Culturing - UC Merced talk
CULTURING: MAKING OUR WORLD THROUGH STORIES KEITH W. RAY, PHD ACT TOO CONSULTING, INC.
WHAT I’M NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT...
“CULTURING “ FOR US IS NOT MICROBIOLOGY
WHAT I WILL TALK ABOUT
CONCEPTS OF CULTURE THAT ARE INTEGRATED FROM SEVERAL FIELDS HOW THOSE CONCEPTS APPLY IN THE WORK WE DO EXAMPLES OF OUR RESEARCH AND CONSULTING IN ORGANIZATIONS
WHAT IS CULTURE?
PARTICULARLY MESSY QUESTION WITH MANY ANSWERS DEPENDS ON YOUR PERSPECTIVE AND INTENT
OPTICAL METAPHOR
WIDE-ANGLE LENS
TELEPHOTO LENS
APPLYING FILTERS
CULTURE (UN)DEFINED: LENSES OF CULTURE STRUCTURE / PATTERNS
GROUP MEMBERSHIP
FUNCTIONS
POWER / IDEOLOGY PROCESS
PRODUCTS
BALDWIN, J. R., ET AL (2006)
REFINEMENT
A DEFINITION OF CULTURE
FUNCTIONS
FROM A THIRD-PERSON PERSPECTIVE: CULTURE IS THAT PART OF OUR SOCIAL WORLDS IN WHICH WE LIVE AND CAN MOVE; THAT ARRAY OF CONVERSATIONS IN WHICH WE KNOW HOW TO PARTICIPATE FROM A FIRST-PERSON PERSPECTIVE: CULTURE IS THAT PART OF OUR SOCIAL WORLDS IN WHICH WE LIVE AND CAN MOVE BUT OF WHICH WE ARE USUALLY UNAWARE; THE “FRAME” FOR THOSE EVENT AND OBJECTS THAT WE FOCUS ON AS THE CONTENT OF OUR SOCIAL WORLDS
PEARCE, W. B. (1994) Interpersonal communication: Making social worlds. New York, NY: HARPER COLLINS COLLEGE PUBLISHERS.
NETWORKS, GROUPS, AND COMPLEXITY SCIENCE
STRUCTURE / PATTERNS
THINK ABOUT THE SOCIAL GROUPS YOU MOVE IN HOW DO YOU ACT DIFFERENTLY? HOW DO YOU ACT SIMILARLY? WHAT MAKES THEM DIFFERENT?
FACEBOOK SOCIALGRAPH
HOW DOES CULTURE “HAPPEN?” People coordinate their activities together Rituals and patterns emerge Values, beliefs, and realities are constructed
From which we quickly develop standards and expectations
ADAPTED FROM SHEILA MCNAMEE (2007) PRESENTATION AT FIELDING GRADUATE UNIVERSITY
PROCESS
A SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONIST’S PERSPECTIVE ON CULTURE
THIS IS THE PROCESS OF “CULTURING”
RULES AND NORMS ARE EVERYWHERE
WHAT RULES AND NORMS ARE PRESENT RIGHT NOW? WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF SOMEONE VIOLATED THEM? ARE THERE RULES THAT SOME WOULD FOLLOW BUT NOT OTHERS?
HOW IS CULTURE CREATED THROUGH STORIES? THROUGH OUR SOCIAL INTERACTION WE DEVELOP RULES AND NORMS THESE ARE LARGELY HIDDEN AND NOT TALKED ABOUT DIRECTLY ONE WAY WE SHARE OUR RULES IS THROUGH STORIES EVERY RULE AND NORM IS DEPENDENT ON THE CONTEXT WE BELIEVE WE ARE IN THIS IS THE “LOGIC” OF OUR LIVES – WHAT WE OUGHT OR OUGHT NOT TO DO IN ANY GIVEN SITUATION
WE USE THESE RULES TO COORDINATE OUR ACTIONS WITH EACH OTHER WHEN A GROUP SHARES ENOUGH OF THESE RULES, A CULTURE FORMS
A MODEL OF STORIES FOCUS ON STORIES
Untold stories
stories Lived
Unknown stories
storyTelling Unheard stories
stories Told LUUUUTT MODEL
Pearce, W. B. (2007). Making social worlds: A communication perspective. Malden, MA:BLACKWELL PUB.
