Cultural Approach to Organizations of Clifford Geertz & Michael Pacanowsky

What is the central metaphor for culture in the cultural approach to organizations, as pictured by Clifford Geertz?

According to Michael Pacanowsky, if culture consists of 'webs of meaning that people have spun,' what process is responsible for the 'spinning' of these webs?

What is the distinction between the phrases 'an organization has a culture' and 'an organization is a culture'?

What does the term 'thick description' refer to in the context of ethnography?

Which of the following are the three types of narrative that Pacanowsky suggests dramatize organizational life?

What is the purpose of an ethnographer mapping out social discourse within a culture?

In the cultural approach, what are actions by which members constitute and reveal their culture to themselves and others, such as gossiping, joking, and arranging picnics?

The 'waterline' operating principle at W. L. Gore & Associates, which advises associates to consult with others before taking actions that could seriously harm the company, is an example of what symbolic form?

What is the primary function of a ritual within an organization, according to the cultural approach?

The story of the original publisher at Dixie Communications spending Christmas Eve with pressroom workers is an example of which type of narrative?

What is the critical theorists' main objection to the cultural approach as practiced by Geertz and Pacanowsky?

What does Geertz's phrase 'Culture eats strategy for lunch' imply about organizational change?

In the example of the Haier corporate turnaround, how many of the 400 refrigerators about to be shipped were found to be defective by the new CEO?

How long did Michael Pacanowsky initially invest in participant observation at W. L. Gore & Associates for his ethnographic research?

What is the primary role of collegial stories within an organizational culture?

According to the cultural approach, why are subcultures and countercultures present even in close-knit societies or organizations?

The story of the new publisher at Dixie Communications who refused to meet with employees because it would make it 'harder to fire a person' is an example of what type of narrative?

How does Geertz view rituals like the Balinese cockfight?

According to the critique section, why might a manager find the cultural approach less useful than other theories?

What is the primary method of research used in the cultural approach to organizations?

How did Pacanowsky apply Geertz's cultural insights, which were developed in remote rural settings, to a new context?

What is the significance of the 'lattice organization' metaphor at W. L. Gore & Associates?

Why does Pacanowsky focus on stories as a window into an organization's 'webs of significance'?

What does the text suggest is one practical, beneficial use of a 'thick description' for an organization, despite its lack of focus on changing culture?

The story of the current comptroller at Dixie Communications telling about using homing pigeons to send news copy is an example of what type of narrative?

What is the primary reason Geertz and Pacanowsky would caution against a simplistic analysis that says 'This story means...'?

How is Don Draper's line 'I don’t want to wake up pregnant' interpreted as a metaphor reflecting the culture of Sterling Cooper in 'Mad Men'?

According to the critique by Adam Kuper, what is a primary flaw in Geertz's emphasis on interpretation?

How does Geertz propose an ethnographer can verify the accuracy of their 'thick description'?

The example of the religious metaphors used by a high school theater tech crew (e.g., the director as 'God,' the production book as the 'bible') illustrates what concept?

What is the defining characteristic of a corporate story?

Why would an ethnographer be more interested in the significance of trips to the office watercooler than in a frequency count of those trips?

What does Pacanowsky identify as the three forms of communication that provide helpful access to the unique shared meanings within an organization?

In the dime-on-the-wall ritual at Dixie Communications, what was the primary function of the rite for the female employees?

What is Geertz's view on the potential for a manager to be an agent of cultural change?

The example of Dwight Schrute's interviews in NBC's 'The Office,' where he talks about his excellence as an employee, is used to illustrate which type of story?

What is ethnography according to the text?

Why did Geertz label his study of culture a 'soft science'?

What attitude did Pacanowsky initially advise ethnographers to assume to avoid taking a culture's interpretations for granted?

In the Picasso story, the husband's complaint that the portrait 'isn't how she really looks' and Picasso's reply, 'Small, isn't she?' to a photograph, illustrates what aspect of the cultural approach?

What does the text mean by stating 'culture is not something an organization has; a culture is something an organization is'?

Which of the following activities would an ethnographer following Pacanowsky's approach consider a 'cultural performance'?

What is the key difference between a personal story and a collegial story in Pacanowsky's framework?

Which of the five tasks of an ethnographer involves artfully writing up descriptions so readers feel they have experienced the events?

What does the egalitarian title of 'associate' for every worker at W. L. Gore & Associates signify about its culture?

What is the primary reason the cultural approach has been criticized for its lack of 'aesthetic appeal' in recent years?

What does the text identify as a cultural performance?

What is the cultural approach's view on studying job performance to understand an organization's culture?

Why was the cultural approach to organizations stimulated by the economic success of Japanese corporations in the 1970s and 1980s?

What do the actions of the workers who 'smile, sigh, snicker, or scoff' represent in Geertz's view of a manager's attempt to change culture?