Embedded within organizational culture, there may be a set of behaviors that dictate how a situation or practice is handled. A definition of a ritual according to Smith & Stewart is “Rituals are special occurrences that confirm a specific set of attitudes and behaviours” (2011, p.115). Similarly, Schultz & Levenda elaborate further to explain that rituals are repetitive social practices that come from outside a source other than oneself (2018, p. 148). Rituals within organizations can provide a stable and standard way certain matters are performed or communicated. With no deviation accepted, it allows for an established routine that must be followed. Rituals can provide structure and certainty for members of an organization based on the already established protocols “because they remove uncertainty and replace it with safe and
accepted behaviours” (Smith & Steward, 2011, p. 118). An employee may have questions about an accepted act or process that can be answered by an established ritual. For example, this may be something as simple as how to do one’s job when hired. To have a training ritual that regiments the exact manner to perform the job does not allow for obscurity or variation. All information set forth will provide for certainty within a specific role. Rituals may provide for communication of organizational culture and values. An organization may hold periodic training seminars to reinforce to the current culture. Employee reviews can also keep workers on track and allows leaders to have an awareness of areas of needed improvement. If this type of system is in place, the transmission of organizational knowledge can affirm the collective values and beliefs, which encourages group stability (Smith & Stewart, 2011, p. 119). Rituals can also bring employees together by means of a common organizational
goal. Schein cites specific examples of how organizations have unconventional meetings which
formalize how success is celebrated. In his examples, groups who have performed well are celebrated with rewards and notoriety. All members were made aware of these successes and how the organization views the value of internal knowledge (2010, p. 254). Rituals can also play a role in worldviews in many ways. Although rituals are widely accepted in
many societies, “Members of the same society make use of shared assumptions about how the world works” (Schultz & Lavenda, 2018, p. 159). These worldviews attempt to explain experiences within a culture. While rituals are of no importance to some, others may live their life by means of rituals and symbols associated with culture. These symbols are integral parts of certain societies and cultures. For example, Deb describes the importance of fish in differing cultures. The physical form of a fish can be a sacred item, be presented as a gift or seen as a symbol of fertility (2018, p. 4). In this example, the fish means something different is each culture, however, it is important to realize that for each unique culture it is a powerful symbol of their specific worldview. Deb, A. K. (2018). ‘Surrender to Nature’: Worldviews and Rituals of the Small-Scale Coastal Fishers of Bangladesh. Marine Policy
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, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.01.010
Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational Culture and Leadership: Vol. Fourth edition
. Jossey-Bass.
Schultz, E. A., & Lavenda, R. H. (2018). Cultural anthropology: A Perspective on the Human Condition
. Oxford University Press. Smith, A. C. T., & Stewart, B. (2011). Organizational Rituals: Features, Functions and Mechanisms. International Journal of Management Reviews
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(2), 113–133. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2370.2010.00288.x
