Cultural Approach to Organizations
1. Based on the concept of organizational culture as a system of shared meaning,
how would you describe the culture at your school to a prospective student?
2. Consider Pacanowsky’s “Slouching Towards Chicago” as an ethnographer’s
thick description. What can you deduce about Jack and Radner’s subculture from
the fragment of narrative in Figure 20–1?
3. Think of your extended family as an organizational culture. What family ritual
might you analyze to interpret the webs of signiicance you share for someone
visiting your home?
4. What favorite story do you tell others about your most recent place of
employment? Is it a corporate, personal, or collegial narrative?
