| To focus on business rituals could help your | | | | Ritual behavior could make a company inflexible. A |
| organization to strengthen its style; if people know | | | | company needs to invest in a ceremony and the |
| "how" to do things, than many of the organizational | | | | resources dedicated with it couldn't be reserved |
| problems are half solved. Rituals are ceremonial | | | | otherwise. This planned behavior and the formality in |
| activities that repeatedly take place in an organization. | | | | which it is organized could be felt as an obligation of |
| Many organization will exhibit similar rituals. For instance | | | | which the goal is not clear. |
| most companies will celebrate officially the New Year, | | | | What seems to be important at one stage could loose |
| company successes and introductions of new | | | | importance in another stage. But the ritual continues. |
| employees. Yet there are also rituals that are familiar | | | | The disciplinary drive of the ritual could become the |
| for one organization but non existent for others. The | | | | enemy once the custom is found to be outdated. |
| "casual Friday," for example will be specific for those | | | | People begin to question (the function of) the activity |
| companies that are more formal and want to promote | | | | and rather than providing cohesion for the group it will |
| an informal atmosphere before the weekend. | | | | produce an opposite effect. |
| But there are also some pitfalls with organizational | | | | Rituals are just one facet of the extended cultural |
| rituals. | | | | area of an organization. Although it is visible and easy |
| The focus on rituals could become an end on its own. | | | | to be discussed as "the weather," it is only a part that |
| Sometimes we try to influence behavior and instead | | | | expresses your corporate culture. But there are many |
| of achieving the expected effect, the opposite will | | | | other elements, which should be taken into account. |
| occur. Rituals are not easy to design nor easy to | | | | Nor is a simple check on the organizational rituals a |
| influence. In order to address a cultural issue by | | | | simple panacea for solving rooted problems. Therefore |
| focusing on company rituals, there should really be an | | | | only focus on rituals if there is commitment to do so. |
| issue. | | | | And ... if it ain't broke, ... |