INTERPRETING ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND G0MMUNICA1I0N:
A VALUES ORIENTATION APPROACH
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Interpreting Organizational Culture
and Communication:
A Values Orientation Approach

by Mary Ellen Dahlkemper
Thesis Sp. Com. 1996
D131i c.2
Dahlkemper, Mary Ellen.

Intrepreting
organizational culture
1996.

Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
Master of Arts Degree in Communication Studies at
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.
April 1, 1996

Dr. Kathleen M. Golden
Cl A

Dr. j£an Jones

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Date

Date
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Dr. Terry Warburton

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11

Acknowledgements
Many individuals made it possible for me to research and write this thesis. I am
deeply grateful to the employees, consumers and volunteers of Stairways who graciously
welcomed me into their organization and generously shared their time, insights, hopes,
dreams, fears and stories. Special thanks to Emma Lee McCloskey who introduced me to
Stairways.
The faculty and student-colleagues in the master of communication studies
program at Edinboro University helped me in many ways. In particular, I want to
recognize my three committee members for their insight and encouragement. Thanks to
my committee chairperson, Dr. Kathleen M. Golden, for teaching me the art of qualitative
research and the value of triangulation, and for creating an environment for
experimentation; Dr. Terry Warburton for his valuable perspectives on organizational
communication and his expertise in quantitative analysis; and Dr. Jean Jones for
introducing me to the narrative paradigm and keeping me focused. Thanks also to Dr.
Mary Leslie Mohan, professor of communications, the State University of New York at
Geneseo, whose research and phone conversations resulted in the values orientation
structure for my study.
Special thanks to Ed, Philip and James Razanauskas for not finding it unusual that
their "forty-something" mother wanted to go back-to-school and for their cooperation in
maintaining the home-front during the last three years. Finally, no one has listened more
patiently to my ongoing narrative about this work than Ed Lesser, who was a most
significant source of advice, encouragement and moral support.

Ill

TABLE OF CONTENTS
page
Chapter I

INTRODUCTION

4

Chapter II

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

7

Chapter III
A.
B.

METHOD
Research Approach and Methods
Researcher's Standpoint ............
Data Analysis............................
Phase I: Interviews....................
Phase II: Verbal Artifacts..........
Phase III: Behavioral Artifacts .
Phase IV: The Employee Survey

C.

D.
E.
F.
G.

Chapter IV
A.
B.
C.

Chapter V
A.
B.
C.

D.
E.
F.
G.

H.

STAIRWAYS
Overview...................................................
A Stairway to the Stars..............................
Wrapping Ribbons Around the Organization
ORGANIZATIONAL FINDINGS
Relational Orientation: Movingfrom Isolation to Participation
Environmental Orientation: Sitting at the Table Together
Activity Orientation: Jumping Curves.....................................
Time Orientation: Weaving Past, PresentFuture..................
Human Nature Orientation: Friend\ Anchor, Port-in-a-Storm .
Mission Orientation: Creating a Healing Community............
Shared Culture: Arranging Flowers & Miningfor Soul..........
Communication: Integrating High Tech with High Touch

25
28

31
31
33
35
37

41
46
47

55

63
70
75
80

. ... 91
97
105

Chapter VI

CONCLUSIONS AND APPLICATIONS

116

Chapter VII

EPILOGUE

118

Chapter VIII REFERENCES

121

Chapter IX
APPENDIXES
Appendix 1: Release Form ...................................................
Appendix 2: Employee Survey and Cover Letter..................
Appendix 3: Employee Payroll Enclosure.............................
Appendix 4: Survey Statistics: Mean and Standard Deviation
Appendix 5: Survey Statistics: Frequency Tables ................
Appendix 6: Like Best/Likes Least Responses and Comments

130
131
135
136
138
144

Interpreting Organizational Values

4

CHAPTER I

The isolated questor here embarks on a process of academic passage towards the
interpretation of culture and symbolism in a particular setting. Success in the quest is the
achievement ofa persuasive account through the ordeal of being physically and theoretically
exposed.
Jick, 1994, p. 247

Interpreting Organizational Values

5

This thesis involves an ethnographic study of the cultural values and
communication channels of a social service agency from March 1,1995 through February
29, 1996. Founded in 1961, Stairways is proud of its vision to "create a healing
community" by raising awareness of mental illness and collaborating with various
community entities to provide living facilities and services for persons with mental illness.
Early in 1995, organizational leaders launched a campaign to engage employees in
addressing organizational change as Stairways moves into the next century. A study of
the agency at this particular time can provide insights into what occurs with culture and
. communications during organizational change. How cultural values and communication
methods are manifest in this specific mental health agency may be helpful to the study of
other social service agencies and organizations in general.
This study used a symbolic interactionist approach and a triangulated method
including qualitative interviewing of individuals on all levels of system, content analysis of
the agency newsletter, experiential research of artifacts and a quantitative employee
survey. While this study was done using a symbolic interactionist approach with no
formulated hypothesis, this researcher approached the work of gathering data with some
general questions to be explored in the fieldwork:
Q1

Do employees on various levels of system know Stairways's mission of providing
housing and services for persons with mental illness? Do they understand the
vision of creating a healing community?

Interpreting Organizational Values

Q2

6

What are the constructs, facts, practices, vocabulary, metaphors, stories, jokes,
rites and rituals that employees of Stairways use to create their culture?

Q3

What are the channels of communication at Stairways, both formal and informal,
and how effective are they? How do employees get information about the
organization? How do they prefer to get information? What are the most reliable
channels of communication from their perspectives? Communication obstacles?

Q4

What is the nature of values at Stairways? How does the penetration of core
values serve to unify or differentiate members of this particular culture?

Q5

Is Stairways's message of organizational change ("jumping the curve") being
communicated throughout the organization? Do employees relate to it?
This research report is organized into eight chapters. The first chapter overviews

the study including the research questions. The second chapter reviews the literature
relating to organizational culture, communications, values and narrative rationality. The
third chapter describes the method, approaches and standpoint used in the research. The
fourth chapter introduces the Stairways organization including an historical overview,
employee demographics, and organizational structure. The fifth chapter summarizes the
findings of the research using Mohan's adaptation of values orientations from Kluckhohn
and Strodtbeck, 1961 and Schein, 1984. The sixth chapter generalizes conclusions and
applications for the larger body of organizational culture and communication research and
suggest areas of further study. The seventh chapter contains the references used in the
study and the final section provides appendixes of raw data and information.

Interpreting Organizational Values

CHAPTER II

Review of the Literature

A cultural analysis moves us in the direction of questioning taken-for-granted
assumptions, raising issues of context and meaning; and bringing to the surface
underlying values.
Smircich, 1983, p. 355

7

Interpreting Organizational Values

8

Organizations, like individuals, are continually engaged in a process of self­
formation and regeneration (Johnson, 1977;Weick, 1979;Deetz, 1982). If interpretive
research is "to analyze organizational reality—what is presumed as real—as well as its
social reality—consensually subjective interpretations" (Deetz, p. 134), then the question
arises, whose reality in an organization reveals the true nature of its culture?
Pacanowsky and O'Donnell-Trujillo (1982) argue that a traditional approach to
organizational communication is biased and constrained by management's focus on bottom
line impact. They propose an organizational culture approach because they believe that
organizations are communication-based. When the focus shifts from a management
perspective to members' reality, more possibilities for understanding the organization as
structure and process evolve. Communication like web-spinning (Geertz, 1973) gives
both meaning and substance to organizations. Organizations should be examined through
their constructs, facts, practices, vocabulary, metaphors, stories, jokes, rites and rituals,
and that researchers should use a "Gestalt-contextual" approach, working back and forth
between various parts of the organization and the whole to discover the communication
patterns that create the culture. This process requires much time, note-taking, tape­
recording, transcribing, picture-taking, document-collecting, perceptiveness and sensitivity
to nuance (Pacanowsky and O'Donnell-Trujillo, 1982).
Sackmann (1990) embellishes this thinking with her paradigm of culture as a
dynamic construct which emphasizes culture-aware management rather than culture­
controlling management. Organizations become human systems under culture-aware

Interpreting Organizational Values

9

management. Organizational members are central to the dynamic process of creating
organizational culture by actively constructing their reality and giving meaning to their
experience. • "Every organizational member is a potential source of cultural variation,
adding to the dynamic and pluralistic nature of culture" (p. 138). Sackmann agrees that
the most valid way to gain awareness of any complex and dynamic cultural context is
through in-depth questioning and probing. However, she finds that awareness is not
enough in the praxis of culture-aware management since organizations are not static.
There must also be an awareness of organizational dynamism, the changes that continually
occur within the cultural context including cultural sensitivity, the ability to see things
from another person's view and the ability to recognize even small differences.
When approaching the study of organizational culture and communication from a
members' perspective, researchers link systems and interpretive approaches. Deetz (1982)
talks about a systems approach when he defines interpretation as transactive:
All human knowledge is developed through a dialectic process. The most basic
aspect of this process is the tension between whole and part: the part has meaning
only in terms of the whole, and the meaning of the whole is understood only from
the meaning of the parts ... In the productive interrelation between parts,
additional understanding of one part helps clarify the meaning of other parts, which
in turn further clarifies the meaning of the first (p. 145).
Likewise, Pacanowsky and O'Donnell-Trujillo (1983) believe that communication
researchers gained two important legacies from systems theory: "the value of

Interpreting Organizational Values

10

complicating our thinking about organizations (and) the merit of looking for guiding
metaphors of such nature that they address and bring into correspondence our thinking
about both organizations and communication" (p. 127). As communication researchers
moved away from the structural nature of systems theory, Pacanowsky and O'DonnellTrujillo (1983) suggested that they study organizational communication as cultural
performance. Performance can mean the obvious theatrical play-acting, where
organizational members wear a "mask" and perform differently in different contexts "in
order to manage others' impressions of them" (p. 130). But performance can also imply a
creative process whereby "performance brings the significance or meaning of some
structural form—be it symbol, story, metaphor, ideology, or saga—into being" (p. 129).
Through performance, organizational members continually create and reveal their culture
and their values to themselves, to the whole and to others (Pacanowsky et. al., 1983, p.
131; Czarniawska-Joerges, 1991, p. 286). Burke (1968) introduced the dramaturgic
perspective into communication studies and "many other scholars have argued that reality
is not just like a drama but rather it is a drama and that performances are those symbolic
actions by which the drama of life is played out" (Pacanowsky et. al., 1983, p. 131). It
follows that organizational performances can be characterized as interactional, contextual,
episodic, and improvisational. What is most interesting to this study is the notion of
performance as interactional, which suggests dialogue between two or more persons. It
is through performance dialogue/discourse/narrative that organizational culture and values
are both created by and revealed to the members. Narratives do more than inform; "they

Interpreting Organizational Values

11

help to constitute the organizational consciousness of social actors by articulating and
embodying a particular reality, and subordinating or devaluing other modes" of
organizational reality (Mumby, 1987, p. 125). "As members talk, they clarify and change
their own meaning. They put it in a new context and form new conceptions.
Communication is irreversible" (Deetz, 1982, p. 135). We can, therefore, approach
organizational culture as a "group-level construct, a product of social interactions among
group members" (James, James & Ashe, 1990, p. 76).
Deetz (1982) believes that "organizational talk and activities need to be seen as
texts rather than expressions ... As texts, organizational talk and activities have their
meaning within their own relationships" (p. 143). Deetz bases his thinking on the work of
Paul Ricoeur (1971) who outlines four differences between spoken and written word.
Because discourse occurs in time, it is changeable, temporal, and forgotten;
inscriptions are preserved out of time for all time.
Oral discourse involves a speaker who can be questioned for clarification of
meaning; a written text assumes its own meaning.
Spoken word addresses a specific audience; anyone capable of reading is the
audience of written text.
Oral discourse is about something specific to the speaker and the listener;
writing/recording removes the discourse from its immediate context so it can be
generalized to others (Deetz, p. 136).
Geertz (1973) tells us that ethnographic description is interpretive of "the flow of

Interpreting Organizational Values

12

social discourse; and the interpreting involved consists in trying to rescue the 'said' of
social discourse from its perishing occasions and fix it in perusable terms" (p. 20). With
the introduction of his narrative paradigm, Walter R. Fisher (1984, 1987) provides
researchers with a framework for interpreting and assessing various forms of
organizational discourse. Fisher defines narration as "symbolic actions—words and/or
deeds—that have sequence and meaning for those who live, create or interpret them"
(1987, p. 58). Fisher argues that the narrative rationality contrasts with the traditional
rationality in two ways. First, since the time of Aristotle, traditional rationality depends
on argumentative competence and is deliberative in nature. Narrative rationality operates
from the principle that human beings identify and learn truth from each other in symbolic
clues. Second, traditional rationality is prescriptive, offering a set of laws for reasoning
and seeking truth, whereas narrative rationality is descriptive offering "an account, an
understanding, of any instance of human choice and action" (Fisher, 1987, p. 66).
Traditional rationality may be viewed as hierarchical or elitist since only some people are
deemed "rational" due to their knowledge of issues, skill in argumentative debate, and
ability to weigh all sides. Narrative rationality is democratic in nature since the
assumption is that everyone who is not mentally disabled is capable ofjudging the truth
(Fisher, 1987, p. 67). Fisher does not rule out that fact that "experts" exist and, in fact,
are desirable and necessary for formulating and analyzing new meaning of social reality.
He simply believes that the capacity for rationality is inclusive. Rather than deny the
principles of traditional rationality he finds them compatible with narrative rationality.

Interpreting Organizational Values

13

Traditional rationality is "especially relevant where discourse is about specialized
knowledge and judgment, and those principles are also frequently relevant and operative in
arenas where narrative logic is predominantly meaningful and useful" (Fisher, 1987, p.
68).
Experts may be viewed as counselors whose contribution "to public dialogue is to
impart knowledge, like a teacher, or wisdom, like a sage. ... An expert assumes the role
of public counselor whenever she or he crosses the boundary of technical knowledge into
the territory of life as it ought to be lived" (Fisher, 1987, p. 73). In an organizational
setting, the experts are generally considered to be the executives, the administration,
management—those in positions of leadership who make decisions; however, they can also
be those with length-of-service or specialized knowledge who are not in leadership
positions. The experts and lay members meet on common ground when employees (the
audience) actively participate in judging the rationality of discourse in its various forms.
"There is no genre, including even technical discourse, that is not an episode in the story
of life (a part of'conversation") and that is not constituted by both logos and mythos
(Fisher, 1987, p.85).
Fisher offers two tests forjudging narrative rationality. The first is narrative
probability, whether the discourse makes sense, is free of contradictions and generally
holds together. The second tests how well the discourse maintains narrative fidelity,
whether the narrative is in accord with what is held to be true by those in the cultural
context and is accurate enough in its assertions about the social reality of the organization

Interpreting Organizational Values

14

that it would translate into a "good reason" for belief or behavior manifest as a value
(1987, p. 105). Fisher call this sound reasoning the logic ofgood reasons:
Good reasons express practical wisdom; they are, in their highest expression, an
encompassment of what is relative and objective in situations. They function to
resolve exigencies by locating and activating values that go beyond the moment,
making it possible that principles of decision or action can be generalized (1987, p.
94).
The importance of values appears in much of the popular organizational literature,
which provides prescriptive models for creating and changing culture based on the
assumption that organizational values originate at the management level. For example,
Deal and Kennedy (1982) find that values are the core, the very heart, of any corporate
culture and are manifest in actions of the company heroes, in the rites and rituals of
worklife and in the organizational communication networks.

Francis and Woodcock

(1990) described values as belief in action, behavior-shapers that influence the choices
organizational members make between what is right or wrong, good or bad, important or
unimportant. McDonald and Gantz (1992) found that all organizations share elements of
twenty-four value dimensions in varying degrees. They aggregated their data into four
organizational forms that each encourage and reward different sets of values. The
relationship-oriented organization (clan) places value on broad-mindedness,
consideration, cooperation, courtesy, fairness, humor, forgiveness, moral integrity,
openness, and social equity; the change-oriented organization (adhocracy) honors the

Interpreting Organizational Values

15

values of adaptability, autonomy, experimentation, creativity and development; the taskoriented organization give value to aggressiveness, initiative, and diligence; and the statusquo-oriented organization (hierarchy) rewards the values of cautiousness, economy,
formality, logic, obedience, and orderliness (p. 70). Imparato and Harari (1994) define
commonly-held values under the coherence principle whereby coherence is critical to the
growth and survival of any organization:
For coherence to emerge, members of the organization must own, feel, and live a
common philosophy and a common purpose. People in the organization must
share a 'center' of core values and priorities around which diversity circles like
planets around a fixed star. . . . The specific content of the center or core depends
on the organization. In whatever way the center is fashioned, it must engender a
sense of ownership, agreement, and commitment throughout the organizationand generate a deep mindfulness of the organization's purpose. . . . When diverse
groups and individuals within an organization hold a commitment to shared vision
and values, coherence and control emerge, and diversity of people and ideas
becomes a powerful competitive weapon" (Imparato and Harari, 1994, p. 192).
When an organization has a shared core philosophy, people "understand and embrace their
roles in carrying out the vision and values . . . they believe the organization's systems and
leadership fully support their efforts," they operate from a solid frame of reference, and
they are not afraid to take risks because the central purpose provides a safety net for
diverse thinking (Imparato and Harari, 1994, pp. 192-193).

