Martin presents a perspective on "fragmentation" in the organizational culture as one that contains "multiplicity and flux." When fragmentation occurs in organizations, multiple interpretations, meanings, symbols, and ambiguity exist. While fragmentation may sound like a negative term when relating to organizations, this perspective allows for an organization to operate in a dynamic state of unknown rather then being stagnant. I believe this is good because it forces the organization to evolve and adapt to change and challenges.
Recently, my office created a media campaign for recruiting new applicants into a career in law enforcement. The vision behind the media campaign was to draw a diverse group of applicants from all races and genders into an exciting career as a deputy sheriff. The media campaign was innovative and different than any type of recruiting we had done before. The first few media releases into the local paper were full size color photos with a caption that stated "What did you do at work today?" In the background were three deputies with rifles running in the middle of a street during a serious incident. The controversy over this recruitment photo was relentless. Several members of the public felt that our agency was glorifying violence and guns as a career. The recruitment teams perspective was that law enforcement is both dangerous and challenging at the same time, it is not your typical day at the office. The recruitment team had their own meanings as to what law enforcement meant to them and capitalized on that meaning. Members of the public viewed this photo with different meaning. Ultimately, there was a lot of ambiguity presented by the recruitment team. Within a law enforcement culture, most of us did not think twice about the recruitment photos because this is a common perspective that most of us have about our job. However, if I were to ask a records clerk about ways to recruit new applicants into the sheriff's office they would have a different perspective on how to recruit members in our community.
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I also think that organizations that are flexible and can best adapt to change will prove to be stronger in the long run. I've heard the word innovation used often these days - the most innovative company will 'win'. Teams and ideas that can come together quickly seem to be preferred over the long-standing and stagnant processes. Your example of the law enforcement effort really challenged the traditional recruiting methods previously used. Good or bad, it provoked conversation/communication amongst different groups.
HI SantaCruz,
That's a fascinating story! It's a great example of how metaphors affect us in our daily lives. What one person views as compelling and insightful, another may view as offensive. Like lotusblossom said, at least this situation stirred-up communication between different groups. I would venture to say that is helped out the recruitment process by bringing more attention to it (chuckle). It also provided a platform for each group to expand on how they metaphorically viewed the ad.
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