A First Look At Communication Theory, 10e (Griffin)
Chapter 19 Cultural Approach to Organizations
1) Geertz considers the study of culture a(n):
A) experimental science.
B) soft science.
C) hard science.
D) implausible science.
2) Researchers who “map out” social discourse are called:
A) ethnographers.
B) geographers.
C) cultographers.
D) None of the answers is correct.
3) Pacanowsky argues that culture is not something an organization has, but is something an
organization:
A) fears.
B) strives for.
C) is.
D) pretends to have.
4) Discussing communication consulting, Linda Smircich:
A) raises ethical concerns because top corporate officers hire consultants to help extend control
over employees.
B) raises pragmatic concerns about the cost and time involved in the ethnographic approach.
C) suggests that most organizations have similar bureaucratic rules and procedures.
D) suggests that consultants fail to consider the power of metaphors, stories, and rituals.
5) The intertwined layers of common meaning that underlie what a particular people say and do
are referred to as:
A) analogical background.
B) thick description.
C) ethnographic metaphor.
D) frequency distribution.
6) Which of the following is NOT a type of narrative that Pacanowsky claims dramatizes
organizational life?
A) resistant stories
B) personal stories
C) collegial stories
D) corporate stories
7) A(n) ________ helps to clarify what is unknown or confusing by equating it with an image
that is more familiar or vivid.
A) ritual
B) story
C) anecdote
D) metaphor
8) Geertz would regard the quest to alter culture as:
A) appropriate if carefully planned and monitored.
B) the most important role of management.
C) easily achieved in the corporate world because of top-down control.
D) None of the answers is correct.
9) Actions by which members constitute and reveal their culture to themselves and others is what
Greetz called ________.
A) cultural bonding
B) cultural exhibition
C) cultural identity
D) cultural performance
10) Pacanowsky and Geertz agree that some ________ are “texts” that articulate multiple aspects
of cultural life.
A) anecdotes
B) rituals
C) stories
D) metaphors
11) Collegial stories are positive or negative anecdotes told about others in an organization.
12) Stories repeated over and over provide a convenient window through which to view
corporate webs of significance.
13) Geertz admits that the concept of culture as systems of shared meaning is somewhat vague
and difficult to grasp.
14) Geertz believes that an effective manager can manufacture a culture to suit the management’s
needs.
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15) According to Geertz, close-knit societies have subcultures and countercultures within their
boundaries.
16) While some aspects of corporate culture are long-lasting and difficult to control, shared
meanings are relatively easy to dispel.
17) The use of culture as a root metaphor was stimulated by Western fascination with the
economic success of Japanese corporations.
18) Geertz maintained that the way to understand a culture is to observe it as a stranger in a
foreign land.
19) Central to the research method of the cultural approach to organizations is content analysis,
which requires exhaustive frequency counts of the various activities of workers.
20) Corporate stories are tales told by employees that put them in a favorable light.
21) According to Pacanowsky, ________ is not just another piece of a puzzle; it is the puzzle.
22) The job of a(n) ________ is to sort out the symbolic meanings of people’s actions within
their culture.
23) While ________ stories emphasize the ideology of management and their policies, ________
stories are those that employees tell about themselves.
24) Define and describe corporate culture. How and why does an ethnographer study it?
25) Using Linda Smircich’s commentary on research ethics as a springboard, discuss the clash
between pragmatists and ethnographers of corporate culture. How do their research goals differ?
Where do critical theorists stand in this debate? How about you?
26) Discuss the culture of an organization or a corporation that you know well. Pay particular
attention to metaphors, stories, and rituals.
27) Most employees join a company long after they’ve been socialized into the values of the
larger society. Does this mean they are not susceptible to the unique elements of a particular
organization? Explain.
28) Following Pacanowsky’s lead, write a fictional account of a real organizational culture. Be
creative, but also be sure that your story communicates authentic features of the culture you
choose.
29) Are corporations really cultures? How can we compare an organization with an entire
society?
30) What does the study of corporate culture have to do with communication theory?
31) Discuss the drawbacks of the cultural approach to organizations.
32) Is it possible to shift a culture from within or, as the interactional perspective suggested
regarding family systems, is the assistance of an outside person needed to help reframe a culture?