Artifacts and Organizations

5

Cartoon Displays as Autoproduction of Organizational Culture

N. Anand

London Business School

 

 

In this study I ask a simple question: Why do organizational members display cartoons on their office doors? In seeking the answer, I explore how organizational members manipulate artifacts within their organization. Schein (1990) defines artifacts as “everything from the physical layout, the dress code, the manner in which people address each other, the smell and feel of the place, its emotional intensity, and other phenomena, to the more permanent archival manifestations such as company records, products, statements of philosophy, and annual reports” (p. 111). Cartoons displayed on office doors fit the description. My research site was a medium-size ...