Interpreting Organizational Values

16

While Deal and Kennedy, Francis and Woodcock, McDonald and Gantz, and
Imparato and Harari enhance the understanding of the impact of organizational values on
culture, they assume that values are developed and controlled by those who lead the
organization. Sackmann (1991)presents a descriptive philosophy of value-orientation
when she defines culture as cognitions or beliefs and suggests that they may also originate
within the ranks of non-management employees. She echoes the writings of Geertz
(1973) and Pacanowsky and O'Donnell-Trujillo (1982) when she states that the way to
obtain a comprehensive and detailed understanding of a specific cultural setting and its
values is to collect data "from organizational members across all hierarchic levels, not only
from top management" (p.177). Mumby (1993) proposes that critical organization
scholars practice participatory research using a "diological approach that explicitly
recognizes organization members as playing a role in the knowledge constitution process"
(p.21) and engages those who are subordinated and marginalized. It would seem from this
research that a holistic approach to organizational cultural study recognizes that values are
developed and controlled by management and other members on all levels of system.
According to Wood (1994), culture "refers to structures and practices,
particularly communicative ones, through which a society announces and sustains its
values" (p. 33). Smircich (1983) agrees, "A cultural analysis moves us in the direction of
questioning taken-for-granted assumptions, raising issues of context and meaning, and
bringing to the surface underlying values" (p. 355). Mohan (1993) summarizes
organizational culture as "a multilevel phenomenon that represents the shared,

Interpreting Organizational Values

17

symbolically-constructed assumptions, values and artifacts of a particular organizational
context" (p. 16).
Schein (1985) developed a conceptual model for studying organizational culture
wherein culture presides simultaneously in the artifacts, values and assumptions of the
organization. It's like peeling an onion. The artifacts lie on the surface with the values
just below and the assumptions at the core. He defines culture as the
pattern of basic assumptions that a given group has invented, discovered, or
developed in learning to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal
integration, and that have worked well enough to be considered valid, and,
therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and
feel in relation to these problems (Schein, 1985, p. 9).
Schein (1985, 1991) argues that assumptions are the underlying beliefs about reality that
influence both values and artifacts. Hatch (1993) summarizes Schein with these
definitions: "Values are social principles, philosophies, goals, and standards considered to
have intrinsic worth. Artifacts are the visible, tangible, and audible results of activity
grounded in values and assumptions" (p. 659). She then proposes a new model—cultural
dynamics--and introduces a fourth element: symbols because she believes with others
(Morgan, Frost & Pondy, 1983) that, while all symbols are artifacts, not all artifacts are
symbols (p. 669). Human beings need "symbolic sources of illumination" (Geertz, 1973,
45) to help us make sense of our world. Culture consists of "significant symbols—words
for the most part but also gestures, drawings, musical sounds, mechanical devices like

Interpreting Organizational Values

18

clocks, or natural objects like jewels-anything that is disengaged from its mere actuality
and used to impose meaning upon experience" (Geertz, 45). While Schein's perspective is
concerned about what artifacts and values reveal about basic assumptions, the cultural
dynamics model asks: "How is culture constituted by assumptions, values, artifacts,
symbols and the processes that link them" (p. 660)? Hatch defines these four processes:
Manifestation: any process by which an essence (an assumption) reveals itself,
usually via the senses (perceptions), but also through cognitions and emotions of
organizational members. What organizational members assume to be true shapes
what they value (p. 664-665).
Realization: the process of making values real by transforming expectations into
social or material reality and by maintaining or altering existing values through the
production of artifacts (p. 666).
Symbolization: culturally contextualized meaning creation via the prospective use
of objects, words, and actions. The objects, words, and actions are transformed
(e.g., through communication) into symbols, the dynamic constellation of which
constitutes the symbolic field of culture. The symbolic field then retrospectively
transfigures artifacts by imbuing them with the charms of surplus meaning (p. 673).
Interpretation: contextualizes current symbolization experiences by evoking a
broader cultural frame as a reference point for constructing an acceptable meaning
. . . cultural assumptions, momentarily exposed during the process of
interpretation, are opened to the influence of new symbols. In this way, the

Interpreting Organizational Values

19

moment of interpretation makes it possible (but not necessary) for culture to
absorb newly symbolized content into its core (p. 675).
From their anthropological research, Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck (1961) also
provide a conceptual model for researching cultural values from a members perspective
that can be applied to organizations. They propose five crucial problems common to all
human beings that determine a range of variations on a value-orientation system:
(1) Human Nature Orientation: What is the character of innate human nature?
Where does the cultural value fall on a continuum of Evil, Good-and-Evil, and
Good?
(2) Man-Nature Orientation: What is the relationship of man to nature? Where
does the cultural value fall on a continuum of Subjugation-to-Nature, Harmonywith-Nature and Mastery-over-Nature?
(3) Time Orientation: What is the temporal focus of human life? Where does the
cultural value fall in the range of Past, Present and Future?
(4) Activity Orientation: What is the modality of human activity? Does it value
Being, Being-in-Becoming or Doing?
(5) Relational Orientation: What is the definition of one human being's
relationship to other human beings? Is the value-orientation more Lineal,
Collateral or Individualistic? (Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck, 1961, pp. 10-20)
Schein (1984) adapted the work of Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck in his five assumptions
basic to organizational culture: (1) the nature of human nature, (2) the relation of culture

Interpreting Organizational Values

20

to the environment, (3) the nature of time and space,(4) the nature of human activity, and
(5) the nature of human relationships. Based on the work of Schein as well as Kluckhohn
and Strodtbeck, Mohan (1993) devised seven cultural dimension categories for her
organizational research. Using a triangulated method of interview, survey and contextual
analysis Mohan interpreted her data according to these value-dimensions: (1) Human
Nature Orientation (productivity) on a continuum of evil—good; (2) Environmental
Orientation (destiny) using a continuum of subjugation—control; (3) Time Orientation
(vision) on a continuum ofpast—future; (4) Activity Orientation (activity) on a continuum
ofpassive—active; (5) Relational Orientation (team) on a continuum of lineality—
collaterality; (6) University Dimension (mission) on a continuum of service—research as
well as local—national; (7) Shared Culture (tradition) on a continuum of diversity—
collectivity (pp. 173-175). Mohan believes that this model has relevance in other
organizational setting including corporate and non-profit (p. 126).
Numerous scholars have studied storytelling as a dynamic communication process
for creating and understanding organizational culture and values. Stories are
organizational artifacts that often evoke symbolic meaning. Brown (1985) shows how
new employees rely on storytelling to make sense of their culture as they move through
four socialization stages: entry, encounter, role-management and stabilization. Brown
discovered that, as members advanced in the socialization process, their use of story
changed and aligned more closely with the culture and values of the organization. They
understood more clearly how events impact the organization as they evolved in tenure.

Interpreting Organizational Values

21

They told more system maintenance stories providing "reasons, excuses, rationalizations"
and showed greater "understanding of and commitment to organizational values" (p. 37).
Feldman (1990) articulates the powerful influence of organizational stories during
times of chaos or change. He introduced the idea of the "meta-story" (p. 815), an
aggregate of all the stories assimilating every theme in a collective narrative. Because
storytelling represents, integrates and creates the political process of change, employees
on all levels of organizational life can benefit from paying attention to the narratives of
events during organizational change.
Organizations typically see themselves as unique entities with a distinct cultures.
Martin et. al. (1983) challenge this claim by presenting seven common story types that
appeared regularly in their analysis of organizational storytelling spanning a wide array of
contexts from both the public and private sectors. With positive and negative versions of
each story type, the research showed that common stories illustrate an innate tension
between individual and organizational values. The source of this tension is a duality, "an
issue that cannot easily be resolved, because contradictory aspects of the issue are
inevitably present and are simultaneously desirable and undesirable" (p. 447). Some
dualities found in these common stories include equality vs. inequality, security vs.
insecurity and control vs. lack of control. Dualities cause tension because there is a
psychological discomfort with inconsistent values and a strong desire for resolution
(cognitive dissonance). Organizational stories can be useful because they reduce cultural
tension by naming it, expressing it, getting it out in the open.

Interpreting Organizational Values

22

Pacanowsky & O'Donnell-Trujillo (1983) define storytelling as performance, and
identify three types of organizational stories: personal, collegial and corporate. Stories
"are important because they typify certain experiences as being, in principle, worthy of
emulation (when stories glorify success) or deserving of caution (when the story
accentuates failure)" (p. 139). Likewise, Holt (1989) calls storytellers "organizational
actors . . . conversational participants . . . engaged in the act of making an organization
and not simply reporting facts about it" (p. 377). Because they create the organization,
organizational actors "are the main resource for understanding what organizations truly
are and what they are like (Czarniawska-Joerges, 1992, p. 37). Organizational members
really are the organization so their storytelling becomes a communicative event that
creates and modifies the culture. In the telling and retelling of the stories, the
organization is continuously under construction, ever evolving into a new entity.
Polley (1989) reminds us that storytelling is an oral tradition, a form of
communication that is meant to be spoken. "Stories that are told and retold in
organizations may serve as indicators of a living culture, as long as they are recorded in
their various forms over time and across context" (p. 390). The dilemma of recording just
one version of a story is that preservation for research purposes virtually eliminates other
versions of the story that may be active in the organization. Every organizational story
has a multitude of versions depending on who is telling it, where it is being narrated or
why the story is being told (Smith, 1981, p. 213). Stories captured via newsletters,
handbooks and video become functional, frozen in time and space, which may lessen the

Interpreting Organizational Values

23

impact of the living, breathing organization. Nevertheless, recorded stories are important
tools for relaying cultural values especially to new members (Pacanowsky & O'DonnellTrujillo, 1983, p. 143).
Storytelling is only one way that organizational members "glorify their experience
. . . vocabularies and metaphors are often employed by members in otherwise 'normal'
conversation, and their use transforms that moment of talk into drama" (Pacanowsky &
O'Donnell-Trujillo, 1983, p. 139).

According to White (1978, p. 252), metaphor

explicitly asserts "a similarity between two objects offering themselves to perception as
manifestly different." By connecting seemingly disparate images, metaphorical discourse
helps us account "for our perspectives on the world: how we think about things, make
sense of reality, and set the problems we later try to solve" (Schoen, 1979, p. 254).
Metaphors "capture some of the distinctive, powerful, private realities" (Weick, 1979, p.
49) that are particular to an organizational culture.
The following ethnographic study is a narrative of Stairways in 1995. It is only
one version of Stairways's culture as communicated by its members and interpreted
through the lens of this researcher. As Smircich says so well, "the interpretive researcher
of an organizational culture tries to uncover the structures of meaning in use in a setting
and to synthesize an image of that group's reality and to make it available for consideration
and reflection" (p. 10). Contrary to Polley (1989), freezing an organizational story like
this in writing paradoxically becomes a dynamic communication process for creating and
understanding organizational culture and values.

Interpreting Organizational Values

24

CHAPTER III

The use of multiple measures may also uncover some unique variance which otherwise
may have been neglected by single methods. It is here that qualitative measures, in
particular, can play an especially prominent role by eliciting data and suggesting
conclusions to which other methods would be blind. . . triangulation may be used not
only to examine the same phenomenon from multiple perspectives but also to enrich our
understanding by allowing new or deeper dimensions to emerge.
Jick, 1979, pp. 603-4

Interpreting Organizational Values

A.

25

RESEARCH APPROACH AND METHODS
This research used a symbolic interactionist or interpretive approach. Symbolic

interactionists believe that "what people do is influenced primarily by their interpretation
of (or the meaning they ascribe to) themselves, others, and the situations they are in"
(Frey, 1992, p. 248). This study is also based on grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss,
1967), because it believes that "community develops directly from empirical data"
(Fetterman, 1989, p. 16), the stuff of everyday life. "Such data are symbolic, contextually
embedded, cryptic, and reflexive, standing for nothing so much as their readiness or
stubbornness to yield a meaningful interpretation or response" (Van Maanen, 1990, p.
10). As a method of investigating communication, therefore, an interpretive approach
attempts " to describe how communication occurs" (Frey et. al. p. 247) rather than
hypothesizing the results. Communication patterns and theories are formulated only after
the research is completed. Unlike other research methods, researchers who use grounded
theory make a special effort not to predict what might be discovered.
Review of the literature reveals hundreds of definitions of culture which can
generally be categorized in one of two ways: (1) phenomenologically by studying
observable behaviors and artifacts and (2) ideationally by studying shared meanings, values
and symbols (Goodenough, 1964; Swartz & Jordan, 1980, Chilcott, 1987; Fetterman,
1989; Kopelman et. al, 1990). Unlike most studies, this one will look at organizational
culture from both perspectives.
Failure to apply a variety of methods to assessing culture limits our understanding

Interpreting Organizational Values

26

of it. Characterizing cultural elements in terms of generalizable dimensions fpsters
interunit comparisons and understanding of systemic effects, while qualitative
probing can explore how members interpret and internalize these features. Clearly
there is a need for both etic and emic perspectives (Rousseau, 1990, p. 186).
By combining etic and emic approaches, this researcher attempted a holistic and inclusive
description of Stairways's culture. To accomplish an ethnography of this magnitude
required her to spend time weekly at Stairways from March 1, 1995 through February 29,
1996. She kept field notes of each visit summarizing what was observed and learned. As
an observer and sometimes participant, the researcher advised Stairways's employees
about what she was doing at their worksite and the purpose of her research to gain their
approval and assure confidentiality. She was granted permission (see Appendix 1) to use
Stairways's name in this report. Her data gathering included:
attending and observing focus groups and staff meetings;
participating in and observing monthly board of directors meetings;
participating in and observing activities, events and annual rituals including the
awards dinner, the summer picnic, employee recognition luncheons, the
AMEECO/Stairways tea, The Great Getaway, the Center for Art and Culture;
seizing unexpected opportunities to make inquiries and record learnings in
fieldnotes;
talking to employees at the various work sites and recording their comments;
attending peer support group meetings, to observe their language, symbols and

Interpreting Organizational Values

27

other communication methods;
using a critical incident format (asking a general question and then probing for
specific examples and stories) to interview randomly selected employees,
individually and in focus groups, from various departments and levels of system;
performing a content analysis of Stairways's newsletter, Progress Notes and other
written and videotaped artifacts to "assess historical penetration of cultural
dimensions" (Mohan, 1993, p. 119).
Clearly, one of the strengths of this study is the use of triangulation, a tool for
measuring multiple reference points to precisely locate and position objects in the horizon.
"Given basic principles of geometry, multiple viewpoints allow for greater accuracy.
Similarly, organizational researchers can improve the accuracy of their judgments by
collecting different kinds of data bearing on the same phenomenon" (Jick, p. 602).

To

complement the qualitative study of Stairways, therefore, quantitative research included
creating and administering a employee survey using forty-three Likert-scale questions and
eight demographic questions.
Throughout the research, whether it was during interviews or through the survey,
organizational members were assured anonymity. When approaching organizational
research from a members perspective such as this study, an interesting paradox arises
around the issue of confidentially. While meeting university requirements for ethical
standards, this practice treats the informants "as part of an anonymous mass; not only do
the questions refer to anyone and not to them in particular, but their answers will not be

Interpreting Organizational Values

28

connected to them. They will not be held personally responsible for what they say, nor
will they be credited as individuals for what they say and think . . . they are deprived of
their own voices" (Mishler, 1986, p. 125). Nevertheless, in the final analysis of this study,
this researcher was careful to record as many examples of individual responses as possible
so that informants remained empowered and all the voices of Stairways are heard.

B. RESEARCHER STANDPOINT
One strength of this study was in the researcher herself, who was not an employee
of Stairways, but knew the organization as a member of the Board of Directors. This
positioning gave her enough distance to be objective, yet a general understanding of the
organization and its vision so that "start-up" time and employee skepticism were reduced.
There was some concern initially that some members may not be completely honest in the
personal interviews. To substantiate the validity of the interview process, it is noteworthy
that one person agreed to participate only if the interview was not taped; three others
asked that the tape recorder be turned off during the interview when they wanted to
disclose negative information; and two others requested interviews off-site at restaurants
where they may have felt freer to talk. Using a questionnaire verified interview data by
allowing employees to anonymously record the best and the worst of Stairways. The main
weaknesses of the research was in the logistical difficulty of performing an ethnography
across an organization with multiple sites.
Any interpretive research requires the eye of the researcher to interpret the data, a

Interpreting Organizational Values

29

subjective lens for analysis:
A person conducting organizational research—on workplace culture or any
other phenomenon—brings to the study a particular professional
background with paradigmatic preferences for subjects of inquiry and
assumptions about them and a network of ideas, colleagues, and relative
influence. Design of a research study is not strictly a matter of present
choice. The researcher also represents a particular value stance, a window
on a facet of the phenomenon under study. . . . The researcher's creation is
ultimately positioned on the personal characteristics of its creator and the
unique configuration of interactions that situate in its time and place (Frost
& al., 1991, p. 334).
During the process or researching and writing this thesis, the researcher continually
examined and critiqued her own assumptions and values (Smircich, 1983, p. 355) and
maintained an awareness of how her standpoint affected interpretation of the data. "The
particular standpoint that an individual has in a society guides what she or he knows, feels
and does and directs an individual's understanding of social life as a whole" (Wood, 1994,
P- 51).
The particular standpoint of this researcher is one of an administrator with nearly
thirty years of experience working with employees on all levels of system in organizations
of varying sizes and types. Besides her extensive business and leadership background, this
particular researcher's standpoint is that of a white, middle-class, female, who is 44 years

Interpreting Organizational Values

30

old. She is a non-practicing Catholic, a single parent of three teenage sons. Further, the
researcher is a feminist who believes that substantive change can occur by working within
systems. One difficulty realized during the interviewing process was a strong desire to
make recommendations or exchange ideas (as in organizational consulting). After some
introspection, she believes that she was experiencing involvement, empathy and
commitment from a feminist perspective (Foss & Foss, 1989, p. 71).
While there are several feminist perspectives, the standpoint of this researcher
most closely matches that described in the five fundamental assumptions of Foss and Foss
(1989). First, a feminist approach demands attention to organizational wholeness by
studying communication traits of all employees, not just those of managers and key
organizational members. Second, process and structure are so intricately bound that, not
only should organizational roles be studied, for example, but also "the process by which
those roles are constructed" (p. 70). Third, feminist scholarship operates "from a
'network' metaphor to suggest that knowledge is a process of lateral interconnection that
is not necessarily uncovered by linear, systemic progression" (p. 70). A qualitative
approach is, therefore, an excellent form for feminist organizational research. Fourth,
because "scientific descriptions do not exist independently of the process of knowing . . .
all knowledge is limited, approximate, and relative" (p. 71). It follows that research from
a feminist perspective makes the researcher central to the process-involved, committed
and empathetic-ideally as an observer or a participant/observer. Finally, "feminist
scholarship is characterized by methods that rely on cooperation rather than competition-

Interpreting Organizational Values

31

cooperation among researchers and cooperation between the researcher and the
participants in a study" (p. 71).

C.

DATA ANALYSIS
The narrative paradigm (Fisher, 1984 & 1987) provides a method for a rational,

descriptive interpretation of organizational culture from a members-perspective that can
be used to analyze any form of communication. This paper shows how effective the
narrative paradigm is in helping uncover organizational values of a social service agency.
Along with the narrative paradigm, this study investigates the relevance, in this particular
context, of the seven organizational culture dimensions developed by Mary Mohan (1993)
in her research including relational orientation, environmental orientation, time orientation,
activity orientation, human nature orientation, mission orientation and shared culture
orientation. An eighth dimension—communication—is added to this study. All four phases
of the research have been filtered through this values orientation model.

