Symbolic Convergence Theory

In the middle of objective and interpretive, and in the tradition of rhetoric and socio-psychological

Theorist: Emest Bormann

Interested in how communication brings people together, within groups.

1. Sharing group fantasies creates symbolic convergence

Fantasy: dramatizing messages, that is enthusiatically embraced by the group.

They become shared interpretations of an event, and these interpretations would fill a group’s needs.

2. Dramatizing message: imaginative language by a group member describing past, future, or outside events.

Dramatizing message -> fantasy chain

Fantasy chain: a symbolic explosion of lively agreement within a group in response to a member’s dramatizing message

3. Fantasy theme: the content of the fantasy that has chained out within a group

• meanings
• emotions
• motives
• actions

4. Symbolic Cue: Fantasy theme will be triggered by symbolic cues

Symbolic cue: an agreed upon trigger that sets off group members to respond as they did when they first shared the fantasy.

5. Fantasy type: a cluster of related fantasy themes

[the multiple fantasy themes fit into a kind of fantasy type]

6. Symbolic Convergence: when two or more private symbol worlds incline toward each other.

Not all convergence leads to cohesion. Only in most cases.

Dramatizing message -> shared fantasy -> fantasy chain -> fantasy them (meaning, emotions, motives, actions) -> symbolic convergence -> group cohesion

• meanwhile, symbolic cue -> what we need to have shared fantasy
• fantasy type: when we put all similar fantasy themes together.

7. Fantasy theme analysis - rhetorical vision

Fantasy theme analysis: when symbolic convergence no longer in small group, but in larger groups/ rhetorcal communities.

• characters.
• plot lines.
• scene
• sanctioning agent

Cultural Approaches to Organizations

1. Methodology: Ethnography

• Who people in a culture think they are, what they think they are doing, and to what and they think they are doing it.
• Highly interpretive
• It starts from observation, and the object is to create thick description – cover thoughts, emotions, intentions, motives

2. Three forms of communication

which provided helpful access to the unique shared meanings within an organization

• metaphor
• stories
  • Corporate story
  • Personal story
  • Collegial story
• rituals

3. Critism

• Does not inform change
• Does not challenge the status quo.
• Based on interpretation, may not be trustful.