Week 7: Cultural Studies of Organizations

My understanding of the word “culture” is very near and dear to my heart because it is something I grew up to be proud of. I am a Polish-American whose parents, being immigrants, worked hard to put themselves and our family on our feet in this country. My mother came here when she was 31 without knowing one word of English, went to college, and became a very successful bilingual teacher. Culture to me means a group, institution, organization, nation etc. that has a deeply engrained historical background full of traditions, heritage, values, and often a common religion (which can also entail a separate sense of culture). Speaking of Polish culture, there are certain things that come to mind, such as: folk dancing and singing, the language, food such as pierogi or pączki, a long history that embarked the famous motto: God, Honor, and Fatherland and so much more.

The book points out a great point that even within national cultures there are “thousands of smaller cultures based on religion, ethnicity, geography, and a myriad of other factors.” It brings to mind how in Poland there are different regions and each region has its own traditions, folk costumes, songs, and foods.

Photo Scavenger Hunt: What do the visual elements of culture say about your organization? Introduce us to the organization through its elements of culture.

I decided to choose my folk dance group that I have been a part of since the age of 5 to represent as my organization. It is a non-profit organization sponsored by the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America. My collage of photos represents many parts of culture and tradition in the organization. Being a folk group we have different types of dances and songs that represent the different regions of Poland. The one more prominently featured is the Krakowski (Cracow) costume. One picture is taken on a great red carpet, which was taken in China. It represents our passion for our culture and ability to share it as well as learn about other cultures and nations at international folk festivals. There is also a picture of us posing in an old church in Poland, representing our connection to the Catholic faith. Another picture shows girls working together to help fix and create new pieces for our costumes. This represents our solidarity and sacrifice to the group, which is a very important part of being in an organization. And finally the pictures of me singing at two different events, namely the annual Polish Parade and Pulaski Day Celebration. This represents the importance of history and heroes in our culture.

So in short some of our rituals and traditions are: annual global travels, weekly practices, fundraisers, and birthdays/potlucks. The artifacts are the folk costumes, banners, flags, and miscellaneous pieces like the “gaik” and “lajkonik”. A hero of the group internally can be our founder, but externally can be any typical Polish hero such as Kosciuszko, Pulaski, or Marie Sklodowska-Curie. One value that we definitely hold is loyalty. This is not only toward the group but also to our ancestor’s homeland. A metaphor that is often used in the group is that it is our second family. Although the group changes over time, anyone who was a part of it at one time is part of that family.

Interpretive Methodology

I think from a business’ perspective it is foremost important to instill a culture that will have the employees believe in the product. Also I think meetings face to face, as a group is important as well as social outings/events that are not associated with work. I once sang at a Holiday Party for a Remax Realtor group. It was at a very classy venue and you could tell that all the employees got along very well. They loved their boss and spoke very well of him. My observations lead me to believe that it was largely due to his personality but also how giving he was and personable. The business seemed to be doing very well and I think such factors really mean a lot.

…What effects might [aptitude tests] have on people at various stages of life? How did you react to your own results?

Watching the episode of The Simpsons entitles “Separate Vocations” really reminded me of how I dreaded taking long standardized aptitude tests as far back as elementary school. Today I wish I remembered what I got on those tests to compare against the one I took not long ago called YouScience. If you are a person who has a good memory, such an aptitude test can have a great impact on your life if you take it seriously enough. It may seem to close your options in life as we see with the way Lisa responded to her results. Although I try not to take the test too seriously, it does seem to have a bearing affect on an individual. Twice I took an aptitude test in the past several months and received something along the lines of being either a teacher or news anchor. As mentioned before I do have a license in teaching and did enjoy it, however I almost wish I didn’t because I know it is a lot of work and my mother was also a teacher and I would rather not follow her tracks. As for news anchor, well I don’t know even where to start…

One question that arose when reading about socialization was based on its definition: the process by which people learn the rules, norms, and expectations of a culture over time and thereby become members of that culture. I wonder how that works in terms of becoming a Pole vs. an American. It seems to be easier (for obvious reasons) to come to America and assimilate and become an “American” however does the same apply for me to become a Mongolian for example?

Also speaking of organizations and cultures, yesterday there was a great rally in downtown at the Water Tower Place against two politically opposing sides of one common Polish-Chicagoan society.