Management Development Structures as Symbols of Organizational Culture

Abstract

Management development structures such as training courses and appraisal interviews communicate the values and expectations of senior management to participants and thereby socialize them into an organization and its culture. Symbolism, one of many approaches used to try and understand the concept of organizational culture, is useful in this instance. Management development structures can be seen as symbols of culture in which the rites and rituals of the management role are enacted through their design, content and process. The question is raised as to whether the provision of cultural symbols can provide clear and persuasive pictures as, apparently, they are assumed to do. Explores how a group of managers within one company appeared to use management development in forming their individual impressions of the organization and its culture. The findings suggest that the communication link between management development and organizational culture is not perhaps as direct as is apparently assumed.