D.

PHASE I:

INTERVIEWS

Interviewing is one way to gather large amounts of valid and reliable information
about an organization's culture. "An interview is a form of discourse . . . a joint product
of what interviewees and interviewers talk about together and how they talk with each
other" (Mishler, 1986, p. vii.). "Interviews may range from casual conversation or brief
questioning to more formal, lengthy interactions" (Marshall, 1989, p. 82). In conducting

Interpreting Organizational Values

32

formal interviews, Spradley & McCurdy (1972) recommend asking a grand tour question,
one "designed to elicit a broad picture of the participant or native's world, to map the
cultural terrain" (Fetterman, 1989, p. 51).
The researcher collected data by conducting fourteen, formal one-hour interviews,
one focus group with six employees. The researcher was careful to attend to "wholeness"
(Foss and Foss, 1989, p. 7) by interviewing employees on different levels of system, both
women and men, and including some racial balance. Other voices (Bullis, 1993; Mumby,
1993) were heard in these interviews which included three members of the executive team
(all male), seven members of the director level team (three women and four men), and five
members of the support staff (all women). The researcher also conducted a one-hour
focus group with the staff of the fiscal department, a leaderless team of six (four women
and two men). The twenty-total interviewees exhibited a wide range of diversity besides
gender including an age range of 23 to 58 years; years of service ranging from one week
(male) to twenty-five years (female); and two minorities (both female). The grand tour
questions for the formal interviews was: "IfStairways were a person, how wouldyon
describe that person? What would yon tell me about that person?" This question then
led to other questions about the individual's work history at Stairways as well as the
various forms and quality of communication at Stairways.
Over the period of a year, informal interviews were completed at every
opportunity possible. During the Great Getaway, the researcher was able to visit all
fifteen organizational sites and speak with employees, volunteers and clients of Stairways.

Interpreting Organizational Values

33

She also spoke to members of these three groups during meetings, a company picnic, an
employee recognition luncheon, a jazz performance, the annual dinner and during general
wandering around.
For both the formal and informal interviews, data were collected and analyzed
from field notes and taped interviews. In some cases, the recording quality was poor due
to background noise, so the field notes became the most reliable source of data. All
discourse from the interviews was analyzed using the eight value orientations.

E.

PHASE H: VERBAL ARTIFACTS
According to Mohan (1993, p. 16), artifacts are "symbolic manifestations of the

underlying values and assumptions" of an organizational culture. Verbal artifacts include
such things as language and stories. One way to discover language and stories at
Stairways was through an analysis of the organizational newsletter, Progress Notes, which
is edited by the Director of Development, published quarterly and mailed to approximately
1,650 people--'employees, volunteers, and community liaisons. The newsletter is also
available at each of the housing sites for consumers to read. Consumers may have a
newsletter mailed directly to them if they request being added, to the mailing list.
Contributors to the newsletter include employees, volunteers and consumers. While the
contents of any newsletter naturally passes through the filter of its editor, house organs
can offer great insight into the culture and communication of the organization especially in
relation to the shared values of its members. Eight newsletters were analyzed over a two-

Interpreting Organizational Values

34

year period from January 1994 through November 1995. The four 1995 issues each
contained eight pages while the four 1994 issues each had a total of ten pages, the length
differing from the 1995 editions because of an additional two-page insert. The contents of
these 72 pages contained 65 major news stories including information about agency
programs, stories, editorials, interviews, and community and government groups. There
56 mini-articles included reminders, expressions of appreciation, notices of upcoming
events, and photos of events or people receiving recognition. There were also four quotes
used as fillers. One of the 1994 newsletters contained a reader survey asking for feedback
on the newsletter. Every issue consistently features an editorial written by the Director of
Clinical Services and three interviews with employees, volunteers and consumers—these
three groups, quoted extensively in all the newsletters, voice the narrative rationality for
Stairways’s culture.
Other verbal artifacts from which data were collected for this study include:
A video (9 min., 36 sec.) used to inform the public of Stairways's mission
Several brochures about different programs Stairways sponsors for its clients
The Annual Statistical Report for Fiscal Year July 1, 1994 through June 30 1995
Programs and flyers from special events
A presentation folder given to people new to Stairways
An historical document entitled "Stairways: A Legacy Fulfilled"
Anecdotal stories that were being written down by employees and collected as
testimonials for the organization's thirty-fifth year anniversary

Interpreting Organizational Values

35

Special attention to spontaneous metaphors used in ordinary conversation and
interviews
A number of newspaper articles about Stairways published during the time of this
research
F.

PHASE HI:

BEHAVIORAL ARTIFACTS

Besides verbal artifacts, organizational assumptions, beliefs and values can also be
revealed through behavioral artifacts including rituals and ceremonies (Berger &
Luckmann, 1966; Mohan, 1993; p.15). In its simplest form, a ritual is "an activity
composed of a formalized or patterned sequence of events that is related over and over
again. (Martin & Seihl, 1990, p. 76). However, on another level, "the crucial feature of
ritual as a medium of culture creation is the message it contains" (Pettigrew, 1990, p. 95),
in other words, what it says about organizational values.
Organizational culture is, in large part, constituted in the various rituals which
members regularly or occasionally perform. These rituals orient members
temporarily, synchronizing their focus and introducing a sense of regularity into the
culture. By participating in these rituals, members not only punctuate their
experiences but are provided access to a particular sense of shared reality"
(Pacanowsky & O'Donnell-Trujillo, 1983, p. 135).
Rituals are social dramas "through which power relations, symbolic action, and their
interaction are played out" (Rosen, 1985, p. 31). Ritual and ceremony "present particular
interpretations of social reality in a way that endows them with legitimacy" (Moore &

Interpreting Organizational Values

36

Meyerhoff, 1977, p. 13).
Pacanowsky and O'Donnell-Trujillo (1983) identify four types of rituals: personal\
task, social and organizational, and emphasize that organizational rituals like annual
dinners, company picnics, board of director meetings "are nearly 'sacred,' and their
ceremonial structure is very difficult to modify ... all have not only peculiar rules and
rites, but also have a particular capacity for revealing global features of an organization's
culture" (p. 137).
Stairways is an organization that loves rituals and ceremony. The researcher was
able to collect additional data as an observer/participant in several organizational
functions: an annual dinner, board of director meetings, an employee appreciation
luncheon, a development committee meeting, a quality staff meeting, a chainwide manager
meeting, an annual picnic, a Christmas party, a Japanese cultural event, a fundraising jazz
concert, and a play performed by staff and consumers.
One annual event, a working holiday called The Great Getaway, allows employees
to spend the day traveling to the various sites. The purpose is to get to know each other's
work better, to build rapport between units, to understand the whole of Stairways and to
create community. Employees ride in vans driven by top administrators of Stairways.
There is a picnic lunch for everyone at the main agency. About 33% of Stairways staff
participated this past year, a disappointing attendance. The quality group met to discuss
ways to get more folks to participate, especially long-term employees. As the director of
development pointed out, "it took lots of years to get employees to attend the annual

Interpreting Organizational Values

37

dinner" so it just may require more time for employees to respond to the Great Getaway.

G.

PHASE IV:

THE EMPLOYEE SURVEY

To complete the triangulation process using quantitative measures to gather data,
an employee survey was created through several revisions, first with the faculty advisory
committee and then with several key employees of Stairways to assure validity and
reliability. The final draft was tested with a staff member of Stairways who took five
minutes to complete the statements and another five to ten minutes to answer the two
questions.
The survey was mailed to the homes of all 231 Stairways employees with a cover
letter (Appendix 2) and a self-addressed, stamped return-envelope. Eighty-eight surveys
were returned from the first mailing. A reminder notice was placed in the employees'
paychecks one week after the requested return date; ten more surveys were returned. A
total of ninety-nine surveys were completed and returned for a response rate of 42.9%.
The survey contained fifty-one objective statements and two questions (Appendix
2). Statements #1-35 were developed from a shortened version of Mohan's
Organizational Dimension Survey (ODS) which measured five dimensions of
organizational culture including vision, productivity, tradition, and destiny as well as two
additional dimensions of teamwork and activity. Five statements were allocated to
measure each dimension and two of the five statements were negatively worded to ensure
the validity of the survey. Statements were rated according to a five-point Likert scale.

Interpreting Organizational Values

38

Like Mohan's research, this study correlated the seven dimensions to Fisher's values
orientations: relational orientation, environmental orientation, activity orientation, time
orientation, human nature orientation, mission, and shared culture.
The researcher was also interested in measuring an eighth values orientation:
communications. To this end, seven additional statements (#36-43) were modeled from a
Quality of Work Life Survey developed and used by the human resource department of
the Joseph B. Dahlkemper Company, Inc. in surveys during 1986 and 1989.
Negatively worded statements were inverted and mean scores, standard deviations
and frequency tables were calculated for all the survey statements. Next, statements were
grouped according to dimension, and means for each values orientation category were
calculated (Appendix 4).
Other factors for analysis included eight demographic statements (#44-51). A
chart of the complete demographics can be found in Appendix 4. Some interesting
highlights: 42.4% of the respondents had one to five years of service and another 22.2%
had 10 to 20 years of service; 44.4% of the respondents were thirty-six to forty-nine years
old with another 37.4% between the ages of twenty-one and thirty-five. The majority were
women (58.6%), non-union (61.6%) and employed full-time (74.75%). Only 29.3%
responded that they supervise others. Most (67.7%) work at sites other than the main
agency. They are highly educated with 36.4% having earned bachelor's degrees and
another 25.3% having completed graduate and professional degrees. One person tore off
the demographic page and did not complete the demographic statements.

Interpreting Organizational Values

39

Space was provided for respondents to write answers to these two questions:
"What are some of the things that you like best about Stairways?" and "What are some of
the things that you like least about Stairways?" Nearly every respondent wrote an answer
to these questions. There was additional space for respondents to write general
comments. Six expressed gratitude for the opportunity to complete the survey and several
signed their names. These written responses were categorized and recorded according to
those who work at the Main Agency and those who work at other sites (Appendix 6).

Interpreting Organizational Values

40

CHAPTER IV

Stairways

Culture is communication, or, to be more precise, a cultural approach to organizations is
a focus on everyday ordinary and extraordinary communication of organization
members.
Pepper, 1995, p. 3

Interpreting Organizational Values

A.

41

OVERVIEW
Stairways is a 35 year-old non-profit, social service agency located in Erie, a small

metropolitan city in northwestern Pennsylvania. The organization's primary goal is "to
assist persons with serious and persistent mental illness to participate meaningfully in the
community." According to the executive director, "these are not people who are suffering
from an identity crises or feeling a little bit bad about their lives. . . . We are basically
dealing with people whose life has collapsed." Additionally, many of the consumers
served by Stairways are homeless; some are dual-diagnosed with substance addiction.
Stairways programs provide:
permanent, affordable housing and support services
community residential rehabilitation
vocational and educational services including adult literacy and high school
equivalency training (GED)
work internship programs, employment advocacy/intervention and job placement
medication management services
socialization through the Center for Growth in Community
fostering creativity as a means to healing through the Center for Art and Culture
The agency was founded in 1961 by 22 community volunteers from the Erie
Chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women, who saw a need to provide shelter and
services for persons with mental illness and to support their families in the process. The

Interpreting Organizational Values

42

oral and written history of Stairways indicates that the organization was built on the values
of involvement, empathy, commitment and nurturance—attributes, which this study will
show, still thrive in the agency.
The legacy of volunteerism that its founders began continues to be central to
Stairways culture. During fiscal year 94/95, 121 volunteers from Erie County donated
6,809.75 hours (average hours per volunteer are 56.28) to benefit Stairway's consumers in
its various programs. Consumers with mental illness also volunteer, in the community in
nursing homes, art museums, and the food bank as well as in Stairway's Centers for
Literacy, Art and Culture and Growth in Community.
Stairways receives annual funding for its programs from Erie County Government,
through the Department of Human Services, Office of Mental Health/Mental Retardation
and from Pennsylvania funding through the Department of Public Welfare. The changing
climate in health care facing our country and the inevitability of managed care are causing
concern within this agency about ongoing funding and health care coverage for persons
with mental illness.
With the current trend in our country to de-institutionalize and mainstream
persons with mental illness (herein alternately referred to as "consumers," "clients," or
"customers,") Stairways has experienced tremendous growth over the last few years.
According to the personnel director, there were 130 employees when he started at the
agency in 1987, now there are 231 employees; there were 8 different worksites, now there
are 15; and there were approximately 380 consumers-today 809 consumers are served

Interpreting Organizational Values

43

daily by Stairways (January 1995 statistical report). Further, he reported that nine years
ago "everything was facility-based at Stairways, now it is more community-based." The
researcher visited each worksite at least once during the past year to gather data for this
study. All sites are homes located in neighborhoods within the city of Erie:
•

THE MAIN AGENCY—Houses the executive and development offices, personnel,
fiscal, computer operations center, The Center for Growth in Community and The
Literacy Center.
THE WOMEN'S UNIT—This home accommodates up to 8 adult women,
particularly those who cannot live in a co-ed, residential unit due to emotional
problems and safety issues. The program includes stabilization, daily living and
coping skills, establishment of a support system and learning how to live safely in
community.
THE DRUG AND ALCOHOL UNIT—The 10 male and female residents in this
home have both a psychiatric designation and a substance addiction. Counselors
use the 12 Step Program of Alcoholics Anonymous for rehabilitation.
THE FORENSIC UNIT—One of the only forensic units in the state, the 8 male
residents in this home have both a psychiatric designation and a criminal record.
They are taught the skills necessary to improve decision making and positive
coping strategies to be able to live successfully in the community.
WALNUT STREET UNIT—This facility provides intense, 24-hour supervised care
for up to 20 individuals most of whom come directly from acute inpatient

Interpreting Organizational Values

44

hospitalization. Staff focuses on stabilization of psychiatric symptoms, linkage to
community support services, motivation and literacy training. Described by its
director as a "safety-net," 91% of its discharged consumers have successfully
transitioned to a less-restrictive, permanent setting.
RESIDENTIAL ASSESSMENT UNIT—This home provides 24-hour supervised
care for 16 adult men and women with mental illness who are experiencing
difficulties that directly effect their ability to maintain permanent housing. Staff
helps with stabilization, ongoing assessments and teaching the skills needed to
obtain permanent housing. The stay ranges from 3 months to one year.
CRISIS RESIDENTIAL UNIT—This home provides 24-hour care for up to 8
persons with mental illness who are experiencing a short term crisis and need
supportive counseling, respite, medical assistance, psychiatric assessment and
referral services. 71% stay 5 days or less. Described by its director as "an
emotional first-aid station," this unit served 464 persons in fiscal '95, with an
average of 38.66 persons per month.
PERSONAL CARE HOMES-Personal Care Homes (PCH), built from 1993 to
1995, consist of two modular and one stick-built complex for permanent, semi­
independent living with 24-hour staffing. The 8 residents in each home have their
own rooms with bathrooms, are assisted with daily living (meals, laundry,
medications, etc.), and may hold jobs.
GAGE APARTMENTS-Built in 1982 and named after a founder, Rachel Gage,

Interpreting Organizational Values

45

this permanent Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 202 project provides 14
consumer-residents with individual bedrooms, a large common living room, multi­
purpose room and two offices.
IRMA SELIGMAN APARTMENTS—This four-year old permanent housing
facility provides 20 individual apartments for persons with mental illness who are
stabilized and can live independently. Irma Seligman was one of the early
Stairways's volunteers and was active in incorporating the agency in 1964.
TRACK 18 DUPLEXES—Four duplex homes are for independent, permanent
living.
STATE STREET CENTER—Three programs are located in a plaza-like complex:
The Center for Art and Culture, Community Living Services and The Training
Center.
SASSAFRAS OFFICES—An old stone mansion donated by the Sisters of Mercy
was the former main agency and now houses miscellaneous offices. The agency is
trying to sell this facility and move to a more efficient office building.
Looking at Stairways structurally "on paper," without additional data, might evoke
traditional images of the social service agency. In fact, the stereotype of the social service
organization is not attractive. Low motivational levels of persons being served causes a
poor success rate in many social service agencies. Tangible results and progress are slow
to see and difficult to measure. Often there is little respect or recognition of social service
agencies from outside groups. The work is extremely draining causing a high degree of

Interpreting Organizational Values

46

burnout—employees withdraw physically by leaving for other jobs or psychically by
mentally detaching. Funding can be problematic. People with helping natures are usually
attracted to working in a social service agency where wages are typically low. The results
of this contextual analysis may help determine whether Stairways fits into the social
service stereotype or if it has developed its own cultural paradigm.

B.

A STAIRWAY TO THE STARS
The agency name is significant to the study of its culture in several ways. First,

"Stairways" was chosen as the name of the agency by a consumer because she could reach
the organization's first location-donated space above a shoe store in downtown Erie-only
by climbing a long, steep flight of stairs. Second, "Stairways" metaphorically illustrates a
good reason for the existence of the agency. According to one of the original founders,
those persons with mental illness used to think of the agency as "a stairway to the stars or
a stairway to other things they were hoping for in the future." Third, this initial use of
metaphor began a tradition of speaking in metaphors that is deeply imbedded in the culture
and communication of Stairways today. Employees on all levels of system use metaphors.
One employee believes that Stairways uses a lot of metaphors because of the clients and
the nature of their illnesses. "We are dealing with concepts that are so complex;
metaphors help us understand." Numerous examples of metaphor are given in Chapter V:
Organizational Findings.
During the year that this organizational study was conducted, a significant change

Interpreting Organizational Values

47

took place in the design of Stairways's logo. A staircase was added to the logo with the
silhouettes of a man and a woman climbing those stairs just as the first clients climbed
their way to a meaningful life. Under the Stairways's name is a new organizational motto:
"Stairways, Your Partner in Community Mental Health," replacing the previous motto,
"Stairways, A Pioneer in Community Mental Health." Changing the word "pioneer" to
"partner" is a significant shift in how Stairways sees itself in the broader community. The
metaphor of a solo leader exploring new territory represents the classical organizational
model, whereas a collaborative partner certainly relates more to the social systems model.

C.

