SEAHO Report - Summer 2023 - 10

vision for change that is part of the charge for the committee can balance long-term interests while
acknowledging competing commitments. Solutions will not be immediate, but an intentionally set
agenda can keep stakeholders invested long enough for meaningful change to be implemented. As
a committee member, you can still influence the agenda by asking questions about which competing
interests are being acknowledged and considered.
The Symbolic Frame can help you see the nebulous culture of beliefs and philosophies that are
present in the environment of your institution, including committee work. Symbols are a natural
design in group settings, which means they are not all intentionally created. Whether organic or
synthesized, symbols can boost morale and understanding as easily as they can impair or damage
the functioning of individuals, groups, or entire 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 meeting, 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?
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SEAHO Report - Summer 2023

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