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.

I am a part-time program instructor at the Boys and Girls Club and am responsible for

implementing new and existing programs at the Club to earn or maintain grants.

Additionally, I support the full-time staff with creative efforts and create a safe and

exciting environment for our members. While the Boys and Girls Club is a national

organization, clubs are separated into districts, and each district has its CEO. The

challenge with the Boys and Girls Club seems to be its ability to gain and retain

employees who can consistently administer their mission enable all young people,

especially underprivileged youth, to reach their true potential.

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

According to Indeed, the five common core values people seek in an organization are

autonomy, integrity, innovation, growth and service. (Indeed, 2022) For the Boys and

Girls Club, symbolism in the organization begins with the infamous helping hands logo

 that represent the company’s dedication to providing hope, inspiration, support and unity

in the communities they enter. Furthermore, the helping hands logo demonstrate the

vision for America’s youth and how employees can contribute to that by joining the

company. In 2021, the Boys and Girls Club was identified as the ninth largest charity in

America, which aligns with the vision they established from the beginning. (Forbes,

2021) This is an accurate demonstration of how high-performing organizations can be

successful by sharing stories that keep the organizational culture alive. (Bolman, 2022)

The organization has developed an environment that can be depicted as a myth because

what began as an alternative solution to keeping young boys off the street, developed into

a positively impactful national organization. However, this does not change the high

turnover rates among the organization. There are many positive stories that can be used to

inspire workers; however, the challenge comes from demanding high level work for low

salaries. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, non-profit employees on

average earn $3.36 per hours less than others employed by for-profits. (Bishow, 2016) To

combat high-turnover rates, the organization often organizes rituals and ceremonies

described by The Eagle Group, to recognize and inspire the employees to keep working

toward the mission, but, unfortunately it has not been sufficient to encourage employees

to stay.

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

The organization can use organizational symbols to motivate employees to have a long

term commitment to the company in many ways. One opportunity I see is the use of

 power and leadership in organizations. The company environment and culture is the

second reason why employees choose to stay with a company and leaders have

significant control over both of those factors. (Flowers, 2014) Many Branch Directors are

hired internally; however, this can become a threat when leaders misinterpret or alter the

company myths and visions. This can be a turn-off the leads to the employees to seek

other jobs. A survey collected by COco in 2018, discovered that non-profits lose young

talent due to the their experiences being, “steadily accumulating challenges that gradually

push them out of the nonprofit sector.” (Page, 2018) The Boys and Girls Club is in need

of leaders who will identify skills in their teams and transform them into vision of the

company.

As an employee, I’ve recognized the tension that builds up in the company environment

due to the amount of uncertainty or concerns that arise among employees. In Chapter 14,

we were introduced to organizational process as theatre: meetings, planning, performance

appraisals, collective bargaining, power, and symbolic management. (Bolman, 2022) I

see how the organization tries to incorporate some of the strategies discussed in these

different pillars like evaluation, where employees have the freedom to implement and

organize new programs in the club. However, the overall challenge seems to be in the

cohesiveness of the organization. While some people organize new projects, others only

apply the bare minimum to their roles which builds tension. Holding meetings where

leaders can inspire people to do their part of the organizational mission is important and it

could be the reason people choose to stay.

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

The symbolic frame of the Boys and Girls Club has been my favorite to analyze so far

because it is the reason why I chose to leave my previous company. I had a conversation

with someone who volunteered at a non-profit and spoke highly about the experience so I

felt compelled to search for careers in non-profit. I understand that there are spiritual

reasons we gravitate towards certain brands and organizations but I don’t think I was

conscience of the symbolic meanings organizational features have. I did not know what I

was getting into when I applied for the Boys and Girls Club, but I knew my values

aligned with the significance of the helping hands. Therefore, I am positive there are

many people with the same desire to serve their communities and that is where the Boys

and Girls Club has an advantage over other companies.

One of the aspects that intrigued me was the contribution of informal cultural players. In

the non-profit world, I think it’s common for employees to be overwhelmed with many

tasks because they are usually understaffed. The Boys and Girls Club would benefit from

investing in someone who can serve the people and culture of the organization. There is

not enough time that can be dedicated to nurturing the organizational culture of a

company. If employees are happy, they will be more likely to highly preform.

 References

Bishow, J. L., & Monaco, K. (2016). Nonpro t pay and bene ts: Estimates from the National

Compensation Survey : Monthly labor review. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved

September 25, 2022, from https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2016/article/nonpro t-pay-and-

bene ts.htm

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2021). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership.

Jossey-Bass.

Page, K. (2018, May 1). Young workers in nonpro t organizations: What we know. COCo.

Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://coco-net.org/young-worker-nonpro ts/

Flowers, V. S., & Hughes, C. L. (2014, August 1). Why employees stay. Harvard Business

Review. Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://hbr.org/1973/07/why-employees-

stay?registration=success

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