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.

I work in the HR department for a large John Deere dealership. We currently have 24
store locations in 8 western states with approximately 500 employees. I would consider
my role with Deere to be internal and external. I do not work directly for Deere corporate
but our dealerships rely heavily and have worked closely with Deere for over 75 years.
The dealerships rely heavily on John Deere directives, resources, and future planning.
Recently, the Right to Repair Law, Vehicle Access Data Requirement Initiative of 2020
was passed. This initiative gives consumers who own farm machinery the right to take
their products for repair to other than authorized dealerships (Smith, 2023). John Deere
pushed back arguing that trademark issues and trade secret concerns could be
jeapordized. Only authorized dealerships have access to exclusive repair information and
training. Ultimately, this means that John Deere dealerships will lose business.

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

I am going to reference a story as one of the symbols and how it influences the situation
described above. This story is about the founder of the company I work for and has
inspired former and current employees. The founder’s name was Ferenc. He was a
refugee immigrant fleeing Hungary during WWII. He migrated to the United States and
met the founders of John Deere. He was one of their first salesmen. His unique
relationship with Deere Corp allowed him to open up a John Deere dealership in Arizona.
Soon after he had three. Now there are 25 dealerships in 8 states. In this story, Ferenc is
the hero. His story is a symbol of the American dream.

This story symbolizes perseverance and bravery. I believe that it can influence the
situation by supporting the spirit of the founder and reminding everyone that no matter

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 the challenges we experience as a company we will figure out a way to make up for lost
revenue in different ways to preserve jobs and the company’s financial health.

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

I would use the organizational symbols as a tool to remind everyone how the company
got started and how far we have come. We would attempt to maintain our culture of
tenacity, drive, and endless pursuit of perseverance.

I suppose as mentioned in chapter 14, we could use symbols to manage impressions. The
text says by enacting symbols effectively, entrepreneurs can shape a compelling symbolic
universe that complements the initially weak and uncertain quality of their ventures
(Chapter 14, page 309).

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

In reflecting on what I would do or not do differently given what I’ve learned in this
frame, I believe I could influence the organization and situation by using symbols and
theater to keep our employees from worrying about the potential of shop closures or
reduction of force. I feel like we could figure out a way to keep our dealerships in tact
with creative ways of increasing revenue in other ways.

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 Reference or References
Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2021). Reframing  organizations: Artistry, choice, and
leadership  (7th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

Smith, K. (2023, January 12). John Deere loses battle in "right to repair" war. Hagerty Media.
Retrieved January 21, 2023, from https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/john-deere-loses-
battle-in-right-to-repair-war/