As part of our discussion of cultural approaches to organizational communication we have examined the descriptive/interpretive approaches.  On pages 94-96 of the 5th edition and pages 112-114 of the 4th edition, your book describes ethnography as a method for learning and writing about cultures.  Your task here is to perform a brief ethnography of an organization.  This should allow you to apply the descriptive/interpretive cultural perspective to your own experience and to give you insight into the things people do in organizations that might otherwise get taken for granted.

Your first step will be to pick an organization to which you can gain access.  It might be an organization where you work, or of which you are a member.  It might be a business or organization you frequent as a customer or client, or it might be an academic or administrative department here at IPFW.  Or it might be some other organization.

Once you've picked your organization and gotten whatever permission you may need, plan to spend a significant amount of time – likely several hours at least – looking for clues about the organization's culture.  Think in terms of Schein's three levels of organizational culture as you look for these clues — What artifacts and creations are evident here?   What values are talked about? What basic assumptions seem to be shared?  How do you know?  Take rigorous notes and ask questions to learn the organization members' interpretations.

Next, you'll need to organize your notes into a paper.  Begin with an opening paragraph in which you briefly introduce the organization and preview the organization’s shared values and basic assumptions.

Organize the body of the paper into the following sections, using the following section headings, exactly as they appear here:

I. Level I - Artifacts and Creations: Describe the artifacts and creations you observe that back up your ideaof the basic assumptions.
II. Level II - Shared/Espoused Values: Describe the organization members’shared/espoused values, and how the artifacts/creations work to further those values (or how they don't)
III. Level III - Basic Assumptions: Describe the organization’s basic assumptions, and how the artifacts/creations and values work to further those assumptions (or how they don't)

End with a closing paragraph in which you summarize and gracefully conclude the essay.  As with Response Paper 1, generalizations will not lead to good papers. Support any assertion you make with specific examples from your observations or interviews. When I read the paper I should be able to “see” the workplace events/practices to which you're referring, and the descriptions should serve as backing for the arguments you make about the values/assumptions you identify.  The best papers will use detail to make a compelling, well-organized argument.

Be sure to show the connections among the three levels.  In 3-5 pages you don’t need to give a comprehensive overview of the organization and probably shouldn’t try.  One approach is to focus in depth on one aspect of the organization’s culture.  Don't try to evaluate the organization in terms of all six of Schein's areas of basic assumptions, but use that list to figure out what the organization's basic assumptions are.  Writing in depth about one basic assumption is fine, and may even be the best strategy.   In any event, the introduction should preview what you’re going to do.

The bulk of your paper should be the sections on Levels II and III.  Please resist the temptation to have the bulk of your paper be a description of the Artifacts and Creations that comprise Level I.  You might even find it helpful to write Sections II and III first and then go back and write Section I so that you only include those artifacts and creations that are relevant to your analysis.

The best papers will also be grammatically correct and free of spelling and punctuation errors. Include an introduction in which you set up your paper as well as a conclusion in which you wrap up.

The essay should be between three and five pages in length.  It should be typed (double spaced, margins of 1" all around, font no larger than 12).  It should also be stapled.

Hints for success for this paper are the same as last time:

• Make sure you do everything called for in these directions.
• Don't wait until the last minute to do this!  Take your time, and use the services of  the Writing Center in Kettler G19 if you need to.
• You are invited to show me a draft or discuss potential paper topics in office hours or by appointment.
 

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