Musa Kabanangi

OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA-Symbolic Frame Worksheet
1) Briefly restate your situation from Module 1 and your role.

My situation was in regard with the amount of waiting time when shopping from

Walmart. As an external person (customer), the Walmart stores I have visited so far have proven

to be operating with the same, chaos and long lines of customers waiting to be checked out by

one employee operating the only open cash register out of over 15 or line up waiting for their

turn on a self checkout register. Walmart employees don’t seem to pay attention to this issue like

I was told by one employee that the store manager is only interested in meeting the store’s daily

sales target.

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

Walmart as we know it today was founded in 1962 and has evolved from Sam Walton’s

goals for great value and great customer service. Sam Walton who is the founder believed in

leadership through service and that true leadership depends on willing service[ CITATION

Wal21 \l 1033 ]. As a retail giant, Walmart prides itself in offering lower prices and great service

to its customers and communities it operates in. These are ideas or rituals that Walmart is

supposedly believing in and they must be visible and felt across all stores. My experience with

Walmart stores has fell short of great customer service and I believe most customers feel the

same. The text states that an organization’s culture is revealed and communicated through its

symbols[CITATION Bol173 \p 243 \l 1033 ]. This is not the case at Walmart stores, the symbols

shown in stores is contrary to what their mission and values are. These symbols demean

customers and do not add any value to customer experience in the stores. In my opinion, I think

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these stores have adopted their own values which are more concentrated on making sure the store

achieves its daily sales target. They are not concerned about the customer’s experience even

though a cashier will ask if the customer found everything alright at check out. Even if a

customer gives feedback, there will be no impact as the keeping of customers lined up waiting to

check out has become part of Warmart’s symbols.

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

To correct the current situation were customers stay in lines for a long time waiting to be

checked out, I would want to first start by holding meetings at start of shift. Have discussions

about how we will together help customers have a good experience in the store. I belive, when

all is well and organized, meeting daily sales targets becomes easy as customers will walk in and

out the store multiple times without wasting their time. The other recommendation would be to

have floor leaders positioned in every department of the store so customers do not have to

wonder around looking for products. The leaders will either wear a different color vest or have a

print on the vest itself for easy identification. Them being leaders means they will be helping

customers find products as well as follow employees in identifying areas that need attention. The

notorious checkout area will be fully operational with leaders directing customers which cash

register to go to.

Every organization has its moments of achievement and atonement. Expressive events

provide order and meaning and bind an organization or society together[CITATION Bol173 \p

257 \l 1033 ]. To achieve this bond, I would recoment that ceremonies are help either annually or

quarterly to celebrate achievement and recognize each other rather than having food drives for

employees in need. Walmart should value its employees and avoid portraying them as

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individuals who are in ned of food and financial help. This gesture demoralizes employees and

they either leave or not put in their best. On the other hand, celebrating with them opens up a

whole new perspective. Recognizing every employee for their contributions and presenting gifts

to high achievers in the presence of everyone can also stimulate other to want to be recorgnized.

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

The symbolic frame has given me a different understanding of why some organizations

behave the way they do, why they belive so much in what they do and never want to change.

This I believe is why some organizations have been successful due to their consistency and

persistence. Going forward, I want to be part of activities that I have always seen as a waste of

time. I want to do things differently by joining my workmates whenever they call upon me. For a

very long time now, I have not paid attention to our company’s mission and values and I can feel

it that I am slowly moving away from the company’s core beliefs. I also would want my culture

be known, u nderstood and respected so that when I indicate that what am being asked to do

goes against my culture, people will understand.

I currently tell my team a lot of stories and they take that story time as a time for

reflection. I would want to add some kind of team celebrations at least once a month since we

run our section of every project for thirty calendar days. I would like to meet and have lunch or

dinner at the end of a project and engage in conversations pointing out our achievements and

failure. This will happen whether the project was a success or a failure. I believe a failed project

is an opportunity for leaning. These celebrations will hopefully cement our bond as a team and

make our work environment even more desirable.

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 References

Bolman, L., & Deal, T. (2017). Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership (6th
ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass (Perusall Version).

Walmart. (2021). Our Story: Walmart Corporation. Retrieved from Walmart web site:
https://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/our-history