Untellable stories
EXAMPLE OF A STORY
“I ran into John at Starbucks the other day. He was texting or something and he like never looked up. I said ‘Hi’ and everything but he just said ‘Hey’ and never looked at me. I’m like, ‘seriously?’ I just left him there.”
WHY IS CULTURE IMPORTANT IN ORGANIZATIONS?
CULTURE IS BOTH A RESOURCE AND AN INHIBITOR IN AN ORGANIZATION RESOURCE: A RESULT OF WHAT PEOPLE HAVE LEARNED INHIBITOR: A BARRIER TO NEW LEARNING AND CHANGE SUB-CULTURES IN ORGANIZATIONS CAN CREATE CONFLICT
ZOOM IN ON ORGANIZATIONS
THIS IS A SOCIAL NETWORK OF ONE DEPARTMENT IN A COMPANY
EACH DOT IS A PERSON AND EACH LINE REPRESENTS A REGULAR WEEKLY OR DAILY INTERACTION
LEARNING ABOUT A CULTURE
HOW MIGHT YOU LEARN ABOUT CULTURE IN AN ORGANIZATION?
A STUDY OF COLLABORATION PURPOSE: UNDERSTAND CULTURE OF COLLABORATION WITHIN AN ORGANIZATION. METHOD: OBTAIN STORIES OF COLLABORATION AND WHAT THOSE STORIES SIGNIFY LOOK FOR PATTERNS AND MEANING BEHIND THE PATTERNS HOW DO PEOPLE EXPERIENCE COLLABORATION WHAT INCREASES OR DECREASES COLLABORATION
ELICITING STORIES: AN EXAMPLE
IMAGINE A FRIEND FROM ANOTHER UNIVERSITY TELLS YOU THAT HE OR SHE IS THINKING ABOUT TRANSFERRING TO UC MERCED. WHAT STORY ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AT UC MERCED WOULD YOU TELL IF YOU WANTED TO ENCOURAGE HIM OR HER TO TRANSFER? WHAT STORY WOULD YOU TELL IF YOU WANTED TO DISCOURAGE HIM OR HER FROM TRANSFERRING?
3
obsessivelyCOGNITIVE
DIFFERENTIAL SCALE
The scatter plot maps the placement of one signifier against another. In this case we see “dealing with issues” (x-axis) compared against “locus of control” (y-axis). This view gives the ability to scan a large amount of data for correlations, patterns, and unusual clusters (outliers).
5
only for their own good
DOES NOT APPLY
people worked …
at the mercy of everyone else
PARTICIPANTS QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR STORIES. LOOK FOR PATTERNS IN THE MEANING OF THE STORIES.
as if it didnt exist.
DOES NOT APPLY
• WE ASKED THE
• WE COULD THEN
people dealt with the real issue …
Median Point
Correlation Line
Very Rare
Occasional
Somewhat Common
Stories that are told regularly, are about being “at odds” and are mostly negative.
Regular
TEXT
HOW DO CULTURES CHANGE? OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS FAMILY / FRIENDS
OTHER WORK GROUPS
ENVIRONMENT GROUPS ARE DIVERSE. WHEN PEOPLE IN AND BETWEEN GROUPS INTERACT, NEW PATTERNS EMERGE.
INTENTIONALLY CHANGING A CULTURE
HOW MIGHT YOU TRY TO CHANGE CULTURE IN AN ORGANIZATION?
HOW TO CHANGE A CULTURE (OR: MAKING A BETTER WORLD) FIRST MUST ASK: SHOULD WE? WHOM DOES CHANGING THE CULTURE SERVE? BEGIN TO INFLUENCE: CONNECTIONS STORIES TOLD INTERDEPENDENCY INTERACTION PATTERNS AND QUALITY OF RELATIONSHIPS DIVERSITY LEARNING AND ADAPTATION
WHAT I’M NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT...
