The study of an identifiable action, object, or language that conveys an abstract meaning. The term “organizational symbolism” refers to those aspects of an organization that its members use to reveal or make comprehendable the unconscious feelings, images, and values that are inherent in that organization. Organizational symbolism is the study of the expressive functions of organizational life.
Published in Chapter:
Organizational Symbolism: An Overview of the Tourism Industry
Bekir Esitti (Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Turkey) and Buket Buluk (Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Turkey)
Copyright: © 2020
|Pages: 19
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-1474-0.ch011
Abstract
This chapter discusses the issue of organizational symbolism, which is frequently encountered in business life, and its meaning in the tourism industry. Symbols are the most apparent and observable aspects of organizational life; simultaneously, symbolic elements are the most subtle and comprehensive. Due to the nature of the hospitality sector, the workflow takes place instantaneously. Therefore, employees, managers, and tourists search for some of the generally accepted symbols used in the organisation during this rapid workflow. If symbols are removed from this relationship, communication suffers and as a result harms the overall functioning of the organization. This chapter proposes that it is important to look at the origins of the organizational symbolism and to comprehend the role of symbols in the tourism industry. In this sense, this chapter should be seen primarily as an effort to review and systematize the overall understanding of organizational symbols in the tourism industry.