| Course | EDP 810 The Psychology of Leadership |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 5 |
| Paper type | Doctoral symbolic analysis |
| Length | About 1,015 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Doctor of Education |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for EDP 810 Module 5
What the Paper Notes Meant: Symbols, Stories and Rites in a Youth Agency
Student Name
Doctor of Education Program, Aspen University
EDP 810: The Psychology of Leadership
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
What the Paper Notes Meant: Symbols, Stories and Rites in a Youth Agency
When Daniela, the executive director of the composite Des Moines youth agency, asked caseworkers why they kept writing paper notes after the new case record system launched, one replied, "Because that's where I write down what the kid actually said." Another said the system made her feel "like I'm being clocked." These remarks are not about software. They are about meaning. Agency, caseworkers and director alike are invented for this course; the paper reads the agency's culture through the symbolic frame.
The Symbolic Frame
Bolman and Deal's symbolic frame assumes that what is most important is not what happens but what it means; that activity and meaning are loosely coupled, so events have multiple meanings; that people create symbols to resolve confusion and provide direction; and that culture, expressed through symbols, stories, rituals and ceremonies, is what holds an organization together. From this view, the rollout failed partly because it changed the meaning of caseworkers' work without offering a new meaning in its place.
Two Views of Culture
Smircich (1983) distinguished two ways of studying culture. In one, culture is a variable, something an organization has, alongside structure and strategy, which leaders can shape to improve performance. In the other, culture is a root metaphor, something an organization is: the system of shared meanings through which members make sense of their work. The first view invites leaders to manage culture; the second suggests culture can be understood and influenced but not simply engineered. This paper takes a position between them: leaders can influence meaning through symbolic action, but only by working with meanings already present, not by imposing new ones.
Reading the Agency's Culture
| Element | Example at the agency | Meaning to caseworkers |
|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Handwritten case notes | Care, attention to the youth's own words |
| Symbol | The weekly compliance report | Surveillance; distrust of professional judgment |
| Story | The caseworker who stayed overnight in a hospital with a youth | Our work is about people, not paperwork |
| Story | Joan's refusal, years ago, to close a case early to meet a funder target | Integrity means standing up to funders |
| Rite | The system launch by memo | The change was imposed, not shared |
Stories
Martin et al. (1983) found a paradox in organizational stories: organizations claim their stories express what makes them unique, yet the stories follow a small number of common types. Among them are stories about whether rule-breaking is acceptable, whether the big boss is human, whether the little person can rise, whether one will be fired, whether the organization will help when one must move, how the boss reacts to mistakes and how the organization deals with obstacles. The agency's most-told stories fit these types. The overnight hospital story answers how the organization deals with obstacles: by putting youth first. Joan's story answers whether rule-breaking is acceptable: yes, when a funder's rule harms a youth. The new system, introduced as a funder requirement, collided directly with that story.
Rites and Ceremonies
Trice and Beyer (1984) classified organizational rites by their social consequences: rites of passage mark changes in role; rites of degradation dissolve social identities; rites of enhancement enhance them; rites of renewal refurbish existing structures; rites of conflict reduction reduce conflict; and rites of integration bind people together. The launch memo was not a rite at all, so the change had no ceremony to give it meaning. Worse, the weekly compliance report functioned as a small degradation rite, naming those who had fallen behind.
Planning a Relaunch
Daniela will design the relaunch of the redesigned system as a rite of renewal, marking a fresh start with the forms caseworkers helped redesign. At an all-staff gathering, caseworkers will tell stories of documentation that helped a youth: a detailed note that persuaded a judge, a record that helped a youth obtain disability services. Joan, as co-lead of the redesign, will speak about why she agreed to help, linking the redesigned system to her long-standing story about putting youth first. The weekly compliance report will be retired publicly, ending the degradation rite, and replaced by monthly team reviews of youth outcomes. A rite of enhancement, recognizing the first team to complete the transition, will follow.
The Risk of Manipulation
Symbolic action can look like manipulation, especially to staff who already distrust leadership. Smircich's root metaphor view warns that meaning cannot be imposed. The relaunch will be credible only if it marks real change: forms caseworkers designed, a report retired and a supervisor who opposed the system now helping to lead it. Symbols without substance would confirm caseworkers' suspicion.
Unintended Symbols
Some of the agency's most powerful symbols were created without anyone intending them. Daniela meant the weekly compliance report as a practical tool; caseworkers read it as a statement that leadership did not trust them. She asked the board chair to speak at the all-staff meeting to show the system's importance; supervisors read it as a sign that their views did not count. Smircich (1983) argued that meaning is made by members, not assigned by leaders, and these episodes show it. A leader is always acting symbolically, whether or not she plans to.
