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.

My role in Starbucks is as a Shift Supervisor reporting to a Store Manager and

leading a team of up to 9 at a time. I work alongside other Supervisors to maintain
standards and policies using tools and procedures provided by the organization. In my
current capacity, I work with other supervisors throughout different parts of the day like
opening the store, peak business period, and the middle of the day (day parts).
For the last few months, communication has been breaking down and some issues
are being made larger as time goes on. Because there is a lack of effective
communication and standard adherence, there has been hostility and negativity in the
workplace. This creates an issue for the team as leadership presence is lacking and
standards are being disregarded. This could also cause issues with the customers we serve
as drink quality and experiences might be different depending on who’s working. Like a
machine bureaucracy structure, these policies and standards are put in place across all the
stores in the organization to ensure high-quality beverages and world-class customer
service experiences (Bolman & Deal, 2021, p. 82).

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

I wrote about how past leadership of the company was focused on the partners
and how we could be taken better care of. I think in my head, those words act as a symbol
for what is different with the company. I think in this case, the other supervisor in
question is so new that she hasn’t had any experience with the way the company used to
behave. This might cause a problem because I do have hope and faith that the company
will look out for us. This could hurt me in the long run because I might be relying on a
vision for change that doesn’t exist, and without backup from my manager, the behaviors
will continue. I would chalk this up to symbolic assumptions because the actions of the
company and ourselves have different meanings for each individual (Bolman & Deal, 2021,
p. 253).

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

There are symbols and values that we could have used to make this situation less
stressful or even less messy. Having strong symbols to rely on like the example of flags
being flown after 9/11 could have helped the team (Bolman & Deal, 2021, p. 251). We
could have used the Starbucks mission and values as a symbol to act together and with
pride in our work. As it is with a lot of shift work, there are typically differences between
teams in the morning and the night which can add a lot of tension even if the values are
strong and the team supports it. I think that the problem with the team from the
beginning, however, is the lack of faith and trust in the mission and values of the
company, This creates a breeding ground for situations like this one unfortunately.

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

I don’t think there could have been much to do differently in this case. The
symbolic frame could have a personal impact on the other people involved and therefore
it would relate to the operation of their mind. I think the only thing I could have changed
was maybe how I responded and could have used the mission and values to help bring
back some enthusiasm and pride. I could not have done that alone, or it would have had
little impact on the team.

Team symbolism like from Seal Team 6 could have had an impact on this
situation. While this is an extreme example, having solidarity and ‘brotherhood’ among
partners would have made the bonds stronger and allowed for more support across
dayparts and less bad-mouthing each other (Bolman & Deal, 2021, p. 278). I feel that we
have that type of bond in the morning, and I am sure they have the same bond in the
afternoon, we just need to tie them together.

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 Reference

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