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The Performance of Industry Culture: Assumptions, Sources And University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 5-1998 The Performance of Industry Culture: Assumptions, Sources and Evolutionary Patterns as Revealed in the Paradigmatic Interplay of Reporting Structures and Communicative Processes Linda Lyle University of Tennessee, Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Communication Commons Recommended Citation Lyle, Linda, "The Performance of Industry Culture: Assumptions, Sources and Evolutionary Patterns as Revealed in the Paradigmatic Interplay of Reporting Structures and Communicative Processes. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 1998. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/4590 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Linda Lyle entitled "The Performance of Industry Culture: Assumptions, Sources and Evolutionary Patterns as Revealed in the Paradigmatic Interplay of Reporting Structures and Communicative Processes." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Communication. Dorothy A. Bowles, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Barbara Moore, Faye D. Julian, Herbert H. Howard Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Linda Lyle entitled "The Performance of Industry Culture: Assumptions, Sources and Evolutionary Patterns as Revealed in the Paradigmatic Interplay of Reporting Structures and Communicative Processes." I have examined the final copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Communications. We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance Accepted for the Council: � Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of the Graduate School THE PERFORMANCE OF INDUSTRY CULTURE: Assumptions, Sources and Evolutionary Patterns as Revealed in the Paradigmatic Interplay of Reporting Structures and Communicative Processes A Dissertation Presented forthe Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Linda Gayle Lyle May 1998 Copyright @ Linda Gayle Lyle. 1998 All rights reserved 11 Dedicated with love and appreciation to a master teacher whose belief in me made me believe in myself Dr. Bain Tate Stewart A rarer spirit never did steer humanity. -- William Shakespeare 111 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to my doctoral committee,and most especially to my major professor and good friend, Dr. Dorothy Bowles. Her insightfulinstruction, constant encouragement, inspiring example, and perennial patience have been the "stars" to my "wandering bark" (apologies to Shakespeare), and I'm incredibly fortunate to have been in her apprentice. Likewise, Dean Herbert Howard, Dean Faye Julian, andDr. Barbara Moore are eagles on whose wings I have been bourneby their perennial faithin me, by their mentorship, and by their good humor. I will remain deeply grateful to this entire committee forthe rest of my days. I have also been blessed with the support and friendshipof numerous professors andcoileagues. Among these, I owe special thanksto Dr. John Haas, whose "org comm" course led me to this dissertation's topic; to Dr. Pamela Harris, my dear friend and beau ideal, whose moral support has been my mainstay; to Dr. Richard Marius,Harvard University, who generously opened his home to me when I traveled to Boston, and who has been a source of great inspiration sincemy undergraduate days; to Sherry McNair and Betty Bradley, who solved even the most stubbornlogistical problems; to Dr. Margaret Phillips, Pepperdine University, forher advice and assistance at this project's outset; to Dean Michael Stahl, whose keen interest in this work has helped motivate its timely completion; to Drs. Ron Taylor and Margaret Morrison, forpatiently IV enduring endless discussions of the intricacies of qualitative methodology; and to Dr. Michelle Violanti, for alwaysgiving me the best possible advice at the best possible moments. A profounddebt of gratitude is also owed my dear friendsand erstwhile colleagues in the student travel industry. Their collective willingness to share heart-and-mind with me is a sacred trust that I have tried my best to honor. Most especially do I thank Dr. Gilbert Markle and Dr. Theodore Voelkel, whose respective cooperation has been unspeakably generous, and whose genuine interest in the project has been both sustaining and enlightening. Finally, words are completely inadequate to express my deep and abiding gratitude to my family. My husband, Kerry Roehr, is surely the most enlightened husband in the whole of creation, not to mention the most patient. Our precious daughter, Madison Lyleroehr, has gracefully endured her mother's preoccupation with writing fornearly as long as she can remember -- which may explain why math is her favorite subject! I could not have survived this endeavor had it not been for Kerry's and Madison's love. Nor could I have persevered without the complete collaboration of my mother, Betty Long Lyle, whose firstand last questions are always, "How canI help?" She andmy father, the late J.B. Lyle, taught me to do my best, to follow my heart, and not to lose my soul in the process. After all is said and done, that is what has brought me here. To all these, and to everyone who has had a hand in this endeavor, I extend my humble and abiding thanks. V ABSTRACT This study (1) describes cultural assumptions in the student travel industry, relying upon protocols previously established within the functionalist perspective and (2) explains how these assumptions may have evolved by examining the basic communicative processes (performances)wherein industry culture has been made manifest. The study identifieseight members of the student travelindustry anduses qualitative methods that consist of in-depth interviews with the industry's"elite" members, as well as content analysis of selected historical andcontemporary documents. Data were analyzed, firstby thematic coding and then by interpretive analysisof codes that emerged. To framethe analysis,Phillips' (1990) functional "reporting structure" (categories) forcultural assumptions was cross-referenced with Pacanowskyand O'Donnell-Trujillo's (1983) heuristic listing of Performancesof Passion -- e.g. storytelling and repartee ( constructs, jargon, vocabulary, and metaphor). One result of adopting this "paradigm interplay" as a metatheoretical perspective has been to demonstratethat the functionalist perspective may serve as an heuristic frame for interpretation, while the rich description anddepth of understanding generated by interpretive analysis may enhance the scope and understanding of the emerging frame. Not an original goal of the research, this phenomenon nonetheless materialized as the study progressed. Vl Beyond that, this study not only joins the growing body of empirical evidence suggesting that industry cultures underlie corporate cultures but also describes how an industry's culture has evolved by examining communicative "performances" of its culturalassumptions. In doing so, it uncovers a primary source of these assumptions, and provides insight, not only into existing theories of organizational and industry culture, but also into the relationship of communication and culture, per se. Vll TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. Literature Review, Rationale, and Statement of Problem 1 Introduction and Overview 1 Organizational Culture 4 Origins of Culture 23 Industry Culture 26 Rationale and Statement of Problem 34 Focus of the Study and Research Questions 37 II. Method 39 Basic Design 42 Pilot Study 50 Data Collection 54 Methods of Analysis 61 III. The Performance of Cultural Assumptions in the Student Travel Industry 68 Brief History of the Student Travel Industry 71 The Root Metaphor: Work as Religion 77 Relationship between Group andEnvironment 81 Vlll The Practice of Work 96 The Purpose of Work 110 Nature of Work Relationships 113 The Origins of Truth 118 The Innate Nature of Human Nature 130 Nature of Space 136 Nature of Time 141 Summaryof Assumptions Categories 146 Corporate Orientation 146 IV. Discussion 156 Limitations of the Study 157 Describing IndustryCulture 159 Describing How the Culture Has Evolved 172 Implications for Future Research 178 Bibliography 182 Appendices 194 Appendix A: Initial Letter & Statement of Informed Consent 195 Appendix B: Pilot Study Interview Guide 200 lX Appendix C: Final interview guide 202 Appendix D: Permission to be identified(form) 204 Appendix E: Genealogy of the Student Travel Industry 206 Appendix F: Summary of Assumptions 208 AFTERWORD 213 VITA 217 X CHAPTER ONE LITERATURE REVIEW, RA TI ON ALE, AND STATEMENT OF PROBLEM Introduction and Overview There is no denying it: Some organizations are simply more successful
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