WRAPPING RIBBONS AROUND THE ORGANIZATION
Stairways shows evidence of several organizational models, possibly because the

organization is in the midst of change and employees are trying to figure out the new
rules. Some employees seem loosely rooted in the past while others are spreading seeds in
new directions. Stairways reflects remnants of the classical organizational model
(Goldhaber, 1993, pp. 34-43). Some things are structured and formal including job titles,
job descriptions, and a top-down organizational chart. One administrator finds that
"getting information you need from the whole organization "to be a real challenge because
of the many layers. Another example of the classical approach occurs during board of
directors meetings where Roberts' Rules of Order are closely followed and the formal
titles of "Mr." and "Ms." are recorded in meeting minutes. Finally, during the formal
interview process, two persons sat across from the interviewer behind their desks,

Interpreting Organizational Values

48

generally a hierarchical posture symbolic of power and authority in the classical model.
There are definite signs that Stairways has been moving away from the classical
model. For example, Stairways's employees voted to unionize during the tenure of a
previous director who used classical management-controlling practices. Today, the union
still exists, but is largely inactive and probably unnecessary. A union steward complained
that only five people showed up for the last union meeting. During the time of the study a
three-year union contract was negotiated quietly and quickly. One person wrote on the
employee survey that he was a union member but did not want to belong.
Another sign of movement away from a classical model involves gender and
power. Even though Stairways was founded by a group of caring women, "it is ironic that
it has been run by a stronghold of men" according to one interviewee. In fact, the agency
has always been led by a male executive director, or, as in the last ten years, an executive
team of three men, who had labeled themselves the "poet, the prophet and the pragmatist"
to illustrate their respective roles and strengths. Things started to change several years
ago when they began to invite key women in the organization to informal planning
meetings, one of the places where organizational power is held (Hearn & Parkin, 1983).
This shift in the old boys' network was due partially to women in leadership positions who
were creating awareness through individual discussions with these men and suggesting
"the need to give opportunities to others who are visionaries." One woman believes that
the closed meetings of the past were not due to power issues. "It's just the way it's always
been here. . . . There is a shift to include other voices, especially women's voices, but you

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49

still have to be invited." Many other types of meetings have developed that regularly
incorporate idea-sharing and problem-solving of both men and women from the various
off-site units. During an interview, one of the three executive directors believes that as a
family, Stairways has grown and "the children are taking on roles of leadership." He made
reference to one woman who has traits of the pragmatist, another woman who is very
prophetic, and an African-American man who is "the heart of Stairways." Certainly these
three represent those "other voices" and a new generation of leaders for Stairways.
These two examples—the low-key union and the inclusion of women and other
minorities in strategic planning—shows how Stairways has moved into a human relations
organizational model (Goldhaber, 1993, pp. 43-46). The human relations movement,
which focuses on people and informality rather than structure and formality, is critical to
Stairways's culture because its employees are not motivated by money as the classical
model purports. Instead, for Stairways's employees, motivators include good relationships
with co-workers, respect for individuality, praise/recognition, self-satisfaction, the work
itself, the opportunity to be creative and the autonomy that Stairways gives them (see
Appendix 6, "Likes Best"). Flexible boundaries also illustrate that Stairways uses the
human relations model. As one staff person puts it, she likes that people are "willing to
stay late to help others out to complete a task." There's a lot of "pinch-hitting" and
"filling-in" not only within a site, but also from site-to-site. The researcher also
experienced the human relations model in the seating arrangement during some formal
interviews. Most interviewees had seating in their offices for side-by-side communication-

Interpreting Organizational Values

50

-sitting next to the researcher showed a sign of equality and collegiality.
Recently, Stairways has been moving toward a social systems model (Goldhaber,
1993, pp. 47-52) where employees are encouraged to become involved in organizational
planning, decision-making and goal-setting. A round discussion-table in the executive
director's office symbolizes the collaborative nature of participative management to which
this organization aspires. Another example is the agency's open-door policy which allows
anyone in the organization access to upper level administration.
The study found two recent examples of evolution toward a social systems model:
"Jumping the Curve" meetings and an evolving organizational chart based on "ribbons".
Early in 1995, one of the directors read and purchased multiple copies of the book,
Jumping the Curve (Imparto & Harari, 1994). The authors postulate that organizations
follow a developmental curve in their life-cycles. When an organization reaches the top of
the curve, it must be ready, willing and able to "jump" to the next curve or it suffers inertia
and ultimate death. With the tremendous growth due to de-institutionalization of persons
in state hospitals coupled with the threat of changes to funding and managed care,
Stairways administrators were seeking a way to help employees understand the changes
already occurring and to involve them in meeting those challenges. "Jumping the Curve"
seemed especially appropriate in light of Stairways's love of metaphor. Books were
distributed to approximately 30 managers representing all the sites and programs at
Stairways. Readings of assigned chapters were followed by large group discussions over
the course of the year. The purpose of the meetings was to develop strategies to meet the

Interpreting Organizational Values

51

new challenges and then to take these messages back to front-line staff via focus groups so
everyone could be involved in the process of goal-setting. The message has not quite
taken hold, however. During both the formal and informal interviews, rarely did anyone
other than administrators mention the "jumping the curve" theme. One survey statement
was devoted to measuring the penetration of the jumping the curve message. Only 37
people agreed that jumping the curve meetings have helped improve communication; 27
actually disagreed with the statement. The remaining 35 were non-committal indicating
their non-participation in such meetings, or their unawareness of the organizational
message, or their uncertainty that communication has improved because of the meetings.
While this data shows mixed results, it is not surprising when compared with the data from
the environmental values orientation. Employees at Stairways generally do not know
about or understand the outside forces affecting the destiny of this organization. The
front-line staff are less future-oriented and more concerned about day-to-day dealings with
consumers. This is an area that would be interesting to measure in another year with
questions focused totally on the "Jumping the Curve" effort. Nevertheless, Stairways has
taken a giant step toward participative management and the social systems model.
The second example of movement toward the social systems model involved the
evolution of a new organizational structure during the last six months of the study. The
idea began as a desire for a more "service oriented" organization for both internal and
external customers of Stairways. Discussions included the development of a service
center by bringing together several existing departments, adding some new functions, and

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52

describing them as "ribbons that wrap around and encompass everything rather than silos
that deliver service from a top down direction." One of the evolving ribbons is
"community relations" which includes corporate communications, public relations, grants
coordination, and planned giving. Another ribbon is "planning and evaluation" which
includes "user friendly" admissions and service coordination, quality assurance, program
evaluation and housing initiatives. The ribbon metaphor, much like Francis Hesselbein's
web of inclusion (Helegsen, 1990, pp. 41-60) or the cultural web suggested by Martin and
Meyerson (1988) exemplifies a social systems model. The strategies of the web and the
ribbons have much in common. They both:
"emphasize relationships, work to tighten them, build up strength, knit loose ends
into the fabric" (p. 58),
are strategies that honor principles of inclusion and connection,
were developed by women,
counter values of the hierarchy,
utilize "fabric" to weave their new organizational charts,
facilitate "direct communication, free-flowing and loosely structured" (p. 50).
Like the ribbons that encompass and wrap around other areas of the organization and the
community, the strategy of the web is to "cast a wide net, look in many directions, seek a
lot of information. . . . Authority comes from connection to the people around rather than
distance from those below; this in itself helps to foster a team approach" (Helegsen, 1990,
pp. 54-55). "This view, which sees culture as dynamic and multivocal, represents a radical

Interpreting Organizational Values

53

departure from those views that depict culture as a mechanistic, hierarchical system of
stable relationships and universal symbols." (Meyerson, 1991, p. 260) While this change
may be radical, it also has been evolutionary for Stairways. The organization is motivated
and ready to take on this new organizational model.

Interpreting Organizational Values

CHAPTER IV

All serious discourse expresses values.

Fisher, 1987, p. 109

54

Interpreting Organizational Values

55

The organizational findings in this section are organized into the framework of the
seven cultural dimensions used by Mohan in her study: relational orientation,
environmental orientation, activity orientation, time orientation, human nature
orientation, mission, and shared culture. An eighth dimension-communication—is
added for this study to give further insight into the culture of Stairways. This report has
integrated data gathered from both qualitative and quantitative methods including
informant interviewing, direct observation, event participation, contextual analysis of
artifacts and an employee survey.

A.

RELATIONAL ORIENTATION: Moving from Isolation to Participation
According to Schein (1991), the relational orientation of an organization should

evoke such questions as: What do members perceive as the proper way for people "to
relate to each other, to distribute power and affection? Is life competitive or cooperative?
Is the best authority system autocratic/paternalistic or collegial/participative?" (p. 250).
Also, does the organizational culture honor individualism or team efforts?
As a cultural dimension of Stairways, examples of relational orientation were
found frequently in the various approaches used to study. For example, both the major
and minor articles of Progress Notes revealed that employees, volunteers and consumers
found good reasons to build both interpersonal and team relationships. Because Stairways
has grown so rapidly in a short time and become more decentralized, employees expressed
a desire to create new ways of sharing information among workteams to stay connected

Interpreting Organizational Values

56

In late 1994, leaders at Stairways began reading the newly published book Jumping the
Curve (Imparto & Harari, 1994) and forming discussion groups to problem-solve and to
address the issues of growth and change. One discussion group reported better team
communication: "Our focus groups are meeting every other week. From the response
we’ve received, there have been substantive changes in how effectively we communicate
with one another." This particular group developed an "internal customer feedback form"
to monitor communication. A supervisor talked about the importance of teaming as it
relates to interpersonal communication with peers, "The value of periodic retreats over
time is hands-on, person-to-person experiences." A supervisor from the social coach
program stressed the importance of collectivity by "building a strong program and a
motivated, unified team" in order to bring quality service to the consumers. One director
related that the Gage Apartments, a housing unit that provides supported living for
persons with mental illness, "would never have been built if staff hadn't dreamed it up,
wrote the grants and got the money." This building symbolizes real team effort. Finally, a
part-time employee emphasized how much teamwork there was in her department. "I see
it in other departments too. Without the teamwork, it could not work ... to be
successful, we have to work together and support one another."
Stairways's Director of Clinical Services, one of the organizational experts (Fisher,
1984) at Stairways, alternately plays the role of prophet, poet and storyteller in his regular
newsletter column "Issues & Commentary." (He will be referred to as the organizational
sage throughout the balance of this paper.) Two of his eight columns analyzed for this

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57

study were devoted entirely to the value of interpersonal relationship as a healing force for
persons with mental illness. In one narrative, he relates an experiment where he engaged
persons in conversation by asking, "When do you feel most alive?" Most coworkers
responded with all those conditions that evoke "a sense of delight, joy, connectedness,
energy and a host of other pleasant experiences." However, when he posed this question
to a young consumer of Stairways the week before Christmas,
his response was immediate and unconditional: /feel most alive before and after
the holidays. Without any prompting on my part he went on to explain that his
loneliness during the holiday season was unbearable. He had no family and no real
friends. He was alone and lonely and, therefore, felt less alive . . . health in
general, and mental health in particular, in its broadest sense, is a statement about
the quality of our connectedness with ourselves, our family, our friends and our
community . . . interpersonal relationships are the transformational dynamic."
He cautions the collective that there is a danger to some mental health programming when
it creates "conditions of unwanted individuation."
In another poignant narrative, the organizational sage described the day he
accompanied "Joe," a member of the housing staff, while he visited consumers living on
their own and receiving housing support services. Despite their diverse living conditions,
all the people they met that day had one thing in common: they were "engaged in a
spiritual search for meaning and belonging." These people have confronted not only the
reality of their mental illness, but they struggle with fear, loneliness, isolation and

Interpreting Organizational Values

58

addictions.
I was very moved by the genuine affection that passed between these folks and
Joe. I was touched by their acceptance of Joe's gentle meddling when he felt that
someone was drinking too much or not taking their medications as prescribed. I
experienced a complete absence of defensiveness as Joe expressed his observations
and voiced his concerns. One person asked us to pray with him for strength to
fight a drinking problem and we did. There is no doubt in my mind that persons
with a serious mental illness can have a life worth living in the community as long
as there is someone who cares enough to become personally and consistently
involved with them in their struggle.
Holding a fundraiser on Valentine's Day in 1994 could be interpreted as a
metaphor for how affectionately people relate to one another at Stairways.. The
fundraiser was a theater production of "Love Letters," the story of a life-long exchange of
letters between a couple whose loving relationship started in childhood and how the
friends struggled with the emerging mental illness of one of them . The underlying theme
emphasized the delicate balance between dependence and independence for persons with
mental illness. While they are striving to be independent and live and work on their own,
they must have affectionate, meaningful relationships.
Participation is one way that Stairways involves consumers and staff in building
relationships. A key newsletter article highlights the social coach program at Stairways
with the headline "From Isolation to Participation." According to this article, "the goal is

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59

to link individuals with their communities and peers through participation in social
activities of the specific interest. By developing these community connections,
participants are able to lead more meaningful and fulfilling lives." In another story, "six
consumers, several staff members and a volunteer of Stairways were invited to accompany
the Brig Niagara crew and sixty others for a day of sailing on Lake Erie." This example
reinforces the collegiality of the three Stairways groups—staff, consumers and volunteers—
and confirms the agency mission of healing for all in community.
In another example of the healing effects of participation, one consumer has
become active on the tenant-council in the apartment complex where she resides. She
related, "Another tenant and I have initiated a weekly Coffee-Klatch for informal visiting
and breakfasting. It's been meaningful and it has taught me a lot about relating with
people. I believe I've learned to be assertive." Another consumer discussed her role on
Stairways's Development Committee and the Board of Directors in relational terms, "I'm
honored and pleased to be asked to serve on these decision-making groups at Stairways.
As a client myself, I have a perspective and I listen to a lot of other consumers, young and
old alike. I make time to help and listen to other Stairways's clients—it is important to
me. " According to the Director of Skill Development, the value of work in the healing of
Stairways's consumers is relational oriented. He cites the benefits of work as:
... the feeling of satisfaction which comes from doing something well; the many
relationships that are developed; the enjoyment of being a member of a team
versus being alone . . . building support systems. An important part of many

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successful persons' lives is the circle of friends they have to draw strength from
when life seems a little too overwhelming.
Stairways also expresses participation in its cultural tradition of volunteerism.
According to a Stairways manager, " Volunteerism is the root of Stairways's origin. The
efforts of twenty-two original founders in working with persons with mental illness as they
attempted to adjust to life in our community continues today" with 121 volunteers giving
nearly 7,000 hours to Stairways and the community in 1995. Stairways so values its
volunteers that it nominated one of them to receive the Recognizing Achieving Volunteers
in Erie (RAVE) Award from the Junior League for his "continuous service" volunteerism.
Not only do people from the community volunteer their time and talents to help
consumers at Stairways, but Stairways's personnel also volunteer to work within
Stairways and at other community agencies. Twelve Stairways employees traveled daily
to the Neighborhood Art House where they "share one's love of reading" with inner-city
children; another story showed "team walkers," fifteen Stairways's employees and friends
who "gave back to community through WALKAMERICA" by participating and raising
$470. Stairways's philosophy of creating a healing community allows for recovering
consumers to become volunteers themselves. One man recently finished one full year of
successful volunteerism as an escort at the V.A. Medical Center. Three consumers serve
on Stairways Board of Directors. According to the Skill Development Supervisor, "We
have increasing numbers of consumers who we see weekly and often daily. Their
volunteerism in our community is meaningful and appropriate involvement which brings

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61

satisfaction and reward."
The employee survey produced mixed findings for relational orientation. Because
the mean for the relational orientation category of questions ranked second lowest of the
eight categories measured with an average category mean of 2.727, it warranted looking
individually at the five questions in that category. There was a very positive response to
the statement about the organization emphasizing teamwork rather than individual "stars,"
with 73 out of 99 people strongly or mostly agreeing. This supports data gathered both
from the interviews and the artifacts.
However, the remaining four statements produced very divided responses. For
example, 39 respondents agreed that people are not consulted before decisions are made,
30 disagreed and another 30 neither agreed nor disagreed. Similarly, only 30 respondents
agreed that going over the head of one's supervisor rarely happens here, 31 respondents
disagreed and 38 were undecided. While 52 respondents agreed that people who give
orders do not fit in well at Stairways, another 31 neither agreed nor disagreed, and 16
disagreed. When it comes to clear lines of authority, 47 respondents felt that Stairways
has them, 29 felt lines of authority are unclear and 23 were undecided.
The apparent disparity in these responses is explained by the tremendous growth in
personnel and clients over the past several years which is causing some confusion in
organizational structure and people's roles. There are numerous examples from the
interviews and site visits. One tour guide during the Great Getaway expressed frustration
for not being able to describe a coworker's responsibilities, "Things are changing so fast,

Interpreting Organizational Values

62

I'm having trouble keeping track of everybody." A rehabilitation coordinator expressed
similar sentiments, "I think all of us feel we knew what we were doing, and now things are
changing." Another person said, "At times, it is difficult to know who reports to who or
at which site colleagues are working." One employee emphasized that "individual staff
have great clarity regarding their roles at Stairways, but often times there is frustration
over the complexity of those roles." While employees generally accepted the fact that
programs were being renamed in order to better describe them, several expressed
confusion over the name changes. Some employees continue to use the old program
names or old acronyms for those names while others are using the new names or new
acronyms. Others expressed regret over perceived creation of supervisory layers so that
certain key people "don't get around so much anymore."
It is noteworthy that relationship orientation generally influences two of the other
values orientations in this study. First, Stairways interacts with its environment by
building relationships among all entities in the larger community as described in Section B:
Environmental Orientation. Second, while this section emphasized the value of
interpersonal relationship and teamwork, the culture of Stairways actually maintains a
delicate balance between the individual and the team which will be described fully in
Section G: Shared Culture.
A narrative statement summarizing the belief system around relational orientation
at Stairways might be: At Stairways, we value interpersonal relationship as a
transformative healingforce for persons with mental illness. Interpersonal relationships

Interpreting Organizational Values

63

heal when someone shows that they care about the other person. Interpersonal
relationships heal when individuals become involved with others through participation,
volunteerism, and work. We also value the power of the collective team in our efforts to
create a meaningful life for each consumer, volunteer and co-worker.

B.

