The Organization as a Theater

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The Organization as a Theater

• Chapter 13

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Organization as Theater

• Staging of reality
• Depends on the ability of the audience
• Encourages us to view activities and roles played
  externally and internally
• Views as secular theater expresses our fears,
  joys, and expectations
• Arouses emotions and kindles spirits
• Reduces uncertainty
• Soothes bewilderment

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Organizational Process as Acts

• Meetings
• Planning
• Evaluation
• Collective Bargaining
• Power

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Meetings as Garbage Cans

• Meetings attract people, problems, solutions
• Outcomes depend on interplay among inputs who
  happen to be present
• What political frame, problems, concerns, needs
  did each bring?
• Symbolic arena where each may be heard
• Collective drama
• People play roles

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Planning is Like a Rain Dance

• Organizations without plans are reactive,
  shortsighted, rudderless.
• Planning ceremony is required of any reputable
  organization

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Planning Ceremony

• Plans are Symbols Convinces answer is on the
  way
• In reality, gather dust
• Plans are Games Used to justify about anything
• Process usually more productive than product
• Plans are Excuses for interaction
• Plans are Advertisements Sell the future

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Evaluation High Drama Disappearing Act

• Assessment is a major undertaking
• Largely for symbolic reasons
• What happens after the evaluation?
• Accreditation
• Performance
• Event evaluation
• Players provide input

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Collective Bargaining Public Confrontations

• Pits two reasonable sets of interest against each
  other
• Surface Political struggle where power
  determines distribution of resources
• Reality Carefully crafted ritual that delivers
  performance audiences demand

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Power the Ambiguous Symbol

• What constitutes power?
• Power is often attributed to groups who take
  credit
• A leaders power is less a matter of action than
  appearance
• Leaders are judged by their coping skills, style,
  words, traits, forcefulness, responsibility,
  courage, decency

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Symbolic Conclusions

• Organizations are judged by appearance
• Projects to audiences the drama they expect
• Right image projects ceremonial stage
• Drama allows hope
• Resolves contradictions
• Envisions solutions

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Culture in Action

• Insider Knowledge
• Language
• Stories
• Humor
• Ritual
• What are examples of each in your organization?
• How does one become initiated?
• How does it work in your organization?

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