On focus in cultural studies of organizations

Organizational culture and symbolism research are discussed with special reference to and concentration on those aspects of organizational life. It is argued that a large parts of the literature in this field overemphasizes rather insignificant aspects of organizations. Questions regarding the validity problem in studies of the cultural dimension of organizations are also raised. It is suggested that the culture research in many cases would benefit from a more restricted use of the symbol concept. A redirection of focus from the purely ideational aspects, unimportant rites and other symbols, to the social practices connected with the core of the people's work situation in organizations, might increase the value of this important and promising research field in organizational analysis.