ENVIRONMENTAL ORIENTATION: Being at the Table Together
The organization's relationship to its environment translates into how the

organization perceives itself. (Schein, 1991, p. 250) Do the members see it as dominant,
submissive, harmonizing? Is it in control of its destiny? Are there outside forces pulling
its strings like a puppet?
Partnering is a unique factor in Stairways success, and seems to have evolved
from forward-thinking leadership that believes in a systems model. Several years ago, two
of the three top executives of Stairways met with 30 community leaders to determine the
interconnectedness of Stairways to community. The good reasons for valuing
partnerships include shared resources, joint funding through legislative initiatives,
coordinated consumer services, synergistic public relations for heightened community
awareness of mental illness, and more efficient quality service to the consumer.
Stairways's partners are other community agencies, businesses, government entities and
volunteers and include (1) A building supply store offering to have coins tossed into the
store's greenhouse pond donated to Stairways; (2) A local signage firm designing and
donating several thousand dollars' worth of image and directional signage for the Main

Interpreting Organizational Values

64

Agency; (3) Student interns from a local college finding a challenging learning
environment while generously providing new, creative and interesting ideas for the
Vocational Program; (4) The 4th Annual Cornerstone Open Golf Tournament raising
more than $4,000 for Stairways; (5) The Erie Community Foundation, Merrill Lynch's
Employee Community Involvement Program and the State Department of Education
teaming to provide funds to build a neighborhood adult literacy center at Stairways's main
agency; (6) Local jazz musicians, volunteers, Stairways's staff and consumers
collaborating to plan and produce an "Evening of Jazz," a fundraiser that netted over
$5,000 for consumers needs; (7) Stairways connecting with Community Integration, Inc.
which developed a system of provider services for Erie County residents, including those
with mental illness, regardless of their ability to pay; (8) Stairways Vocational Program
establishing employer partnerships where persons with mental illness participate
meaningfully in community life; (9) Stairways partnering with landlords to provide
independent living for persons recovering from mental illness; (10) Stairways's
Coordinator of Special Projects successfully partnering with Community Shelter Services
to write a grant proposal which earned the two agencies one and one-half million dollars
from the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Supportive Housing Program; (11)
Stairways's executive director being appointed by the acting governor to serve on the
Pennsylvania Housing Advisory Committee, which is responsible for reviewing statewide
housing and support services' needs and priorities and advising the Department of
Community Affairs on the coordination of federal, state and local resources-not only does

Interpreting Organizational Values

65

the state benefit from the director's expertise, but Stairways benefits from exposure to a
wide network of resources and funding sources; (12) The Director of Development
partnering with a small social service agency to contract marketing services from
Stairways that subsidize the salary of another much needed communications employee in
the development office.
In his keynote address at Stairways 1994 Annual Dinner Meeting, Pennsylvania
Congressman Tom Ridge (now Governor) spoke about his perception of Stairways:
Stairways is a textbook case of collaboration. Any organization that can bring
together the emotional, physical, and financial resources of many different, yet
equally involved parties—consumers, family members, providers, and local
government—and achieve the phenomenal results that Stairways has achieved,
deserves a tremendous amount of credit... (it has) promoted those goals which
clearly benefit the community.
One volunteer describes partnering metaphorically, "I have witnessed what I would
call a healthy marriage between Stairways and the greater Erie community. The role that
Stairways has taken in providing quality mental health care, housing and support services
is an extremely crucial one to all of us residing in this community." Partnering is a winwin situation for everyone involved, especially the consumer.
During the year that this organizational study was conducted, a significant change
took place in the motto which is part of the organizational logo. The previous motto" Stairways, A Pioneer in Community Mental Health" was replaced with a new slogan-

Interpreting Organizational Values

66

"Stairways, Your Partner in Community Mental Health." The shift from the word
"pioneer" to "partner" is a significant change in how Stairways relates to its environment.
No longer does Stairways view itself as a rugged individual exploring new territory by
itself, but rather a collaborator/team player in a larger system of mental health as well as
the broader community.
In an editorial column, the organizational sage connects the dimensions of
environmental and time orientation to Stairways's value system. His retrospective history
of Stairways compares "the structure, clientele, programs, clinical assumptions and inter­
agency relationships of the past to current realities and future expectations." He sees
transformation on every level of system:
In the early years, we viewed ourselves, and were viewed by others, as a free
standing, self-contained, independent, and some might argue, isolated
organization. We pretty much controlled the way "things went" philosophically,
organizationally and programmatically. . . . We had very strong identities and solid
corporate boundaries. The mental health system,' thus constructed, was
fragmented and uneven in the delivery of services to clients even when the
relationships between and among agencies was cordial. ... All that is changed
now. (The)mental health system is rapidly becoming a network of interdependent
organizations including consumer, family and even erstwhile competitors forming
strategic alliances and partnerships to deliver better mental health services ... it is
sometimes tough to determine where one organization ends and another begins.

Interpreting Organizational Values

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He concludes by proposing a new model to replace that of the obsolete hierarchical
system. He refers to it metaphorically as the virtual corporation, "a collaborative web of
consumers and service providers (that) allows each partner to specialize in doing a part of
the system rather than expecting each organization to do everything."
There are many good reasons for partnering according to narratives both heard
and read. Perhaps the most important reason is the survival of the agency. The state of
Pennsylvania is shifting the risk of health care to the private entrepreneur, health
maintenance organizations (HMO) and preferred provider organizations (PPO). For the
future, it is uncertain where the stream of funding will be and how the quality of care
might be affected. In the article "Being at the Table Together," a metaphor for partnering,
Progress Notes covered a presentation made by the Deputy Secretary of Mental Health for
the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare at a Managed Care Conference sponsored
by Stairways and Residential Educational Services, Inc. (RESI). According to the deputy
secretary, when it comes to mental health "managed care provides only for outpatient
care, partial hospitalization programs and inpatient treatment. Many consumers' needs are
left unmet. . . there is a serious question of HMO's racheting down service provisions,
resulting in a lessening of the quality of care." The future of mental health could be
seriously altered by managed care. According to Stairways executive director, "Everyone
is waiting for the state to tell them what to do. Instead, agencies should be telling the
state what to do." True to its pro-active stance and futuristic thinking (see time
orientation), Stairways recently became a charter member of the Providers Association of

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Pennsylvania. This network of organizations will begin developing standards for managed
care. The group will also provide a hedge for Stairways if county funding goes away. As
this thesis was being completed, Stairways had formed a "managed care" committee within
the organization to begin working on this issue. This committee goal is to interface with a
newly created "managed care corporation," an alliance of other social services agencies
and providers in the Erie community who are also analyzing managed care and want to
have some control of their destiny. This follows a long tradition of proactivity (see
activity orientation) around controlling the destiny of the organization. As far back as
1980, the executive director started to network with legislators in Harrisburg to build
support for mental health and to join the Pennsylvania Association of Rehabilitative
Facilities (PARF) where he has become influential on the state level.
Another environmental concern about mental health services is raised by the
president of the Alliance for the Mentally 111 of Erie County (AMIECO), a partnering
organization for families and friends of those suffering from serious mental illness. With
the new Republican governor, "there are no guarantees . . . that the State Legislature will
continue to fund the support services that are required by this population. ... We need to
be vigilant that this funding continues to meet the needs of these people. We must also
lobby the administration to include mental health in the Health Care Plan." Clearly, there
is one more good reason for partnering--to gain some control over the destiny of the
organization by finding strength in numbers against a common advisory.
Even though survey results for environmental orientation were the lowest ranking

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69

of the eight values with an average category mean of 2.784, the mean is still on the
positive side of midpoint. One of the five questions in this category was overwhelmingly
positive and unequivocal: 91 of the 99 respondents agreed that Stairways plays a major
role in the well-being of the community, only 8 were undecided and no one disagreed with
this statement. This remarkable response supports the data gathered from the interviews
and artifacts that Stairways is a partner in the community.
However, the remaining four statements indicate that employees are either
concerned, confused or simply not informed about some issues affecting the destiny of the
organization. For example, a majority of 51 respondents agreed that Stairways could
shape its own future without undue constraints from outside forces, 15 were undecided
and 33 felt that Stairways had no or little control of its future. Thirty-three respondents
feel that state funding does not pose a threat to Stairways well-being while 22 do. The
remaining 44 most likely do not know if state funding poses a threat to Stairways's well­
being because they are removed from the inner circle where such things are discussed.
Similarly, 58 respondents neither agreed nor disagreed that Stairways has clout in the
legislative process (25 agreed, 16 disagreed). Only 22 agreed that groups outside of
Stairways have too much to say about how the institution is run and only 37 disagreed.
Again, a majority of 40 respondents neither agreed not disagreed.
Most Stairways employees seem to be more concerned about the immediate
internal environmental issues that affect the way they do their work every day. Site visits
during the Great Getaway showed employees engulfed in the daily tasks of caring for the

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consumer. Environmental concerns raised in some site visits and in a few survey
comments reflected lack of resources: staffing, computers, heating and air conditioning,
office furniture and equipment, limited funds for projects. Some expressed worry that
Stairways mission might be adversely affected by lack of resources. As one respondent
put it, there are "too few staff in the department—many demands from clients—staff are not
serving their needs as they should be. "
An interpretative narration for environmental orientation might say: We are here to
create a healing community. We can make greater strides for consumers by partnering
with outside organizations and government than we can alone. Stainvays does not have
sole control of its destiny. While there are many externalfactors affecting who we are
and what we can do, we can influence our destiny in a positive direction by looking
ahead and working with other groups who share similar goals.

C.

ACTIVITY ORIENTATION: Jumping Curves
Under activity orientation, the question arises as to whether the organization

values behavior that is dominant and pro-active, harmonizing, or passive and fatalistic.
(Schein, 1991, p. 250) While Stairways may be harmonizing in the way it interacts with
its environment, when it comes to activity orientation, there is no question that it is pro­
active. Employees' voices resonate an organization that is engulfed in growth and change.
"Every day is something different... the executive director is so visionary . . . with new
ways of looking at problems." Stairways is "on the cutting edge with new ideas ... we

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hear the executives talking about these ideas in our meetings and then a year or two later
we read about these same ideas in a newspaper or magazine article." Stairways is
"energetic . . . not content to do nothing . . . not content with one accomplishment. . .
into many things over time;" "highly motivated . . . not afraid to look at new ventures,
programs, grants, new directions"; "adventurous . . . not afraid to challenge the system on
moral issues" and embark on some things that others in the larger social service system did
not think were viable . . . "growing and changing rapidly;" "changing, growing, exciting;"
Stairways is "a leader, always evaluating where new inroads might be." "There is so
much change, I'm afraid to go on vacation!" If you are a director, "your actual job is to
manage change." One person used a highly active metaphor to describe the executive
team, "Their job is to keep the stagecoach going, to harness the energy of the horses in the
stable." The message of proactivity comes from the top. To emphasize the importance of
being proactive, the executive director uses a hockey metaphor to encourage the
organization to "skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it is."
One person reflected the down-side reality of all this high energy: "Stairways is
stretched!"

Evidence of too much change too quickly was visible at one of Stairways

sites, the Walnut Street Unit. The goals of this 20-bed unit are to provide temporary
housing, stabilization, motivation and literacy development for consumers who have just
been released from the hospital.

The facility opened in such a hurry that there was no

designated room to administer medications nor a van to transport patients. At the time of
the site visit in June 1995, the atmosphere there was chaotic, dark, cramped and stressed.

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The researcher attended the second in a series of Jumping the Curve meetings
where thirty-one key employees discussed issues around the change process. Each
supervisor had taken the themes from the previous meeting back to their worksites where
they were used as points of discussion in departmental focus groups. Their goal was to
make the process of jumping the curve participative—to get input and ideas from everyone
in the system especially around ways that Stairways can become more service oriented to
both internal and external customers. The reports back at the second meeting showed
mixed results. One person felt "very challenged. I'm scrambling to collaborate with many
more people. It takes much more time." Someone else expressed frustration that her
team has been working hard and achieving goals, but what has it gotten them? "What is
lacking is recognition and promotion. We're making the same money as those who are not
working hard." Another supervisor said her group is "perfectly willing to accept the
concept ofjumping curves as long as they don't have to do anything more." Newer
employees are hesitant to join in the process because they feel they can't contribute.
"Their attitude is, 'Tell us what to do,' rather than, 'We have some answers'." Another
person observed that older employees were most resistant to change while younger
workers were energetic and enthusiastic about the process. A union steward disagreed,
"Both employees in my unit are high performers; age doesn't matter. It's just the way
someone is. The way they were brought up."
Counterbalancing these "meta-grumbles" were some positive reports: one group
was developing a questionnaire to gather all the input of one focus group; another was

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73

riding buses all over town for a week to experience first-hand what consumers must go
through to get around. Another reported that "employees are really hungry for a concrete
sense of purpose and training that's meaningful to the job." On a very positive note, one
person said that "since we started this, a lot more employees are honest and verbal." One
director summarized the phenomenon with a metaphor. "Stairways has been working on
an assembly line for the past three years. We have exploded with programs and people.
We've become too busy; the assembly line has been speeding up. What we are attempting
to do here is to ask people to step away from the assembly line and look at what we are
doing."
An interesting addendum on the "growing/changing" descriptives. Three key
employees referred to Stairways's maturity. Two women saw the agency as mature and
able to "relate in social service circles better than other organizations." It is "not a
teenager anymore." However, one man saw the agency as immature. "Even though it is
thirty-five years old, this agency is still in infancy stages; we're just now doing things that
the private sector was doing years ago."
The newsletter text most definitely describes Stairways as a "doing" rather than a
"being" organization. Activity is evidenced throughout the content in both the choice and
tense of verbs. For example, the newsletter quotes the Pennsylvania Secretary of the
Department of Public Welfare from her speech at the agency's annual dinner meeting:
"Stairways is focused on quality service, but all the while the organization is adapting,
growing; innovating; partnering and bottom line-delivering." Her choice of the present-

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progressive form of the verb is reminiscent of Karl Weick's preference for the word
"organizing" instead of "organization" because it connotes activity and process. An
organization is never really the same from one moment to the next. It is constantly
growing, changing, communicating, organizing. The fact that this organization would
actually see itself metaphorically jumping curves is significant to the activity orientation.
One focus group member cites such examples of curve-jumping from her perspective as
"diversifying funding from local to state to federal; recruiting staff with higher levels of
skills; demonstrating the ability to handle greater levels of client need . . . and internal
community-building." Stairways employees often describe the agency mission in terms of
"creating a healing community." A high level of activity can be seen in the social coach
program where staff members are continually "going out into the community promoting
the benefits of the program through churches, nursing homes, social service agencies—all
avenues for bringing this needed service to the consumer." Again, the use of strong
action verbs in a present-progressive form clearly shows an organization on the move.
Activity and time orientation are closely allied in Stairways's value system. The staff
continually looks forward to future activities as well as those already accomplished.
The survey data generally confirm that Stairways is active rather than passive with
an average category mean of 2.505. Seventy-three of the 99 respondents agreed that
Stairways is probably more innovative than most organizations and 67 of the 99 agreed
that Stairways is significantly more active than in the past (the 30 undecided were
probably newer employees). Only 41 respondents disagreed that Stairways was slow in its

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planning, 24 agreed and 30 were undecided; likewise, 41 agreed that Stairways's style is
"risk-taking", 21 disagreed and 37 were undecided.
Survey statement #11, which fell into this category, caused some confusion with its
wording: We have a fairly "laid back" tempo in most departments. One respondent wrote
on the survey, it "doesn't make sense the way it is written. Are you asking if workers are
working slowly or if the atmosphere is 'laid back'?" Another respondent wrote the word
"rate of activity" above the word "tempo" to indicate how it was interpreted. While the
researcher was looking for rate of activity, it appears that the statement was
misinterpreted by some and resulted in an evenly split response frequency (32 agreed, 38
disagreed, 29 undecided) and invalid data.
An interpretive narrative for Activity Orientation at Stairways could say: At
Stairways, we recognize the critical nature of change to helping our consumers and to
ensuring our survival. We are a changing organization that is experiencing growing
pains. Our resources—people, time, money—are stretched. However, we have learned
to trust our leaders and to value the change process. We are proactive in everything we
tackle. "Wait-and-see " is not part of our mind-set. "Let's do it, and do it now " is our
everyday reality.

D.

TIME ORIENTATION: Weaving Past, Present and Future
Many researchers (Frank, 1939; Lewin, 1942; Rokeach, 1960; Kluckhohn &

Strodtbeck, 1961; Goldner, 1979; Schein, 1984; Conway, 1985; Mohan, 1993) have

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written about time perspective. An organization that focuses exclusively on the past, the
present or the future demonstrates a narrow time orientation. Fixation on past or present
keeps an organization from preparing for its future. Focusing on the present or future
encourages an organization to repeat past mistakes and gives members little sense of
tradition. When time orientation is balanced in an organizational culture, members value
connectedness across time (Conway, p. 19). What is an organization's basic orientation
of time in terms of past, present and future? How does this orientation shape the
organizational culture? How are daily activities conducted around time orientation?
(Schein, 1991, p. 250).
Stairways demonstrates the futuristic qualities that Kanter (1986) describes as the
androgenous leadership skills of the change masters, including kaleidoscope thinking and
communicating visions. For the second year in a row, the top three executives of the
Agency attended the World Future Society where they networked with futuristic thinkers
from all over the world. They attend because they want to be on the cutting edge and
because "mental health occurs within a society which occurs within a world." They also
want to insure that persons with mental illness have a voice in this context. One executive
likened Stairways to Janus, the mythological figure with two faces-one faces the past, the
other faces the future. The director said Janus is a good metaphor for Stairways because
it "respects the past, lives in the present and moves to the future." This weaving of the
past, present and future is much like the feminine work of the web (Helegsen, 1990, p.
60).

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The agency newsletter provides additional evidence of Stairways forward-looking
stance. One headline gives a good reason for being future minded: "Preparing Future
Leaders for Community Trusteeship." The narrative describes a community program
called Leadership Erie that provides leadership development "for people who have
demonstrated a commitment to the Erie community and a potential for leadership." For
the past five years, Stairways has sponsored one employee each year in Leadership Erie,
illustrative of organizational commitment to developing leaders, not only for the future
benefit of the organization, but for the future good of the whole community.
Organizational perpetuity is another good reason for future planning as revealed in
the formation of an organization of donors who have named Stairways in their wills.
Appropriately titled to reflect the future, Stairways's 21st Century Club is "building
Stairways future through planned gifts for endowment."
At Stairways, time orientation is also narratively described as the ability to
balance being proactive and reactive. As explained in Section C: Activity Orientation,
proactivity suggests planning and looking ahead; reactivity deals with urgent, unplanned
issues in the here-and-now. Planning is a paradox according to Stairways's executive
director. "Unless you plan, you will be unable to operate. However, the future is a
mystery. You must be able to look at three to five possible futures and develop adaptive
responses." Evidence indicates that Stairways is both appropriately proactive and
reactive. The manager of the facilities maintenance team said it best, "Every day presents
new crises and the best laid plans must then become flexible guidelines. We strive for a

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78

balance between proactive plans and reactive work. Our jobs demand flexibility and
patience." Another employee agreed that Stairways is "flexible in responding to
situations. ... We don't always go by the book, which may not always be perceived as a
strength." During a site visit to the main agency, the receptionist related a particularly
poignant story illustrating the ability to react. One day while staffing the switchboard, she
answered the telephone and recognized that the caller's voice belonged to a consumer.
The consumer wanted to speak with a particular staff person, but that person was not in
the office. The consumer asked the receptionist to deliver a message to the staff person.
"Just tell her 'good-bye'," said the consumer and then hung up.

The receptionist,

concerned about the words and tone used by the consumer, immediately contacted a
professional counselor from social services. As a result of her quick reaction, she saved
the consumer from a drug-induced suicide.
Stairways's employees look to their past for examples of courage and leadership.
Most employees know the story of its founders and often refer to the legacy of those who
first volunteered 35 years ago. According to one veteran staff member, there are other
"fundamentals" besides volunteerism from Stairways's past including "valuing individuals,
maintaining a healing culture, providing careers and opportunity." Stairways's employees
also remember past mistakes and how their resolution affects the way things are done
now. For example, the Hospital Diversion Unit, located in a residential area of the city,
was firebombed twice by unhappy neighborhood residents when it first opened years ago.
From that experience, Stairways developed an integrative process of communicating and

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79

working with neighbors to create awareness and understanding of mental illness before
opening a residential unit in a new neighborhood.
While Stairways respects its past, it is not the same organization that it was in the
past. The organizational sage finds the present time at Stairways to be "exciting,
"challenging," and a "complete transformation of our values, assumptions, service
technologies, and institutions." To succeed in the changing current and future mental
health care environments, he believes Stairways needs "people who can communicate
effectively and demonstrate positive attitudes and behaviors of adaptability and flexibility
. . . people who can work to expand the common ground on which we can stand together
and be able to give up the little patches of fenced-off turf we held onto traditionally."
The survey results generally support the interview and artifact data that Stairways
is visionary and future-oriented with an average category mean of 2.105. An
overwhelming 96 of the 99 respondents agreed that future planning is very important at
Stairways. Only 3 people were undecided and no one disagreed with this statement.
Likewise, 76 respondents felt that Stairways is emerging as a future-oriented organization,
70 agreed that the whole organization is moving in a positive direction and 68 have a
perception of vibrant growth at Stairways.
Only statement #3 received a mixed response in this category as 46 respondents
neither agreed nor disagreed that a whole lot of people would like to see things done the
way they used to be; 36 agreed and only 17 disagreed. The reason for the neutral
response is directly related to the respondents' lengths of service-only 32 had worked

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more than 5 years at Stairways indicating that the vast majority of those responding know
Stairways only from exposure to the last five years of its 35 year history. They do not
have direct experience with "how things used to be."
A narrative summary for time orientation at Stairways might say: At Stairways; we
value our legacy of volunteerism and compassion. In the past we have placed great
value on the individual person and how we create a healing environment as well as jobs
and opportunities for individuals. These values will never change. However, we
continually lookforward to what is next and vision what is possible. We plan ahead, but
we are flexible and ready to react in a crisis. We are firmly rooted in the reality of
caringfor consumers every day.

E.

HUMAN NATURE ORIENTATION: Friend, Anchor, Port-in-a-Storm
When members describe their organization in terms of human nature, Schein

(1991) says it is essential to uncover whether they perceive it as basically good, neutral or
evil (p. 250). At Stairways, descriptives of human nature are generally good and include
friendly, kind, helpful, caring, creative, compassionate, competent, and courageous. One
mother of a consumer describes Stairways as "much more than an agency. It's a friend.
It's an anchor. It's a very definite port-in-a-storm!" A staff member says that her
department guarantees consumer satisfaction in that "we are available to listen to
consumer concerns and to address their concerns to the best of our ability." A supervisor
reports that her program is striving to be "user friendly to clients and staff. We especially

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are eager to serve persons with a serious mental illness who have insufficient recreational
activity." So important is the service orientation to Stairways that the organizational
reconfiguration will soon result in a "service center" that will cutout the red-tape for
persons seeking help from the agency.
A management focus group reports, "Our managers feel it imperative that we note
positive customer contacts and, most importantly, document these encounters through
stories." One such story tells how a staff member went above and beyond the call of duty
with kindness and caring when he helped a Stairways's consumer locate his mother in Erie
County Prison, assisted him in rebudgeting his money to make bail for her release,
accompanied him to pick her up, and then drove her to New York state after work hours
to insure she had a safe place to stay with a relative.
Even members of the maintenance team see service guiding their daily work.
According to one maintenance person, "My goal is to get the job done expediently, with
consideration given to supply availability and minimizing disruption to our staff,
consumers and visitors." Consumer testimonials, like the one that follows, demonstrate
over and over again that there are good reasons for helping at Stairways:
We have a lot of fun here at Gage (Apartments) too. Bingo is my favorite. I have
benefited from the groups offered here and at Stairways Center for Growth in
community, and have received extra help in understanding my medications and the
disease of mental illness. I've found that the staff works with you, not against you.
They have been wonderful to me! If I need to just talk with someone at a low

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time, they are here for me.
In citing his good reasons for becoming a volunteer, one man validates the human
nature orientation of Stairways. "I was attracted to Stairways because of the humanity of
the organization. I attended several Board meetings before joining and was impressed by
the calibre of the volunteers on the Board. I witnessed compassion. I heard people being
treated as individuals, not as numbers." Another board member narrates his first-hand
experience of Stairways's compassion, "I witnessed Stairways treatment of a gentleman
whose family refused to even acknowledge his existence anymore. It was a very sad
situation. Stairways really became that man's family. The staff there are thoughtful and
sensitive to the social and mental aspects of the struggles people have." An excellent
example of compassion from the employees was the establishment of a Client Assistance
Fund ten years ago with seed money from the board of directors. Employees of the
agency continually contribute to this fund whose revenue is used 100% for emergency
needs of consumers "such as clothing for a new job, unusual medical expenses or cost of
books for education and training."
Supporting the values of compassion and helpfulness from the comment section of
the employee survey, 36.4% of the respondents wrote that working with the consumers
was one of the things they liked best about Stairways. They found their work rewarding
and meaningful. Here is a sample of "some of the things I like best about working at
Stairways:"
Helping a person with a mental illness feel like someone

Interpreting Organizational Values

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Knowing that I do make a difference on the life of a person with a mental illness
Working with the clients and seeing their progress
•

Helping them function to the best of their ability

•

Sharing my life experiences with clients in order to help them

®

Encouraging them to work through problems

•

Reaching out to help people in all areas-drug abusers, mentally ill. . .
The most frequent and immediate interview response to describing Stairways was

caring: the agency is a "caring type of individual," "empathetic,

h

H

human-oriented versus

bottom-line oriented," "caring but tough," "caring about clients and coworkers." The
focus group elaborated that their "whole focus is on caring ... we haven't lost sight of
why we were founded ... the staff also cares about each other." A number of people
referred to a "family atmosphere" and "being like a family." "It's easier to talk about the
agency as a family rather than a person." There was physical evidence of the desire to
create a "family" or "home-like" atmosphere during residential site visits. At the West
Sixth Street Unit, consumer residents sat in rockers on the large front porch of this big old
home soaking in the beautiful day. There were lots of rooms in this house for individuals
to find space for various activities or to be alone. Windows were open to let in fresh air.
A consumer and an attendant were baking cookies together in the kitchen. Consumers are
semi-independent at this transitional housing facility, often walking up-town by
themselves. One of the employees there summed up the family feeling, "I personally
believe, being that our clients are coming from Warren (State Hospital) and have been in

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Warren for a long time, they don't know what a home is. Even though it's a short stay
here, you know, I like them to have that feeling—that this is their home."
Other observations of caring include celebrating birthdays and special occasions
with baked goods and employees helping each other out when one person has an overload.
A "caring" artifact was observed on a sign posted in the Agency's literacy center: "Three
things in life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. The third is
to be kind."
A spontaneous observation of caring occurred during the afternoon of the Great
Getaway, when the researcher chose to ride to site visits with six other participants in the
van driven by the executive director. At the Irma Seligman Apartments, a permanent
living complex for persons with mental illness who can live independently , two consumers
were leaving the building just as the group arrived. When they saw the executive director
coming in with the visitors, they beamed and greeted him by his first name. He
reciprocated with greetings also using their first names. They visibly displayed joy in
seeing him and from the conversation, it was apparent that he regularly visits persons
recovering from mentally illness at the various sites. These two clients showed a great
deal of affection towards him and generously gave the group a tour of their apartments.
At another residential unit, Gage Apartments, a consumer walking down the hall spotted
the director with the visiting group. The consumer and the director greeted each other in
German! (The researcher learned afterward that the consumer was a German immigrant
and the director studied in Austria.) Again, it was evident that the director cared enough

Interpreting Organizational Values

85

about her as an individual to spend time getting to know her and ultimately relating to her
in her native tongue.
A final example of caring occurred one day during a site visit to the main agency
when the head cook came around with a plate of "fat free" cookies for everyone to
sample. As she munched her cookie, the researcher learned that "Vickie" regularly tries
out new "treats" on the staff before preparing them for consumers in the group homes.
This informal ritual is happily anticipated by staff members and is certainly part of the
caring and friendly culture at Stairways.
It is noteworthy that one interviewee felt the agency was "too caring," that too
often "individual decisions affecting 10% of the clients may adversely affect 90%." As an
example of "too caring," he cited the enormous expenditure of time, energy and money to
integrate a group of mentally ill persons from a state hospital into community housing over
a three-year period. While this group was extremely small compared to the larger client
base served by the agency, the respondent felt it used a disproportionate amount of
Stairway's resources—people, time and money.
Another frequently mentioned quality of Stairways was humor. Stairways was
described as "humorous," "quick to laughter," having a "good sense of humor," "playful
... we have fun together." The researcher actually experienced a great deal ofjoking and
laughter on all the occasions she spent at the agency including an especially belly-laughing
session with the focus group. The members of the focus group explained that humor,
laughter and "joking-around" were great stress relievers for them because they are often

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under difficult deadlines. One humorous stress release they use is a stuffed, purple
pterodactyl that squawks when they press it. "When we can't say anything nice, we
squeeze the bird!" They proudly demonstrated the riotous squawking for the researcher
who joined in by allowing the "bird" squawk into her recorder. One day, these employees
decided that squirt guns would lighten a very difficult week. "We definitely do not fit the
fiscal stereotype of being 'stuffy'!" they proudly exclaimed.
Closely allied to caring and sense of humor are friendliness which includes a
feeling of informality. Some appropriate comments include: "Everyone gets along in and
between departments." If Stairways were a person, "it would be a really nice person,
someone you would want to know . . . informal, relaxed, not a stuffed-shirt." Other
friendly descriptives included "people person," "approachable"and "generally upbeat." A
survey respondent wrote that one of the best things about working for Stairways is "the
friendly and comfortable feeling I have received since the first day I was at Stairways."
Another employee agrees, "Even though I've only been employed for 3 1/2 months, I feel
very comfortable with everyone on the Stairways staff. Executive or otherwise, everyone
is friendly." A part-time employee explained that "informal" meant working with
"everyday people in every department, down-to-earth, no big words." A staff member
voiced that other places she had worked were much more rigid in how they treated
employees. To her, Stairways atmosphere is "relaxed . . . like, it's okay to come in late if
you need to tend to your children as long as you get your work done. The individual is
responsible for his or her time and work completion---- We know what we're here for

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and we strive to do our best.”
This feeling of informality permeates the whole atmosphere of the agency. During
sites visits and in meetings, the researcher observed employees in comfortable, dressycasual clothing. Men wear ties and suit jackets only for important functions, meetings and
networking with outside agencies; however, their daily attire sometimes consisted of sport
shirts and sweaters. Women dress professionally on a daily basis and often wear pants.
Coffee pots were observed brewing in various common areas, meeting rooms and offices
throughout the sites, and food and refreshments were available at every meeting. These
cultural practices also project a friendly, relaxed atmosphere.
One person explained that informal was Stairways’s open-door policy for both staff
and clients. No one is an interruption of time for any key leader of Stairways. "The open
door policy with supervisors and administrators usually leaves one thinking they're pretty
approachable and non-authoritarian." Statement #39 of the survey supports this claim as
83 of the 99 respondents agreed that employees feel comfortable initiating conversation
with upper-level managers with only 7 disagreeing and 9 undecided.

Correlated to this

data, 81 respondents agreed that Stairways has many capable people in administrative
positions (only 6 disagreed with this statement). Written comments related to what
employees liked best about Stairways substantiated this data. "My supervisor always helps
me and listens to my suggestions." "Administration really cares about their employees."
"The helpfulness of staff and management-you never feel left alone and always seem to
have a resource." "Upper management and supervisors-they are open to new ideas."

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One of the unique core beliefs about human nature at Stairways is that creativity is
an essential part of the healing process for every human being. The organizational sage
explains in his column that creativity is "inherently part of our nature." He cites research
that shows how individuals lose their creativity as they become increasingly imbedded in
societal norms over time.
The socialization process restricts the natural creativity of our thinking potential by
automatically assigning value judgments such as good, bad, right, wrong, proper,
improper, ugly, beautiful. As a result, our proficiency in expressing our creativity
gradually drops off as we learn to accept others' opinions, evaluations, and beliefs.
. . . Throughout Stairways, but especially at the Center for Art and Culture, we
commit ourselves to reversing this negative socialization process by discovering
unique talents and creative potential of consumers and staff alike and to finding
new ways to express our creativity.
Creativity is encouraged not only with consumers, but also with volunteers and
employees at Stairways. During a board meeting, the Executive Director was observed
challenging the group to think in different, creative and innovative ways. ("You are at the
airport. Instead of the plane taking off, the terminal takes off! What would you do?") He
encouraged them to "break your thinking mold, test your assumptions" as they problemsolved. From written data on the survey, employees overwhelmingly agreed that "having
the chance to be creative" is one of the things that they like best about working at
Stairways. "Most of us are creative divergent thinkers," wrote one respondent who

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orientations.
Survey statements for this category emphasized productivity issues and showed
some very positive results with an average category mean of 2.600. Seventy-eight of the
99 respondents agreed that the staff is industrious and the work ethic is very much alive at
Stairways. Seventy-one respondents agreed that employees do their utmost to carry our
Stairways's mission.
While there is overwhelming agreement that Stairways's employees on all levels of
system are productive, there is evidence that some employees are perceived as apathetic
and unproductive. While 51 respondents disagreed with the statement that certain
employees at Stairways are unproductive, 19 agreed, 29 were non-committal; 52 also
disagreed that there are apathetic employees working at Stairways, 27 agreed and 20 were
non-committal. One person explained metaphorically on the survey, "The few employees
who do not pull their weight are the reasons that I did not rate overall productivity or
teamwork as high as I might have. Some with their own agendas or stuck in the past have
the effect on the team that a misfiring spark plug might in an engine. Unfortunately, those
in positions of authority won't take action against this, causing poor morale in those of us
who go the extra mile, until the burden becomes too great."
The human nature narrative for Stairways comes from the heart: Our nature at
Stairways is to be friendly kind, helpful caring, compassionate, competent,, and
courageous with everyone—consumers, coworkers, volunteers. We believe that creativity
is an essential part of the healing processfor every human being and that every human

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being is creative. We continually create a work environment that nurtures these
characteristics for ourselves and others.

F.