“CULTURING “ FOR US IS NOT MICROBIOLOGY
WHAT I WILL TALK ABOUT
CONCEPTS OF CULTURE THAT ARE INTEGRATED FROM SEVERAL FIELDS HOW THOSE CONCEPTS APPLY IN THE WORK WE DO EXAMPLES OF OUR RESEARCH AND CONSULTING IN ORGANIZATIONS
WHAT IS CULTURE?
PARTICULARLY MESSY QUESTION WITH MANY ANSWERS DEPENDS ON YOUR PERSPECTIVE AND INTENT
OPTICAL METAPHOR
WIDE-ANGLE LENS
TELEPHOTO LENS
APPLYING FILTERS
CULTURE (UN)DEFINED: LENSES OF CULTURE STRUCTURE / PATTERNS
GROUP MEMBERSHIP
FUNCTIONS
POWER / IDEOLOGY PROCESS
PRODUCTS
BALDWIN, J. R., ET AL (2006)
REFINEMENT
A DEFINITION OF CULTURE
FUNCTIONS
FROM A THIRD-PERSON PERSPECTIVE: CULTURE IS THAT PART OF OUR SOCIAL WORLDS IN WHICH WE LIVE AND CAN MOVE; THAT ARRAY OF CONVERSATIONS IN WHICH WE KNOW HOW TO PARTICIPATE FROM A FIRST-PERSON PERSPECTIVE: CULTURE IS THAT PART OF OUR SOCIAL WORLDS IN WHICH WE LIVE AND CAN MOVE BUT OF WHICH WE ARE USUALLY UNAWARE; THE “FRAME” FOR THOSE EVENT AND OBJECTS THAT WE FOCUS ON AS THE CONTENT OF OUR SOCIAL WORLDS
PEARCE, W. B. (1994) Interpersonal communication: Making social worlds. New York, NY: HARPER COLLINS COLLEGE PUBLISHERS.
NETWORKS, GROUPS, AND COMPLEXITY SCIENCE
STRUCTURE / PATTERNS
THINK ABOUT THE SOCIAL GROUPS YOU MOVE IN HOW DO YOU ACT DIFFERENTLY? HOW DO YOU ACT SIMILARLY? WHAT MAKES THEM DIFFERENT?
FACEBOOK SOCIALGRAPH
HOW DOES CULTURE “HAPPEN?” People coordinate their activities together Rituals and patterns emerge Values, beliefs, and realities are constructed
From which we quickly develop standards and expectations
ADAPTED FROM SHEILA MCNAMEE (2007) PRESENTATION AT FIELDING GRADUATE UNIVERSITY
PROCESS
A SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONIST’S PERSPECTIVE ON CULTURE
THIS IS THE PROCESS OF “CULTURING”
RULES AND NORMS ARE EVERYWHERE
WHAT RULES AND NORMS ARE PRESENT RIGHT NOW? WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF SOMEONE VIOLATED THEM? ARE THERE RULES THAT SOME WOULD FOLLOW BUT NOT OTHERS?
HOW IS CULTURE CREATED THROUGH STORIES? THROUGH OUR SOCIAL INTERACTION WE DEVELOP RULES AND NORMS THESE ARE LARGELY HIDDEN AND NOT TALKED ABOUT DIRECTLY ONE WAY WE SHARE OUR RULES IS THROUGH STORIES EVERY RULE AND NORM IS DEPENDENT ON THE CONTEXT WE BELIEVE WE ARE IN THIS IS THE “LOGIC” OF OUR LIVES – WHAT WE OUGHT OR OUGHT NOT TO DO IN ANY GIVEN SITUATION
WE USE THESE RULES TO COORDINATE OUR ACTIONS WITH EACH OTHER WHEN A GROUP SHARES ENOUGH OF THESE RULES, A CULTURE FORMS
A MODEL OF STORIES FOCUS ON STORIES
Untold stories
stories Lived
Unknown stories
storyTelling Unheard stories
stories Told LUUUUTT MODEL
Pearce, W. B. (2007). Making social worlds: A communication perspective. Malden, MA:BLACKWELL PUB.
