Confidential

Lori Cepa

2/5/24

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.

The situation that I am going to dissect for this assignment came about in early 2020 when
the pandemic hit. I was an Account Manager at a global tradeshow company. Upon hearing
the news of this new global pandemic and in seeing the worsening affects of it, my company
decided to do what many companies did and they allowed us to work remotely. This was a
welcome change, at first, as I had to travel quite a bit for this role so it was nice to spend
more time at home. As the pandemic worsened, we were informed that furloughs would be
enacted and they would be starting with our finance and HR teams, which seemed odd to
me. Client facing roles were safe for now. My team and I were still working away and a
couple of months more went by and we were informed that we would now have to take a
pay cut and work less days. As more of our events were rescheduled or cancelled, we feared
for our jobs.

Finally, the day came where all of my events for the year were either postponed until the
following year or cancelled altogether. The large event I had been working on was the last
to go. It was a tri-annual event that was going to make it’s United States debut in 2020.
After that one canceled, I knew the writing was on the wall. I received word that I was going

1
 to be fully furloughed. It was a hard hit to take, but I understood. Four months went by with
no word about returning to work. One day I saw a post on my companies Facebook group
about someone receiving a letter in the mail stating that furloughed workers were now laid
off completely. There was no communication about that from my manager or her
leadership. I called my manager immediately to find out if I was affected and she had no
idea. It took days for her to get a response from HR as they were also on reduced hours.
Only to find out that it was true that they laid off everyone via a letter in the mail. No email,
phone call, or personal message. Just a cold form letter during one of the worst crises in our
lifetime.

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

In the instance of this situation, I feel that the company abandoned their values. The values
that this company touted were Trust, Responsibility, Understanding, and Excellence. I feel
that in this situation, they did not give us a reason to trust them and that they were not
acting responsibly, or with our best interests at heart. As I’ve mentioned in my previous
PCA, it was unprecedented times, and the organization was in survival mode. However, us
employees felt like we were being discarded.

Part of the purpose statement of this company is that they aim to connect people to
experiences and each other. It was my experience during this challenging time that they
company was not connecting us, rather dividing us. During this time as well, all ceremonies
and rituals had stopped. No more weekly or monthly meetings to hear what was going on at
the company. As we got into the pandemic, it felt as though the company stripped away
everything that had been so important (values and mission) and merely focused on survival.

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

The company had a strong value statement, purpose, and mission prior to the pandemic. I
would have leaned into those things during times of crisis, such as the pandemic. Given that
we were all working from home or remotely, it would have been a great opportunity to
preach togetherness, understanding, trust, and responsibility as we weathered the storm,
so to speak. Leaning into the company’s mission and values would have offered us some
peace and give us something to latch on to during such a tumultuous time.

Something else that I would have recommended would have been the addition of more
rituals and ceremonies. Since we were all remote, it would have helped to get onto zoom or
teams and to hear what was going on or happening within the company. Having a weekly
call to see other people would have been a welcomed treat and opportunity. It would have

2
 also been a good way for leadership to carry the message of the core values and purpose as
a way to unite us.

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

If I were in this situation again, I would take it upon myself to create rituals with my team so
that we can stay connected. Even if leadership was not sharing information, it would have
been great to see my team, even if on zoom or teams. Starting with small rituals, I would
hope to build that into a ceremony, perhaps monthly with a larger group. In hindsight,
having rituals that we can count on during the pandemic was critical for many reasons,
including mental health.

Finally, I would have leaned on the company’s core values and worked with my team to
instill trust and responsibility during those trying times. Trust is earned and not given and if
my team can’t trust me then I am nothing. In working to create those rituals where the
team can come together, blow off some steam, or just vent about the current challenges,
that would create a safe and welcome place for the team. Where they can feel supported
and heard.

3
 Reference or References