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.

In 2017, venture capital firm Cleveland Avenue acquired PizzaRev from Buffalo Wild
Wings, leading to significant challenges for PizzaRev in corporate culture and
management structures. Underlying turbulence in these areas had already led to the
closure of several underperforming stores before Cleveland Avenue's acquisition,
underscoring the company's difficulties adapting to structural changes. The
unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated these issues when government
regulations forced the temporary closure of all PizzaRev restaurants. The company's pre-
existing difficulty adapting to structural and organizational change became overwhelming
when faced with the added pressure of the pandemic's ever-changing bureaucratic
regulations, culminating in a shift in organizational structure that catalyzed PizzaRev's
ultimate downfall.

I held various roles within the organization for seven years, working my way up from an
entry-level associate to Shift Manager, Assistant Manager, General Manager, and,
eventually, District Manager. My responsibilities in that final role included overseeing
five store locations, communicating corporate policies, hiring and training General
Managers, ensuring compliance with regulations and corporate policies, and managing
promotional events. Having worked in all roles within the company, I acquired a unique
perspective on the organization's structure and weaknesses.

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

PizzaRev had a simple logo when I joined the team in 2012 but transitioned to a more
advanced symbolic representation of the organization in 2016. I have included
photographs of both branding images below to offer more insight into this change. The
organization's decision to rebrand was an integral part of its massive effort to transition

1
 from a start-up to an established business. A critical part of this transition was generating
a shift in public perception of the brand from small business to professional, corporate
organization. The new logo contained many unique forms of symbolic representation of
the organization and was successful in its effort to shift public perception and attract new
investors, evidenced by the 2017 acquisition by Cleveland Avenue.

The original PizzaRev logo was simple and had little symbolic significance outside of the
suggestion of the organization's name. By contrast, the new logo was modern,
professional, and contained copious symbolic references to the organization's mission and
vision. The initial difference between the two logos is the font change—the new logo
contained a font with blocky letters intended to evoke a sense of boldness. The new logo
consisted of a hand holding a pizza cutter in the air, seemingly in a gesture of power or
celebration. This logo was often accompanied by an updated slogan, "Be Revolutionary,"
and the motto "Craft Your Own" (Flourish, 2017, p. 1). Lastly, the color red was utilized
in both logos, likely due to research consistently demonstrating the color's ability to
trigger appetite (Minso, 2023, p. 1).

Despite effectively creating and implementing a professionally designed logo and

updated slogan, PizzaRev failed to realize that an organization's culture is communicated
through its symbols (Bolman & Deal, 2021, p. 254). This seemingly simple oversight
would lead to internal breakdowns, which reached a head during the unexpected changes
brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. PizzaRev's utilization of symbols in its logo,
motto, slogan, mission, values, and social media hashtags emulated a sense of
empowerment and personal freedom and displayed appreciation for innovation, boldness,
and individuality. While customers loved these symbolic messages, they failed to
translate to employees. The organization required strict uniforms and hairstyles, making
it so that employees were barely distinguishable from one another. PizzaRev's culture
micromanaged its workforce to the extent that employees were expected to follow scripts
verbatim when interacting with guests, and innovative suggestions for improved
processes were quickly dismissed. The inconsistent internal and external application of
symbols generated frustration among the workforce, and the subsequent avoidant
behavior from upper management about employee dissatisfaction led to an irreparable rift
between store-level employees and corporate employees.

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

I wholly supported PizzaRev's transition to new symbols, which better represented the
organization's values and mission. However, my support for the organization's decisions
stops at the creation of these symbols. To ensure a successful launch of new symbolic
representation, the organization should have started from within and worked outwards to
the guests, the media, and investors. When the organization switched to the new logo,

2
 they made a limited number of shirts used as promotional and marketing items for public
events. Despite immense interest from employees, the shirts were never made into
uniforms or made available for purchase by employees. It took nearly two years for the
organization to update the employee uniform, and even that updated uniform consisted
only of the new circular logo on the front. The delay in providing updated uniforms to the
team and the failure to listen and value employee opinion regarding the shirt designs is
one of many clear demonstrations of the organization's priorities. The shift in symbols
was never intended to inspire a collective group identity, build alliances within the
workforce, or reinforce employees' unique values and beliefs (Bolman & Deal, 2021, p.
284). Instead, I believe the shift in symbols was meant to defraud investors and customers
into thinking the organization was invested in fostering a healthy, collaborative
organizational culture.

