails on the ground, linen, a more comprehensive selection of alcohol, and they drink

from glassware. It is likely that because he was in first class, the man felt entitled to

whatever he wanted because he had paid a higher fare than others did, or he had flown

more miles to earn the upgrade. Thus, he felt that whatever he requested should be given

based on his higher fare, mileage status, and seat classification.

The man also stated that he was a diplomat, which signaled to others his

presumed elite status and power versus my own or others working on the flight. If he

came from a high-power distance country, he would have expected that I would display

behaviors paralleling boss and subordinate and would have done what he asked without

question. His intention in telling me that he was a diplomat was to intimidate me and

infer power by coercing me to do what he wanted. Another symbol worn on my uniform

was a hash mark on my sleeve, which displayed rank as the service manager and over the

other flight attendants. Coming from another country with different cultural beliefs, the

cultural difference between masculine and feminine could have aggravated him and

initiated his reaction. He may have thought I was in a perceived power position over

him, especially because I denied him his request.

3) Recommend how you would use organizational symbols for an alternative course of

action regarding your case.

Deal and Kennedy say that “culture is both a product and a process. As a product,

it embodies wisdom accumulated from experience” (Bolman & Deal, 2017). TWA’s

culture as a product had learned over time that giving passengers alcohol to be removed

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from the aircraft was a dangerous and sometimes deadly idea. Documented cases of this

have shown, some passengers, many of whom would get in their cars and drive home at

their destination after drinking throughout the flight, could be involved in an accident and

either hurt or kill themselves or someone else. With this in mind, I could have better

explained TWA’s stance on removing alcohol and its reasoning in doing so. However, I

feel that this would likely have angered him further.

Another option would have been to ask one of the other flight attendants to serve

him and remove me from the situation. Other flight crew members may have been

culturally diverse or, gender diverse (masculine vs. feminine), a better candidate to

reason with him and deescalate the issue. The sole of the flight crew team comprises a

wide range of individuals; their diversity, languages spoken, gender, or even sense of

humor is different, which may have allowed for a better outcome. It was unfortunate that

the flight was so short. We were under time limitations to serve the rest of the passengers.

However, based on how quickly he got angry, I don’t think it would have made a

difference.

4) Reflect on what you would do or not do differently given what you have learned

about this frame.

In reflection, I don’t feel that I could have interacted or reacted differently with

the passenger in this situation based on the symbolic framework. We planned our

workflows and positions ahead of the flight according to airline guidelines, and we were

a full flight with just thirty minutes in the air. You cannot really plan for an aggravated

passenger. They can show up anywhere in the cabin, sometimes you can talk to them and

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reason with them, sometimes you cannot. You are with them for such a short part of their

day, and you have no control over what happened prior to them boarding the aircraft.

One thing I think I would have likely done differently after the flight or at the end

of the day would have been to do an evaluation or debrief of the situation with the rest of

the cabin and flight crew. It would have been beneficial for the new hires flying with me

to understand why the rules are followed and that it’s okay if the passengers disagree

with it and get upset sometimes. But, unfortunately, there are times when we cannot

prevent the situation from happening or better the outcome when someone is on a

destructive path. So instead, we need to make sure that our we, our flying partners and

passengers remain safe at all times.

Otherwise, I feel that we managed impressions (Bolman & Deal, 2017) well in the

packed lobby of people. They saw this passenger removed screaming and fighting with

police. They then also saw me and the captain and flight crew after the incident being

calm, welcoming, and friendly to passengers as they boarded for the next flight, as we

would any flight. It portrayed professionalism to our passengers and helped to keep them

calm after what they had just witnessed in the lobby.

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References

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2017). Reframing  organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership
(6th  ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass