SEAHO Report - Fall 2021 - 11

FEATURE ARTICLES
institutions. Symbolism exists in the social life of your work through mission, vision, values, stories, traditions,
and ceremonies. It also plays out in team dynamics through initiation rituals (i.e. onboarding and transitioning
roles), shared vocabulary (e.g. RA, RD, SEAHO), and the tradition of engaging in repeating processes (e.g. staff
meetings, opening, closing, staff selection, training, end-of-year celebrations) (Bolman & Deal, 2008).
According to Bolman and Deal, the fundamental basis of the Symbolic Frame can be concisely expressed as listed
below. As you read over these assumptions, consider in what ways they are present in your committee work.
1. What is most important is not what happens but what it means.
2. Events and actions have multiple interpretations as people experience life differently.
3. Facing uncertainty and ambiguity, people create symbols to resolve confusion, find direction, and anchor
faith and hope.
4. Events and processes are often more important for what is expressed than for what is produced.
5. Culture is what bonds an organization, unites people, and helps a group accomplish desired ends (2008,
p. 253).
As you reflect on how these assumptions of the Symbolic Frame are occurring within your committee, we offer
these questions to help you further areas of exploration in how your committee operates or how you individually
navigate the group.
1. Is the current symbolism of your group what you want it to be?
2. How are you seeking to understand how the same event or action is interpreted differently by the
committee or those outside of the committee?
3. In what ways could the group be included in the intentional design of a symbol when faced with
uncertainty or ambiguity?
4. How is time being balanced between expression versus productivity around events and processes of the
committee?
5. How would you and your committee describe the current culture of the group?
When you consider all the frames of Bolman and Deal's model, our committee work can suddenly look more
complex than when you started reading this article series. Fear not! There are five questions that Bolman and
Deal offer for you to narrow down which frame(s) you should first consider in identifying ways to get the
committee moving forward in a productive way based on challenges you anticipate or are already experiencing
(2008, p. 317).
1. Are individual commitment and motivation essential to success?
If yes, consider the HR and/or Symbolic Frames. If no, look to the Structural and/or
Political Frames to guide you.
2. Is the technical quality of the decision important?
If yes, use the Structural Frame. If no, look to the remaining three frames.
3. Are there high levels of ambiguity and uncertainty?
If yes, apply the Political and/or Symbolic Frames. If no, consider the Structural and/or HR frames.
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SEAHO Report - Fall 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SEAHO Report - Fall 2021