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.

When our Director, R, was leaving our organization, our unit decided to throw her

a going-away party. It was just supposed to be our unit of six people, but instead, it was

attended by the people in our whole division, which was about 25 people total. One of

our Clerks, T, was friends with R and asked if she could do the decorations and get the

cake. We all agreed and gave her money for supplies. On the day of the party, T

decorated the conference room, and when the party started, those in our unit laughed at

the decorations because they said, "bye Felicia, " a favorite quote that R used a lot. The

cake said, "bye traitor," which got some nervous chuckles, but R laughed, and we went

on with the party. 

The following Monday, which was her last day, R came into the office and did

not say a word to anyone. Instead, she slammed shut the door to her office and stayed in

there for a couple of hours. When she finally did come out, we all knew she was angry. R

then proceeded to yell at us about how insulted she was by the decorations and cake and

how humiliated she felt in front of her boss. During her yelling, she used profanity and

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 insults, which were heard by a different unit on the other side of the floor. Afterward, R

went into her office, slammed the door, and stayed in there until the end of the day. 

As the Administrative Services Assistant III in the Personnel Unit, I am

considered middle-management, and after our Director left, I took on a more supervisory

role. I assign tasks to the four Clerks in the unit and am also the go-between of the Office

of the Sheriff and Contra Costa County's Human Resources Department.

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

Parties are usually seen as a celebration of something, whether that is a person,

event, or a job well done. In this case, we wanted to throw a party for our boss, who was

moving on to greener pastures. "Events and processes are often more important for what

they express or signal than for their intent or outcomes" (Bolman & Deal, 2017, pg. 243).

We (meaning T) tried to fill the party with inside jokes and references we knew made R

laugh. Unfortunately, the outcome dictated how the party would always be remembered.

When teamwork breaks down in a unit or when the leadership becomes more of a

dictatorship, there is more chance of a disaster happening, which is what happened in our

case. We should have worked together as a team and communicated more, which would

have helped us plan an appropriate going away party instead of a party filled with inside

jokes. If we had had the courage to face R after she verbally assaulted us, there might

have been a better chance at mending the fragile relationship we all had.

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

Being a law enforcement organization, we feel that we are held to a different

standard, even those of us who do not carry a gun and go out and arrest people.
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 Sometimes those standards can cause strain in the office, especially when you have

people who forget the principles of our organization. The Office of the Sheriff is an

organization built on five core values, and those values do not stop with just the sworn

staff. The core values that are instilled in the organization's employees are Honor,

Courage, Commitment, Leadership, and Teamwork (Contra Costa Sheriff, n.d.).

Knowing that we work in this type of environment, we should have been more

cognizant of what was expected of us. Instead of making the party more fun and personal,

the better option would have been to work together to develop a more formal and

understated party where everyone who showed up would appreciate it. “Some rituals

become ceremonial occasions to recognize momentous accomplishments” (Bolman &

Deal, 2017, pg. 254). Even though she was leaving our organization, it was still a

momentous accomplishment for R to be promoted to a better position outside of our

organization.

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

One of the main things I would have done differently was remembered what a

celebration of someone symbolically means. Yes, a party is supposed to be a time to

celebrate an accomplishment, but it is also a time to make memories. “Every organization

has its moments of achievement and atonement. Expressive events provide order and

meaning and bind an organization or society together” (Bolman & Deal, 2017, pg. 257).

It would have been a good idea for at least one of us to convey to R our intentions with

the party. Maybe explaining that we were trying to express our thanks to her in a funny

way would have given her a better understanding instead of making her think we were

trying to insult her.

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 When it comes down to it, there was not much we could have done after the fact

to alleviate the problems that ended up happening. However, by not communicating with

R during or right after the party, we created a story that will be told around the office for

years to come. “In high-performing organizations and groups, stories keep traditions alive

and provide examples to channel everyday behavior” (Bolman & Deal, 2017, pg. 272).

Though this might not be considered a good story, it is definitely on its way to becoming

a myth around the office.

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 Reference or References

Bolman, L. G. & Deal, T. E. (2017). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership

(6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass

Contra Costa Sheriff, CA. Core Values | Contra Costa Sheriff, CA. (n.d.). Retrieved February 13,

2022, from https://www.cocosheriff.org/about-us/core-values