My use of these updated symbols would have begun with employee surveys regarding the
new design, which would provide internal feedback on employee preferences. I would
then utilize this information to generate new employee uniforms with several designs,
allowing employees to choose two or more unique designs. Notably, the roll-out of these
new uniforms would occur before the roll-out of the new logo elsewhere, such as on store
signs and soda cups, emphasizing to the employees that they were the backbone and
highest priority of the organization. I would also change existing dress code rules, such as
allowing jeans instead of strictly black pants, encouraging the use of enamel pins, and
permitting any hairstyle that maintained food safety requirements. These seemingly small
changes would have immensely impacted employee morale, ensuring they felt
encouraged to express their individuality and empowered to embrace their uniqueness. If
PizzaRev had genuinely invested in its intention to "be revolutionary," it would have
started by allowing more freedom among its workforce. After all, the soul of an
organization's workforce will always be a better measure of performance than investors
or profits (Bolman & Deal, 2021, p. 290).

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

My expanded understanding of the symbolic organizational frame has helped me

understand the critical importance symbols play in organizational culture and
effectiveness. This newfound understanding provides unique hindsight into the rise and
fall of PizzaRev. Many believe that the organization's success and subsequent failure can
be blamed on the financial market, business investments, scalability, and shifts within the
business environment. While those factors played a role, my analysis of the symbolic
frame has underscored the critical importance of organizational culture in organizational
effectiveness. PizzaRev failed to foster an internal organizational culture aligned with its

3
external business model, resulting in frustration, tension, and disloyalty among its
workforce. Naturally, these negative feelings and emotions unintentionally flowed into
other business areas, ultimately affecting quality, production, customer service,
cleanliness, and profitability.

If I could go back and do something differently, I would work harder to communicate

employee concerns to the corporate side of the organization, creating a seamless bridge
between the two groups. I would use my knowledge to inform the highest executives of
the mistrust among store-level employees and emphasize the importance of the company
uniting as an in-group with a shared identity. I would also use my knowledge to suggest
detailed, fact-based, actionable items that could help transform employee morale and
inspire organizational loyalty rather than making suggestions that were opinioned or
structurally weak. Though I have always been a people-centric leader, my suggestions all
those years ago were rooted in my moral belief system rather than in research, facts, and
science. While I had good intentions, I now understand how those suggestions could have
made me appear less credible and highly emotional instead of exhibiting the empathetic
and considerate leadership characteristics I had hoped to capitalize on.

4
Original Logo:

(PizzaRev Announces Addition of Four Franchisee Groups, n.d.)

Updated logo:

(Marcus, 2017)

5
 References

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

(7th ed.) [E-book]. Jossey-Bass. https://app.perusall.com/

Flourish, Helen. (2017, May 3). PizzaRev launches 'Revolutionary' campaign. San Fernando

Valley Business Journal. https://sfvbj.com/retail/dining-restaurants/pizzarev-launches-

revolutionary-campaign/

Marcus, E. (2017, August 8). PizzaRev closes in Syosset. Newsday.

https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/pizzarev-closes-in-syosset-v29215

Minso, A. (2023, December 13). Food and color: what does it all mean? TraceGains.

https://tracegains.com/blog/food-and-color-what-does-it-all-mean/

PizzaRev Announces Addition of Four Franchisee Groups. (n.d.). Business Wire.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140114006842/en/PizzaRev-Announces-

Addition-of-Four-Franchisee-Groups