MISSION ORIENTATION: Creating a Healing Community
In the context of this study, mission relates to how the members see the reality of

the organizational work they perform. Is the organization really doing what it promises it
will do? Do member agree on what the mission is? Are there different realities within the
organization of what the mission is?
While Stairways's members relate the organization's mission in several ways, most
frequently it is described as assisting persons with mental illness to participate fully in
community. According to the annual statistical report for 1995, this mission became a
reality to 809 consumers in 1995. Stairways helped 290 individuals transition to
permanent, low-cost housing. Stairways also provided vocational rehabilitation to 128
consumers, social rehabilitation to 326, and education/literacy training to 220. Stairways
worked with many of these individuals to "create a healing community" at the Center for
Art and Culture through art, music and theater productions.
The organizational value most mentioned by employees, volunteers and consumers
at Stairways when referring to mission is found in the very name of the newsletter,
Progress Notes. It is the progress of each individual consumer, no matter how small, that
is celebrated everyday at Stairways. An eight-year veteran employee of Stairways
responded immediately and unequivocally that the most rewarding part of his job is

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One newsletter interview highlights a

young consumer who testifies to the holistic progress she has made since her affiliation
with Stairways. Not only has she successfully participated in agency classes, she is
working, volunteering in community, and planning to attend college. She now has a
future—she is "looking forward." In her own words,
I’ve had leaps of progress! My reading level has jumped from a 3rd grade level to
an 11th grade level . . . now I can choose the classes instead of being told which
class I must attend. ... I travel to the Stairways Main Facility daily, and in addition
to classes, I participate in groups like "Nature's Way," an environmental course
offered at the Stairway's Center for Growth in Community. I also go on
community outings through the Stairways's Center for Art and Culture. Gaining
confidence through these involvements and having a love of older persons, I've
been able to volunteer in the past at the Lutheran Home taking patients for walks
and assisting then at mealtime. Soon I'll be working at the front desk of our
Socialization Program—I'm looking forward to that!
Another consumer describes his life-long struggle with mental illness and
addictions including drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. When a local physician referred him to
Stairways Center for Growth in Community four years ago, his life turned around:
I began taking part in groups like Journaling, Nature's Way and Music Relaxation.
Each one served a purpose . . . my family is growing in their understanding of the
illness. . . . Once you receive Stairways services, you become more involved in

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productive ways---- For example, I do volunteer work at the Center for Growth
in Community and ... I get a lot of satisfaction in tutoring persons in Stairways
Literacy Program. I'm helping others. I see before me people who are changing
and growing. . . . It’s an easier choice to be sick, I believe, than to do the hard
work of stepping out and coping with the illness.
Consumers who participate at the Center for Art and Culture are all stepping out
and coping with their illness in a number of ways that seem risky at first. Several of them
have shown tremendous progress by joining the singing group Baraka. The choral
director has noticed a big improvement in self-esteem with group members over the past
year. She reports that they never miss a rehearsal and every member now sings at least
one solo line and some sing solo numbers. They are able to look out and smile at her and
the audience.
Singing makes them feel special. I think it makes them feel good about
themselves. Singing can really do wonderful things for a person's spirit. You
know, they talk about it all the time in music, 'When I really feel afraid, I whistle a
happy tune, I sing a happy song when I'm down.' It's really important for them to
be able to express themselves. And people do it all different ways and that's what
the arts are good for and that's why we started the Center. If people could express
their creativity through the fine arts, it's great for self esteem—it's a problem with
the consumers-and really with all people-but more so with the mentally ill
because they have had so much negative feedback their whole lives—from their

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families, from society. The biggest thrill that I have is when I listen to them sing
and I watch them sing, they are people. It's one; it's a team! They're not sick when
they're singing.
Baraka has become so good and so confident that it performs outside of Stairways for
organizations and at events in the greater community.
The following story, told during one of the formal interviews, occurred when the
storyteller was a counselor near the beginning of his career at Stairways. It is illustrative
of a myriad of stories that employees tell continually about consumers' progress and
accomplishing the mission step-by-step:
Over twenty years ago, I was working with an individual who had seizures. On
any given day, he walked from 10 to 15 miles all around Erie. His family
immigrated from Poland and they all had very heavy accents. I wanted to know
what Joe's environment was like, where he was coming from, but his family never
came to any of the family sessions. But one day they invited me to their home
where I met his parents and siblings. They were still afraid of America, their
circumference was from their home to the grocery store and back. This fear
translated into handling Joe with kid gloves. Because they placed no demands on
him , Joe hadn't learned how to do any of the things a normal adult would do. He
needed to learn how to be responsible.
Joe was having seizures at this time, and he would walk these off. He would
never ride the bus because that is where he had his first seizure. Joe attributed

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having seizures to riding on the bus--the smell and sounds of the bus, the motion of
being on the bus. Even though he never rode the bus again for 10 years, he
continued to have seizures and continued to attribute the seizures to riding the bus.
Joe was about 32 years old at this time and having 7 to 10 seizures a day. So, we
began doing a desensitization process with Joe. We would walk around bus
stations and look at the buses, see what they smelled like. When Joe did not have
a seizure, he was open to the fact that something other than the bus might be
causing the seizures. When he finally understood that he had a chemical imbalance
and his situation was exacerbated by stress, we gave him medications to assist him
and taught him how to handle stress. I got Joe to start riding the bus. He still
walks--I see him to this day walking—I may be clear across town in North East and
I see him walking. But I also see him riding the bus. Two years later, after much
developmental work with Joe, he was able to move into his own apartment. Joe
has not been institutionalized since 1979.
With stories like this, it is no wonder that, of the eight value orientations, the
mission category had the most positive survey results with an average category mean of
1.780. The overwhelmingly unambiguous responses to all five question in this category
point to an organizational culture where members clearly know the mission is to serve the
consumer in five distinct ways. First, a significant majority, 92 of the 99 respondents,
agreed that Stairways provides a "healing community" for persons with mental illness; no
one disagreed with this statement. Second, 87 respondents felt that Stairways is creating

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awareness about mental illness in the community. Third, 85 respondents said that one of
Stairways's primary activities is providing rehabilitation for the mentally ill. Fourth, 82
people believe that Stairways is providing adequate support services for persons with
mental illness. Fifth, 80 said that providing quality housing is also a primary goal for the
agency. When it comes to mission, the message is communicated extremely well at
Stairways.
Qualitative survey responses to what employees "liked best" about working at
Stairways validate this quantitative data: (1) "the willingness to care and provide housing;"
(2) "de-institutionalization;" (3)"enabling those with mental illness to get out of their
shells;" (4) "the family style living in residences;" (5) "the care and activities for residents;"
(6) "striving for quality, genuine concern for the consumers and their well-being;" and (7)
"seeing the impact that our services have on increasing consumers' quality of life." One
respondent sums mission with this narrative statement, "Stairways is a healing community
seeking to improve the well-being of clients, families and staff. While providing growth
opportunities, Stairways seeks to involve everyone and provide educational experiences
that are 'life' lessons."
Stairways's narrative for mission says: Assisting persons with mental illness to
participate fully in community is our mission at Stairways. We are successful in
providing housing, rehabilitation and support services for persons with mental illness.
We have made great strides in creating awareness within the community and removing
the stigma around mental illness. We celebrate the small steps of progress with our

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consumers everyday. We continually strive to improve the quality of life for ourselves,
our coworkers, our volunteers and our consumers.

G.

SHARED CULTURE: Arranging Flowers & Mining for Souls
One question to be answered when assessing the value of shared culture is that of

homogeneity versus diversity. Does the organization operate best through a diverse
workforce or one that is homogeneous? Are individual workers encouraged to innovate
or conform? (Schein, 1991, p. 250).
A key descriptive that came up repeatedly during the interviews was how
Stairways honors diversity, a value which inherently holds that individuality and
inclusivity are also honored. Most of those interviewed love working there because of
the wonderful cross-section of people (both coworkers and consumers) and personalities-diverse in gender, age, race, years-of-service, backgrounds, educations and interests. The
focus group was particularly expressive about the importance of diversity, "We appreciate
each other." Another example of integrative behavior is the inclusion of three consumers
on the board of directors. The Center for Art and Culture symbolizes diversity and
inclusivity in its promotion of ethnic art, music, dance and theater as a form of healing, not
only for the mentally ill, but for the whole community. Housing for the mentally ill is also
integrated into community, but only after creating awareness of mental illness through
direct communication with people in the neighborhoods where the housing will be placed.
One of the directors summed up this quality of diversity with two metaphors about

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Stairways's work. First, Stairways is &flower arranger because it artfully identifies and
skillfully arranges" the many diverse talents, skills and gifts of the employees and clients.
This flower metaphor was echoed by other employees including one who talked about
Stairways as a flower garden. "You don't really appreciate the differences in the culture
until you see the different fragrances and colors. I say, 'Don't surround yourself with
people who are like you. It will be a dull life.' I've been fortunate to have 13 managers
who are all different, all with varying degrees of skills . . . they talk about their weaknesses
and their needs and support each other based on the various skills they each have." The
Main Agency visibly symbolizes the flower metaphor. Rose Curtze, the original owner of
the 100 year-old mansion where the Main Agency now resides, took great pride in her
flower gardens, especially her roses, some of which still exist today. A visitor to
Stairways literally and figuratively walks through the metaphor to reach the front entrance.
The tranquil two acres of lawn, flower gardens, massive trees and fountain that surround
the walkway are maintained, to some extent, by consumers as part of their healing
process. It is common to find Stairways consumers sitting on benches on a sunny dayflowers among flowers.
Second, Stairways is a miner who must continually dig for connections with the
mentally ill clients to help them ground themselves with pictures of who they are as
individuals. In fact, mining for souls also relates to employees and volunteers finding
themselves through their work. According to one director who began as a case worker
over 20 years ago, "Stairways saw in me what I did not see in myself." It is significant to

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the adrogeny of this organization that these two metaphors include roles that are
traditionally female (flower arranging) and traditionally male (mining).
A ritual that celebrates diversity at Stairways is the annual summer picnic for staff,
consumers, volunteers and their families. So integrated is the orchestration of and the
participation in events at the picnic, that it was virtually impossible to tell who belonged to
which of these four groups! The day included softball, bingo, a magic show, a t-shirt
decoration contest, a concert by Baraka, and a D. J. with dancing. Key administrators
reversed roles and worked in the kitchen so the cooks could have fun. The picnic theme
last summer was "Celebrate Colors of Life." The choral director spoke about this theme
and the importance of diversity and individuality as put into song by Baraka that day:
'Counting the Colors in my Life' is a song about real life, that we all have gifts to
give and that we should share them and let other people see them and sometimes,
you know, when things aren't going well and you're not feeling well—and this is all
people—you need somebody to remind you that you have gifts ... I think that this
song is important in that it reminds each of us that we have a blessing to share."
A number of employees talked openly about the diversity in their work. The
personnel director confirms, "My job is so interesting. People we hire are so diverse."
An administrative assistant cited "a blend of diversity and challenge as keys to her
position." An eight-year employee confirmed, "That's the nice thing about Stairways, you
get to move around and change. You know. I think it makes it more interesting. My job
is not one where I'm sitting in one place everyday doing the same thing." A rehabilitation

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technician, who serves persons with mental illness who also have a substance addiction,
described the diversity in her work responsibilities and her work team. Her role changes
daily as she faces new challenges:
One day it's the role of educator—helping clients more fully understand their illness
and begin to believe that they can enjoy their lives without drugs or alcohol. I feel
a part of a team at the unit in which each of us has our own expertise and together
we work with the client and often their family. ... On another day, I may be
calling Stairways's Development Program to see what kind of financial assistance
we can give these people who often have no money in their pockets.
A consumer describes a good reason for the cultural diversity in programs he has
attended at Stairways over the years—his viewpoints on ethnicity and racism have changed
and expanded. "I have had opportunities to overcome prejudice through education and
associations with persons who are culturally diverse." Examples of diversity abound at the
Center for Art and Culture where individual creativity is honored and nurtured. In one
example, consumers, volunteers and staff participated in month-long activities where they
celebrated Japanese culture in art, music, history, philosophy, spirituality, women's roles
and even participated in a tea ceremony.
The organizational sage expounds on the diversity of the individual and ponders
why individuals tend "to attach to a limited and contracted sense of self." He invites the
collective to expand its self-awareness through continual questioning until it answers:
Yes, I have a mental illness, but that is not the whole of me; yes, I have a child

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who has mental illness, but that is not the whole of me; yes, I am a mental health
professional, but that is not the whole of me. The more we question the more
interesting the answers become, yet, in the final analysis, the answers themselves
do not really matter as much as the awareness that we need not be confined to a
small and limited sense of our real self
Inherent in diversity is the practice of treating people as individuals whether they
are employees, consumers or volunteers. According to the philosophy statement in the
handbook of the Women's Unit, "effective treatment of consumers accommodates the
uniqueness of the individual and her circumstances. The ability to meet a person at the
point where they are at, with highly personalized services, communicates respectful caring
and promotes the healing process." Employees resounded with comments that the thing
they liked best about Stairways was (1) "being able to be your own person;" (2) "As a
total environment, there is more room to be your own person than most other agencies;"
(3) "I feel like my actions, thoughts and ideas really help and count!" During an interview,
one long-term employee said that he fell in love with the place "because of its
commitment to celebrating the individual," that a person's idiosyncrasies were valued and
that "everyone encourages one another to use their gifts." Part of being treated like an
individual is being given the authority to make decisions for oneself. For example, survey
respondents said they liked (l)"the autonomy and freedom I am allowed to perform my
job;" (2) "the ability to plan and structure my workday;" (3) "the relaxed atmosphere
with no boss standing over you all of the time;" (4)" the chance to philosophize;" (5) the

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"autonomy (within reason) to do my job;" and (6) that "I can be myself on a day-to-day
basis."
Employees express their individuality in their dress. One male administrator
always wears suits with colorful cartoon ties while another wears sweaters in cold weather
and jersey shirts in the summer, donning his suits only for special events. Even the nurses
who wear white uniforms choose a variety of styles to express their individuality. The
worksites themselves are metaphors for diversity and individuality. During the Great
Getaway, the researcher visited each individual Stairways site, and each had its own
unique personality. One residential unit is a big, old home with a large front porch where
residents sat in rockers soaking in the fresh air. Another is a modern, multi-unit apartment
building. The women's unit is a converted Spanish-style home on a busy residential street.
The Forensic Unit is a colonial brick home on a corner lot. The Center for Art and
Culture, Community Living Services and the Enhancement Team are located in a singlelevel, plaza-like building. Additional offices are found in a stone mansion that was
formerly a convent, complete with stained glass window, tile fireplaces in every room,
ceiling molding and hand-carved woodwork. Personal Care Homes are modem, primarily
preconstructed home-style apartments with common living and dining quarters. Only the
Walnut Street (Crisis Residential) unit, which occupies the second floor of an old public
school building, looks and feels like an institution.
Just as there is no dress code, there is no uniform code for workspace decor. In
fact, if anything is the rule, it is that each workstation and office should look as uniquely

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different as the individual who occupies that space. For example, at the main agency,
personal belongings help preserve autonomy. One office is overflowing with plantlife,
another has two computers as the centerpiece. Most have photos of loved ones posted
prominently alongside carefully-clipped favorite cartoons. A framed, Joseph Campbell
"hero" quote inspires provides inspiration above one desk; in another office, an employee
is surrounded by a wall of books. A friendly dish of candy placed here, a vase of dried
flowers there. Other talismans include home-made decorations for each holiday. ("We
even decorate the toilets with tinsel at Christmas!) Consumer apartments contain
everything from mounted deer heads to angel collections to hand-hooked rugs. Over the
water fountain in the Main Agency is a stunning print—the close-up of three faces, each
overlapping the other slightly in a circular pattern, one eye of each face looking at the
others, and each face a different color—celebrating the colors of life.
Diversity is celebrated in ritual at Stairways. One newsletter article describes the
annual ecumenical worship service as a healing experience: "IN COMPASSION with
those who experience Mental Illness, IN SOLIDARITY with all who share this Journey,
IN SUPPORT of those who provide care, and IN MEMORY of those who have died as a
result of their illness." At the service, each diverse group was represented with individual
prayers read by a person with mental illness, a family member, a psychiatrist, a social
worker/therapist/case manager, an advocate, and a clergy member.
The employee survey measured the extent that rituals are recognized as important
to community building through shared traditions. As a values orientation category, shared

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tradition ranked second in its overall positive responses with an average mean of 2.069.
For example, 80 respondents agreed that the annual picnic is a great way for employees
and clients to interact; 25 neither agreed nor disagreed. Seventy-one reported that the
annual dinner helps recognize the achievements of co-workers; 22 were non-committal.
Sixty-eight felt that Stairways manages to keep a family spirit even though it is a large
institution; 17 people were non-committal. Only 55 agreed that the Great Getaway
creates understanding of different departments and sites; 39 were non-committal. While
the survey was completed in late November and early December of 1995, it is likely that
most of the 25 people who have been there for less than one year would not likely have
attended the annual dinner in May, the Great Getaway in June or the annual picnic in
August and account for those who neither agreed nor disagreed with these statements.
Surprisingly positive, however, was the response to the statement that most people
at Stairways would agree that "we're respected by other institutions." 86 people agreed
that this is true; 9 were non-committal and 4 disagreed. This question, while it certainly
has to do with a shared reality around tradition, it also directly supports the relationship
orientation where partnering with community is so important.
The narrative around shared culture throughout the newsletters is: it is our
tradition at Stairways to value the rich diversity of the people, work and organizations we
encounter every day and\ in fact, we strive to continually discover the diversity within
ourselves. While teamwork is critical to getting work done, it is never done at the
expense of the individual.

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H. COMMUNICATION: Integrating High Tech with High Touch
In the words communication and community, we see an identical root. The Latin
word communia (communis) means "common" or "shared". The process of sending and
receiving messages, of sharing ones thoughts, ideas and emotions, is an act of
participation—an act of building community. Clearly, Stairways embodies the essence of
these two words in its very mission "to create a healing community."
Stairways was depicted as a storyteller by many of the interviewees. Both men
and women tell stories on all levels of the system especially to recognize the good work of
coworkers and success stories of clients. In fact, people love storytelling so much that
one of the directors is gathering "success"stories from the various departments and units
that relate something about the clients and staff. The tales from the field will be typed and
bound in a special edition for the organization's 35th Anniversary Celebration. There will
also be an loose-leaf binder to which stories can be added on an ongoing basis. Stories
will be featured in the newsletter, and storytelling night at the agency's Center for Art and
Culture will become a regular feature. Numerous stories about Stairways have been
integrated throughout this paper.
Rituals are another way that values are communicated. The researcher attended
an annual dinner where numerous employees were recognized for years of service. Each
honoree received verbal praise from the podium and thunderous applause from their
colleagues as they walked forward to receive their gifts and service pins. Additionally,

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each department within the agency had a spokesperson come to the microphone and
recognize the good work that his or her team had done during the past year. Another
ritual where people are made heros and heroines is the quarterly employee appreciation
luncheon. Anyone at the agency can submit a person or a department for performing
work above and beyond the call of duty. At the most recent luncheon, one of the women
directors received an award for writing and securing a lucrative housing grant. Sharing
the credit, one of Kanter's change master traits. (1986, p. 193)
Meetings are a major communication vehicle at Stairways. There are many other
types of meetings at Stairways besides the JTC focus groups including weekly meetings
where senior managers "get a pulse" on where the executive director is headed and
"surface burning issues for feedback from peers." Division directors also meet once a
week to share what is happening throughout the organization. There are supervisory and
staff meetings at the various sites, orientation meetings for new employees, a quality group
that meets periodically, peer support groups, developmental committee meetings, board of
director meetings, and one-day retreats off-site. Informal meetings occur all the time.
Some employees feel there are too many meetings. One said there may need to be "more
frequent meetings of shorter duration ... we may not always use our time most
efficiently." Aiiother finds that "certain people dominate meetings when there is a wealth
of knowledge" to be tapped from others.
Training is an important mode of communication at Stairways. Training via
mentoring abounds with many long-term employees. One director says that he "grew up

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at Stairways's University of Life" and is able to discuss anything with his mentor. Survey
respondents frequently mentioned the formal training programs at Stairways as one of the
things they liked best about the agency.
The agency newsletter, Progress Notes is a significant communication vehicle for
employees and their families. According to the survey results, the newsletter is read by 87
of the 99 respondents. In 42 of those cases, the newsletter was also read by someone else
in the household validating the thinking that this is an excellent method for communicating
information about Stairways to significant support people in the lives of employees.
Technology, especially via computerization, has been changing the way people
communicate with each other at Stairways. Stairways installed an E-mail system the year
before this study took place. One person related that, in the beginning, there was a lot of
fighting on E-mail. It was so easy to send a thoughtless message or take a "cheap shot" at
someone via E-mail and copy it to other people. One person described an early
experience with E-mail as feeling "like I've been publicly spanked." The agency had to
develop a new code of conduct around using E-mail. While E-mail usage has become
much more professional at Stairways, it does not seem to be the preferred method of
communication. During the interviews, some folks reported that they liked the
convenience, quickness and ability for sending mass messages that E-mail provided.
Others did not have access to computers and were unable to give an opinion. Some
resented the fact that it was so difficult to access to E-mail. "Unless you are in the main
building, you have to go through a whole connecting process" that is time consuming and

