Evaluating organizational culture with metaphors

Abstract

Following through Morgan's (2006) prepositions, this study aims to examine organizational culture by using metaphors. For this goal, metaphors drawn by 24 staffs working at the Physical Education and Sports Department were used to make a qualitative analysis on cultural structure of the department. The results indicated that all eight metaphors proposed by Morgan (2006) (that is, machine, organism, brain, culture, political system, psychic prison, flux and transformation, and instrument of domination) were clearly displayed in the responses given by participants which related to the cultural structure of the department. According to the results, machine (8) was the highest mentioned metaphor while brain, flux and transformation, and instrument of domination were each mentioned only once. Additionally, political system was mentioned four times; culture, organism and psychic prison were mentioned three times each. The results gave strong evidence that the department has highly mechanistic culture which involves standardization, control and order.