Untellable stories
EXAMPLE OF A STORY
“I ran into John at Starbucks the other day. He was texting or something and he like never looked up. I said ‘Hi’ and everything but he just said ‘Hey’ and never looked at me. I’m like, ‘seriously?’ I just left him there.”
WHY IS CULTURE IMPORTANT IN ORGANIZATIONS?
CULTURE IS BOTH A RESOURCE AND AN INHIBITOR IN AN ORGANIZATION RESOURCE: A RESULT OF WHAT PEOPLE HAVE LEARNED INHIBITOR: A BARRIER TO NEW LEARNING AND CHANGE SUB-CULTURES IN ORGANIZATIONS CAN CREATE CONFLICT
ZOOM IN ON ORGANIZATIONS
THIS IS A SOCIAL NETWORK OF ONE DEPARTMENT IN A COMPANY
EACH DOT IS A PERSON AND EACH LINE REPRESENTS A REGULAR WEEKLY OR DAILY INTERACTION
LEARNING ABOUT A CULTURE
HOW MIGHT YOU LEARN ABOUT CULTURE IN AN ORGANIZATION?
A STUDY OF COLLABORATION PURPOSE: UNDERSTAND CULTURE OF COLLABORATION WITHIN AN ORGANIZATION. METHOD: OBTAIN STORIES OF COLLABORATION AND WHAT THOSE STORIES SIGNIFY LOOK FOR PATTERNS AND MEANING BEHIND THE PATTERNS HOW DO PEOPLE EXPERIENCE COLLABORATION WHAT INCREASES OR DECREASES COLLABORATION
ELICITING STORIES: AN EXAMPLE
IMAGINE A FRIEND FROM ANOTHER UNIVERSITY TELLS YOU THAT HE OR SHE IS THINKING ABOUT TRANSFERRING TO UC MERCED. WHAT STORY ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AT UC MERCED WOULD YOU TELL IF YOU WANTED TO ENCOURAGE HIM OR HER TO TRANSFER? WHAT STORY WOULD YOU TELL IF YOU WANTED TO DISCOURAGE HIM OR HER FROM TRANSFERRING?
3
obsessivelyCOGNITIVE
DIFFERENTIAL SCALE
The scatter plot maps the placement of one signifier against another. In this case we see “dealing with issues” (x-axis) compared against “locus of control” (y-axis). This view gives the ability to scan a large amount of data for correlations, patterns, and unusual clusters (outliers).
5
only for their own good
DOES NOT APPLY
people worked …
at the mercy of everyone else
PARTICIPANTS QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR STORIES. LOOK FOR PATTERNS IN THE MEANING OF THE STORIES.
as if it didnt exist.
DOES NOT APPLY
• WE ASKED THE
• WE COULD THEN
people dealt with the real issue …
Median Point
Correlation Line
Very Rare
Occasional
Somewhat Common
Stories that are told regularly, are about being “at odds” and are mostly negative.
Regular
TEXT
HOW DO CULTURES CHANGE? OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS FAMILY / FRIENDS
OTHER WORK GROUPS
ENVIRONMENT GROUPS ARE DIVERSE. WHEN PEOPLE IN AND BETWEEN GROUPS INTERACT, NEW PATTERNS EMERGE.
INTENTIONALLY CHANGING A CULTURE
HOW MIGHT YOU TRY TO CHANGE CULTURE IN AN ORGANIZATION?
HOW TO CHANGE A CULTURE (OR: MAKING A BETTER WORLD) FIRST MUST ASK: SHOULD WE? WHOM DOES CHANGING THE CULTURE SERVE? BEGIN TO INFLUENCE: CONNECTIONS STORIES TOLD INTERDEPENDENCY INTERACTION PATTERNS AND QUALITY OF RELATIONSHIPS DIVERSITY LEARNING AND ADAPTATION