Everyday Symbolic Practice
Rites and ceremonies matter, but so do small, repeated acts. Daniela will begin each monthly leadership meeting with a story from a caseworker about a youth the agency has helped, read by the supervisor who submitted it. She will visit each casework team during its first monthly data review and ask what the data shows about the youth they serve, not about completion rates. These acts are minor, but repeated over months they can shift what the system means more than one ceremony can.
Conclusion
Smircich's two views of culture define what a leader can and cannot do with meaning, Trice and Beyer's rites show what the launch lacked and what a relaunch can offer and Martin and colleagues' story types explain why the system collided with the agency's most important story. A relaunch built around caseworkers' own stories can give the system a new meaning, provided the changes behind it are real.
References
Martin, J., Feldman, M. S., Hatch, M. J., & Sitkin, S. B. (1983). The uniqueness paradox in organizational stories. Administrative Science Quarterly, 28(3), 438-453. https://doi.org/10.2307/2392251
Smircich, L. (1983). Concepts of culture and organizational analysis. Administrative Science Quarterly, 28(3), 339-358. https://doi.org/10.2307/2392246
Trice, H. M., & Beyer, J. M. (1984). Studying organizational cultures through rites and ceremonials. Academy of Management Review, 9(4), 653-669. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1984.4277391
What the EDP 810 Module 5 instructions ask for
Module 5 of EDP 810 commonly asks for an analysis through the symbolic frame. Check the Module 5 instructions in your Aspen course for the exact scope; this agency is invented. Set out what the symbolic frame assumes about meaning and culture. Distinguish ways of understanding culture and say which you use. Read an organization's symbols, stories, rituals and ceremonies. Use research to plan symbolic action for a change. Address the risk that symbolic action is seen as manipulation. Use APA 7 at a doctoral level, and draw on observed details, such as phrases people repeat and events they remember, rather than general statements about culture.
How the EDP 810 Module 5 example is put together
Caseworkers at the composite youth agency describe their handwritten notes as part of caring for youth, and the new system's launch was a memo. Smircich's article contrasts culture as a variable leaders can manage with culture as the shared meanings that make up an organization. Trice and Beyer classify rites of passage, degradation, enhancement, renewal, conflict reduction and integration. Martin and colleagues identify common story types, including whether the big boss is human and how the organization deals with obstacles. A five-row table reads the agency's symbols, stories and rites, and a plan designs a relaunch as a rite of renewal built around caseworkers' own stories.
Reading the EDP 810 Module 5 grading rubric
A strong symbolic paper reads specific details of an organization's culture and plans symbolic action that is genuine. This example interprets concrete symbols, such as the paper notes and the launch memo, and stories caseworkers repeat. It uses Smircich to take a position on what culture is, which shapes how far a leader can manage it. Trice and Beyer's typology turns the relaunch into a designed rite with a clear purpose, and Martin and colleagues' story types guide which stories to tell. The paper addresses the risk of manipulation directly, arguing that symbols must match real changes to be believed. It also shows how a leader's earlier actions acquired symbolic meaning she never intended, which is one of the frame's central insights.
EDP 810 Module 5 help: mistakes that cost marks
Symbolic papers often describe culture in general terms ("a caring culture") without reading specific symbols. Collect details: phrases people repeat, stories they tell, events they remember, objects that matter. Take a position on what culture is, since it shapes what a leader can do. Plan symbolic action with a clear purpose, using research on rites and stories. Make sure symbols match substance; a ceremony without real change breeds cynicism. Avoid treating culture as easy to engineer. Look at your own past actions as symbols too; a memo, a report or an absence at a meeting can carry meaning you did not intend. Ask what story the change tells, and whether it fits the stories people already tell. A rite should have a clear purpose, such as renewal or integration, rather than being a generic celebration.
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EDP 810 Module 5 questions, answered
What does EDP 810 Module 5 usually ask for?
Aspen's EDP 810 covers the symbolic frame in this module, so a paper reading an organization's culture and planning symbolic leadership is typical. See your Module 5 prompt for details.
What is the symbolic frame?
Bolman and Deal's lens that focuses on meaning, belief and culture, holding that what events mean to people matters more than what happened and that symbols, stories and rituals hold organizations together.
What are organizational rites?
Planned activities that express culture, which Trice and Beyer classified as rites of passage, degradation, enhancement, renewal, conflict reduction and integration.
Where can I find a free EDP 810 Module 5 sample paper?
This page holds the complete paper: two views of culture, a reading of one agency's symbols and stories and a plan for a relaunch ceremony.
Are organizational stories really unique?
Martin and colleagues found that stories organizations claim as unique follow a small set of common types, such as whether the boss is human and whether the little person can rise.