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.

The situation is about the Washington Commanders football team. My role with this team is
a generational fan. They are an organization that does not have good leadership starting from
the owner Dan Snyder (1999 – present). He has been riddled with poor leadership and a
toxic culture that came out with sexual harassment, verbal abuse, and financial impropriety.
Because of these things, he is being probed by Washington DC’s Attorney General.

This symbolic frame is a good example of Dan Snyder’s reluctance to the team’s name
change. His leadership is constantly imbued with fans yelling “Sell the Team.” He has since
considered selling the team and fans could not be happier.

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

The name change from the Washington R*dsk*ns to the Washington Commanders left some
fans really happy, while other fans vowed not to follow them any longer. For those who did
not think the name should change, wearing burgundy and gold and singing Hail to the
R*dsk*ns gave those fans a sense of nostalgia and hope that they can have those victorious
days of old when the team won 3 Superbowls. They thought the legacy would be lost. For
other fans that found the name offensive and the symbol of an Indigenous person was even
more offensive. Those fans no longer spoke of the name – referring to them as Washington,
and protested for decades that Dan Snyder should change the name. The former name’s
symbol was offensive and this added to the toxic culture, and what I believe is the reason for
the losing seasons we’ve been having.

Symbols communicate quickly what can be said with many words. When a slur against a
group of people continues to be a symbol, just for entertainment purposes, shows that it is
OK to allow this symbol to perpetuate that ideology. For a leader and an owner to disregard
that and at one point vow to never change the name, is an affront. It was not until sponsors

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threaten to pull out their money did Dan Snyder decide to change the name. He is one owner
out of touch with the community.

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

As a fan of this team, I am happy they decided to change the name and choose a symbol that
represents the community it lives in. I did not understand the ramifications of the team’s
long-time history with the former name and symbol. Nor did I understand the power behind
such symbols. So, although it has been done already, I would do exactly what the team has
done – change the name and create a symbol conducive to the community in which it resides.

The Washington Commanders have done that. Although there is no symbol for Commanders
yet, there have been talks of stars similar to the military and other militant-type symbols.
This is a new time for my football team, to make positive changes, create an updated song
and develop a culture of winning. There seem to have been rites of passage throughout all
these changes and as a fan, I look for more. All the bad press and awful leadership have
made us fans even more loyal because of the small change as a name. Though Dan Snyder
continues to deal with his battles, the team is more focused and proud to wear the uniform.

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

After learning about the power of symbolism I realize that this brings teams together. It is a
“shared and cohesive culture rather than a clear, well-defined structure was the invisible
force that gave the team its drive” (Bolman, 2017, p. 282). Changing the name, changed the
culture. It made fans and people all over the country happy that a stereotype was no longer
going to be perpetuated as something good. The only thing I would have done differently
was done it sooner – a part from the threat that brought me to a place of submission.

Additionally, I would have promoted more team collaborations, make new experiences such
as building a bonfire and throwing bad habits into it as a symbol of burning all the toxicity
away. I would create game nights, since this is a competitive environment it would be easy
to get the team together. I would have fan appreciation day at the stadium to let the fans
know how much they mean to the team. In a toxic environment, it is important to make sure
that change is really occurring, not just doing things to appease the press and people on the
outside. So incorporating more play and humor, ceremonies and rituals will all contribute to
a healthy and growing environment.

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Reference

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

leadership. John Wiley & Sons.

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 Reference or References
(Choose appropriate Title if Applicable and Delete the Rest)