1

OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA: Symbolic Frame Worksheet

JT

Arizona State University

September 26, 2021

1
 2

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.

My current role is a reservation specialist, I take calls to facilitate revenue and schedule
services. I also aim to solve issues before they need management intervention. My situation
involves coworkers who do not align with the company values and the lack of boundaries
when it comes to managing issues that arise between coworkers. Another big issue related is
not having the proper channels of support for reporting misconduct.

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

Symbolism is everywhere in companies. The symbolic frame essteinally reiterates that it

is what creates longevity in a company by bringing meaning to the work at hand. The text,
“Reframing Organizations” went into detail about the importance of symbolism within a
company and that it is synonyms with more known terms: vision, and culture. Reframing
Organizations by Bolman and Deal argued that a company would not exist without
symbolism within a company, because symbolism helps teams connect and strive to work
together towards common goals. Without the culture, and the vision that symbolism entails,
there would be no connecting factors.

For the company I work for, there are core values that they try to aim for with every
customer experience and within the team. I do believe to an extent, this is why my company
struggles so much with team dynamics. There are these core values, but there is no history to

2
 3

connect the team and create a wave of cohesion. The current core values include: 360
degree’s of care, authenticity, and always do our best. They are simple, to the point, and easy
to follow which I can appreciate. However, I can say that there is not much to know
otherwise about the company. I know that there are the founders, but aside from that I am not
sure what they envision the company to look like, the onboarding process includes a brief
over view of the team and the “vision” but I think that has potentially led to the issues I have
faced with the lack of team cohesion, bullying and no boundaries or proper HR outlets.

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

I have already started introducing different ways to improve the company, I do think that
the symbolic frame chapters from this week will help strengthen my rhetoric and stress the
need of a more focused orientation that will create commitment and really highlight the
symbolism of the company. If I had more of a leadership position, I would overhaul the
onboarding process by showcasaing and finding a way to connect the new-hires with the
empire builders through a meet and greet or even a video to establish what the company
means to them, what their vision and goals are and how the new-hires will essentially impact
the business with their influence.

With my current situation, I do feel like a team building exercise would be beneficial.
Finding a way to connect the troubled team and finding ways to build trust through open
communication in a mediated way, maybe using methods from Aikido, “Spitting the Hook”
or “H.E.A.R.” I would then find ways to redefine what our vision is and help them see where
there efforts are needed, and appreciated. From there, I would encourage them to work
together for short time periods and help them create a blank slate using the the values of our
company as the glue that brings people together.

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

There’s a reason why culture and vision are so heavily stressed through out Organizational
Leadership. The more we learn about symbolism and see how it has a great impact on other
companies, the easier it will be for us to create dynamic teams that understand their role within

3
 4

an organization and feel empowered everyday they show up. I can honestly say I probably did
not handle the situation the best. I waited months before going to my team and speaking out
against the current issues. This led me to hold animosity towards the entire team and ultimately
made me feel like it was a hositile workplace.

I now understand that seeing something happening and not being proactive makes me an
enabler. I should have spoke up sooner and put a stop to the situation. While, I did my best by
staying professional I should have been more honest on my end. As far as the other aspects, I still
did struggle on who to go to with the issues and that needs to be fixed by management as soon as
possible.

4
 5

Reference

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