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inconvenient. The effectiveness of E-mail as a communication medium was measured in
one survey statement. Seventy people agreed strongly or mostly that E-mail has helped
improve communication; only 10 disagreed and 19 were non-committal.
Voice-mail was installed at Stairways more than a year before the organizational
study began. Most employees preferred the "human touch" and found themselves
gravitating to the voice-mail system of messages because of the "human voice at the other
end" even though it was only a recording. These folks also felt that voice-mail allowed for
the normal tone, inflection and feeling found in oral messages that often come across as
"cold" on E-mail. Many people at Stairways define themselves as counselors of some
sort, so they have a natural affinity to voice communication. As one person put it, "voicemail is a more natural mode of communication. Man spoke before he wrote." One person
prefers E-mail because it has the safeguard of being in print. With voice-mail, some
people say "I didn't get the message," and there is no way to prove that they did. On the
survey, the effectiveness of voice-mail was slightly more positive than E-mail with 74
respondents agreeing that it has helped improve communication; only 6 people disagreed
and 19 neither agreeing nor disagreeing. It is likely that the 19 who responded neutrally to
both statements about voice-mail and E-mail are new employees and did not know how
communication was before because when they came both systems were installed.
During some of the on-site visits, employees mentioned other technological forms
of communication as being critical to their jobs on a daily basis including pagers and
cellular phones. As this study was being completed, Stairways was in the process of

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installing an interactive computer system that would link data bases internally with
various programs and externally with partnering agencies that share information.
"Communication on a community basis," is how one employee describes the building of
this network. Funding for the new system will come from the county and implementation
will take about a year. According to the executive director, the trend for social service
agencies is to use computerization to maintain a better service orientation, to "wrap the
programming around the software and wrap the software around the customer." The
word "wrap" echoes the "ribbons" structure that is being introduced at Stairways.
Clearly, even though technology is critical to communication at Stairways, the
agency is very focused on human contact A key communication question from the
survey has to do with employees feeling comfortable initiating a conversation with upper
level management. An incredible 83 persons responded favorable to this statement with
only 7 disagreeing and 9 non-committal. One of the reasons for this highly positive
response rate may be inherent in the orientation process used at Stairways. Instead of
sitting in a room where organizational policies and procedures are explained, new hires
have a four month orientation that is likened to "a scavenger hunt." Given the names of
20 key employees, the new hire takes responsibility for his or her own learning by
arranging a time to meet face-to-face with each person on the list to learn first-hand what
he or she does at Stairways. Sometimes this can be done in small groups, but most often
happens one-on-one. Breaking-the-ice with key administrators early in the employment
process allows that open-door policy to flourish. The idea for this orientation process was

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a group effort having developed from brainstorming at a staff meeting several years ago.
It is also noteworthy that new employees frequently mentioned that the most difficult area
of communication for them was learning the language of Stairways, especially the many
acronyms for programs, sites and partnering agencies. In fact, seasoned employees even
expressed distress around the name changes resulting from Stairways growth.
Another reason that employees may feel so comfortable with upper level
administration is that leaders visit employees at their worksites. As an example, the
executive director worked third shift last June. During the course of the evening, he
worked at every site "just to see what was happening." He found it to be "a different
world between eleven and seven." At the drug and alcohol unit, a man jumped out of the
second story window to "go drinking." At another unit, the police had to be called to rush
a consumer to the hospital. At another site, he sat and talked with a person who could not
sleep. He reflects the feeling of most of Stairways administrators. They keep the
communication door open by getting out of their offices and learning first hand what
happens on the front line. "You periodically have to go back to the primordial experience
. . . to encounter who, what and why we are here." Contrary evidence came up at the
Jumping the Curve Meeting where one member complained that "there was not enough
presence of folks from the main agency in the various sites. "Come to our place; it should
not always be us coming to Main!" Another felt unsure about communication with all the
changes and had a perception of too many managers, too many layers, too much
hierarchy. "I don't know who to go to. What are the channels?" Suggestions for staying

Interpreting Organizational Values

111

connected were voiced: have top management do training at the various sites; invite top
management to focus groups; have a panel discussion monthly where top management
would answer questions; involve more people in the Great Getaway.
Several employees said that Stairways is not without conflict. Sometimes, there
are "loud discussions." The fiscal department expressed concern that completion of
critical paperwork is often not taken seriously by those at the sites. Deadlines are missed;
sometimes the paperwork goes through the wrong channels; there is miscommunication.
"I'm telling them one thing about completing the paperwork and their supervisor is telling
them something else." This focus group sees a solution: "if they came here and we went
there" maybe the importance of the paperwork would be understood. The fiscal group is
not alone in this thinking. Another employee voiced a belief that Stairways would
improve communication if it found more "avenues for bringing people together to develop
trust levels. ... You can get through a lot of red tape if you know something about a
person you are working with." One ritual of coming together is the family/staff picnic
where employees get to know something about the personal side of their coworkers.
Another example, the committee for the Evening ofJazz fundraiser brought people
together from every level of Stairways-staff, clients, artists, volunteers. This was "a true
example of a living organism that built trust out of the joy of working and collaborating
together."
An interesting phenomenon happened with two related statements about sources
of information. Statement #42 was: "I usually get most of my information about

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112

Stairways from ..." and statement #43 followed with "I prefer to get most of my
information from ..." The choices for response to both statements were the same: my
supervisor, meetings, memos, agency publications, the grapevine. These two statements
were the only ones for which respondents checked more than one answer indicating that
not only are there are multiple source of information, many people prefer to get
information from multiple sources. While "my supervisor" was the preferred source of
information for 49 people, 31 responded that meetings were the usual source of
information. Even though 19 respondents checked the grapevine as the source of most of
their information, no one checked it as the preferred source.
Finally, an encouraging piece of survey data revealed how employees handle
complaints about their work situation: out of 99 respondents, 60 would discuss it first
with their supervisor and 33 with a co-worker. This response rate not only shows that
problems are being worked out where they should be--in the workplace—but also
reinforces the sense of team evident in the relational orientation.
At Stairways, we have many w>ays to communicate with one another. We prefer to
use multiple methods to ensure that we stay connected. We like the human touch found in
meetings, orientation, training, and site-visits. We also like the speed and efficiency that
technology brings to the communication process through voice-mail, E-mail, pagers,
cellular phones and data base management. Progress Notes is an overall unifying
communicative vehicle for employees, their families, consumersf volunteers, advocates
and partners. We communicate well with our supervisors and strive to settle conflict at

Interpreting Organizational Values

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the worksite. We are struggling to stay connected in this growth mode and are especially
concerned that top administrators stay in touch by visiting the sites where we work.

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CHAPTER VI

Conclusions and Application

Believing with Max Weber that man is an animal suspended in webs of
significance he himself has spun, I take culture to be those webs, and the
analysis of it to be, therefore, not an experimental science in search of
law, but an interpretive one in search of meaning.
Geertz, 1973, p. 5

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The narrative paradigm within a values orientation framework has provided a
credible model for interpretive research into this organizational culture. Further, the use
of triangulation was extremely helpful in validating the data. Values that appeared in
qualitative data from interviews and artifacts were reinforced by quantitative data from the
employee survey. A values orientation framework is also a useful way of reporting data
back to organizational members. Values found in this organizational study could be
compared to those found in other organizations and a model for organizational
community-building could be established through more research.
Two surprises occurred during data collection. First, there were many more
branch sites than expected. While data were collected at each site, the scope of this study
did not allow for in-depth analysis of each worksite. It appeared that sub-cultures existed
at each site, and further research might examine how each subculture operates within and
impacts upon the overall organizational culture.
Second, the researcher's intent to uncover organizational values by focusing on
employee interviews and observations did not go exactly as planned. What occurred on all
levels of system was such an integration of employees, volunteers and consumers that it
was impossible not to include all three groups in the data collection. In fact, during most
special events, meetings and site visits, it was sometimes difficult to distinguish between
the employees, the volunteers and the consumers. Integration did not stop with people.
So intertwined were the value orientations at Stairways that, in many instances, the
narratives contained value combinations that could not be separated and it became a

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challenge to record some data within the values orientation framework.
This study was useful in its validation of a survey previously used in another study.
Some of the survey statements from Mohan's original survey (1993) were found to be
ambiguous because they included two thoughts in one statement. While respondents may
have agreed with one part of the statement, they could have looked at the second part of
the statement differently. This study modified those survey statements, making this
quantitative measure more valid. This study also proved that Mohan's measurement can
be used in a context other than a university setting and may have universal organizational
application. Communication researchers might continue to experiment by using it in other
contexts to test this claim.
Interpersonal communication scholars, anthropologists and ethnographers may find
that this in-depth study of narrative has contributed useful insights into how individuals
within an organization make sense of their relationships and their work by using symbolic
language, especially metaphor and stories. One final observation about the use of
language in regard to service orientation is that Stairways's staff regularly refer to persons
with mental illness as "consumers," a marketing term typically used in the world of
business and not the realm of social service. Stairways is in the process of developing a
"Service Center" where new consumers will be greeted, qualified and assisted not unlike
the customer in any retail business. Future studies could research the practice of using
"commodity" language in social service agencies to determine (1) whether it is an
emerging trend, and (2) what might be the culture and communication implications for this

Interpreting Organizational Values

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industry.
Because this research was conducted during the peak of a cycle of change, both
organizational and communication researchers may find this study valuable as they
investigate other systems that are "jumping curves." Conducting another study at
Stairways in eighteen months, particularly by using the survey, would measure how stable
the values were over time and how the Jumping the Curve strategy has impacted
organizational understanding of these values.

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CHAPTER V

One exposes oneself to the other—the stranger, the destitute one, the judge—not only with
one's insights and one's ideas, that they may be contested, but one also exposes the
nakedness of one's eyes, one's voice and one's silences, one's empty hands. . . .
Communityforms in a movement by which one exposes oneself to the other.
Lingis, 1994, pp. 11-12

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Who is Stairways? What does it value? We are the voices of Stairways. We are
employees. We are volunteers. We are persons with mental illness. Together we
participate in creating a healing community. We value interpersonal relationships as a
transformative healingforce. We also value the power of the collective in our efforts to
treat each consumer, volunteer and co-worker as an individual. We are kind, helpful,
caring, competent, compassionate, and courageous. We believe that creativity is an
essential part of the healing process for every human being and that every human being
is creative. Our primary work is to assist persons with mental illness to participate fully
in community.

We can make the greatest strides for persons with mental illness by

partnering with outside organizations and government entities. Partnering also gives us
some control of our destiny in uncertain times. We are a "doing" organization. We value
our work in the here-and-now and we do it well. However, we are also a changing
organization that likes to look into the future. We are committed to continuous
improvement and plan ahead, but we are flexible and ready to react in a crises. All this
growth and activity has really stretched our resources—people, time and money, but we
strive to settle conflict quickly as it occurs at our worksites. Our supervisors are the
greatest. We have many ways of communicating with one another at Stairways, and we
prefer to use multiple methods of communication to stay connected. We like the human
touch of meetings, training and site-visits; but we also like the speed and efficiency of
high-tech communication. We speak in metaphors to help us better understand the
complexity of our work and each other. We never forget from where we have come. Our

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founding mothers modeled a rich tradition of volunteerism and taught us to value the
diversity of all people, the diversity of our work and the diversity of other organizations.
In fact, we continually strive to discover the diversity within ourselves. This is what we
believe and value. We are the voices of Stairways.

Interpreting Organizational Values

CHAPTER VIII

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SECTION VII

Appendixes

The voice in which these transactions were inscribed was that of a privileged witness.
Jick, 1994, p. 251

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130

APPENDIX 1
Release Form

This form certifies that Mary Ellen Dahlkemper has discussed the parameters of her masters
thesis with the members of the executive team and executive board who have agreed to allow her
to perform an organizational study of Stairways. We understand that as she interviews
employees throughout the organization, she is telling them the purpose of her study and assuring
that their responses remain anonymous.
We also agree that she may use the name "Stairways" in her final thesis document and
presentation since it may be helpful in explaining a cultural dimension of the organization. Since
Stairways has only one executive director, it may be possible for some readers to identify Bob
Huber even though his name will not be used. He agrees that this is not a problem and feels that
it would benefit Stairways to be identified in the study.
Furthermore, we understand that the final thesis will be placed in the library at Edinboro
University of Pennsylvania and that it is possible that Mary Ellen may publish academic papers
from her research.

Robert Huber, Executive Director

Harold "Skip" Simmons, President, Board of Directors

Date

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131

APPENDIX 2: SURVEY & COVER LETTER

Mary Ellen Dahlkemper
3203 Willis Street, Erie, PA 16506

814 824-2294

Dear Employee of Stairways,
I am a member of Stairways Board of Directors, but you may know me from
participating in one of Stairways events like the "Great Getaway", the Evening of Jazz, the
annual dinner, the summer picnic or the employee recognition luncheons. I am currently
working to earn a masters degree in Communication Studies at Edinboro University. For
my thesis, I am studying communication and culture at Stairways. Part of my thesis
involves conducting an organizational survey and analyzing the results.
The enclosed survey is designed to measure your perceptions of the work environment
at Stairways. It should only take a few minutes of your time to complete. I would be most
grateful if you would complete it and return it to me by November 30 in the selfaddressed, stamped envelope.
Please respond to all the statements and do not discuss the survey with your co­
workers or family members before completing it. Your honest opinion is what I need!
Be assured that your specific survey answers are confidential. I will use the results of
this survey for my thesis and to make a summary presentation of my findings to the
administration of Stairways and to you in your staff newsletter next May. The simple
circling of answers and the return envelope will ensure your anonymity.
Thank you for participating!
Sincerely,
Mary Ellen Dahlkemper

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Stairways Employee Survey
Instructions: Think of your role as an employee of Stairways. After reading each item carefully, please circle the
response that best represents your belief about or altitude toward Stairways. Please respond to all items. The
alternative responses are:
1 = 1 agree strongly with the statement

2 = 1 agree with the statement

3 = 1 neither agree nor disagree with the statement
4 = 1 disagree with the statement

5 = 1 disagree strongly with the statement.

1. Our staff is industrious; the work ethic is very much alive here.

1

2

3

4

5

2. Stairways plays a major role in the well-being of the community.

1

2

3

4

5

3. A lot of people would like to see things done the way they use to be.

1

2

3

4

5

4. Stairways is probably more innovative than most organizations.

1

2

3

4

5

5. This environment emphasizes teamwork rather than individual "stars".

1

2

3

4

5

6. One of our primary activities is providing rehabilitation for the mentally ill.

1

2

3

4

5

7. The annual picnic is a great way for employees and clients to interact.

1

2

3

4

5

8. There is a problem here with apathetic employees.

1

2

3

4

5

9. Stairways can shape its own future without undue constraints from outside forces.

1

2

3

4

5

10. The whole organization is moving in a positive direction.

1

2

3

4

5

11. We have a fairly "laid back" tempo in most departments.

1

2

3

4

5

12. Lines of authority are clear here.

1

2

3

4

5

13. Providing quality housing for the mentally ill is a primary goal for Stairways.

1

2

3

4

5

14. Even though this is a large institution, we manage to keep a family spirit.

1

2

3

4

5

15. Employees do their utmost to carry out Stairways's mission.

1

2

3

4

5

16. Problems with stale funding pose a threat to Stairways's well being.

1

2

3

4

5

17. We are emerging as a future-oriented organization.

1

2

3

4

5

18. Stairways is slow and careful in its planning.

1

2

3

4

5

19. Going over the head of one's superior rarely happens here.

1

2

3

4

5

20. We provide a "healing community" for persons with mental illness.

1

2

3

4

5

21. The "Great Getaway" creates understanding of different departments and sites.

12

3

4

5

22. Certain employees at Stairways are unproductive.

1

2

3

4

5

23. Politically we have a lot of clout in the legislative process.

1

2

3

4

5

24. Future planning is very important at Stairways.

1

2

3

4

5

133

Interpreting Organizational Values

1 = I agree strongly with the statement

2 = 1 agree with the statement

3 = 1 neither agree nor disagree with the statement
4 = 1 disagree with the statement

5 = 1 disagree strongly with the statement

25. Stairways is significantly more active than in the past definitely "on the move."

1

2

3

4

5

26. People who "give orders" fit in well here.

12

3

4

5

27. Stairways is creating awareness about mental illness in the community.

1

2

3

4

5

28. The Annual Dinner helps us recognize the achievements of our co-workers.

1

2

3

4

5

29. We have many capable people in administrative positions.

1

2

3

4

5

30. Groups outside of Stairways have too much to say about how the institution is run.

1

2

3

4

5

31. There is a perception here of vibrant growth and change.

1

2

3

4

5

32. Our style at Stairways is action oriented; we're willing to take risks.

1

2

3

4

5

33. People here aren't consulted before decisions are made.

1

2

3

4

5

34. Stairways provides adequate support services for persons with mental illness.

1

2

3

4

5

35. Most people here would agree that we're respected by other institutions.

12

3

4

5

36."Jumping the Curve" meetings have helped improve communication around here.

1

2

3

4

5

37. E-mail has helped improve communication around here.

1

2

3

4

5

38. Voice mail has helped improve communication around here.

1

2

3

4

5

39.1 feel comfortable initiating a conversation with upper level managers.

1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5

40. If I had a complaint about my work situation, I would discuss it first with:
1 = my supervisor

3 = a consumer

2 = a co-worker

4 = someone outside of work

5 = no one

41 In my household, Progress Notes is read by:
1 = myself only

2 = myself and others

4 = other household members only

3 = no one
5 = none of the above

42.1 usually get most of my information about Stairways from:
1 = my supervisor

2 = meetings

4= agency publications

3 = memos

5 = the grapevine

43.1 prefer to get most of my information about Stairways from:
1 = my supervisor

2 = meetings

4 = agency publications

3 = memos

5 = the grapevine

Interpreting Organizational Values

DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION:

Length of Service:

Age:

Please check the correct response for each.

less than 1 yr

under 21

1 to 5 yrs

21-35

36-49

Gender:

male

female

Work Status:

full time

part time

Union member:

Supervise others:

yes

yes

134

6 to 10 yrs

10 to 20 yrs

50-65

over 20 yrs

over 65

no

no

Educational Level:
some high school

high school

some college

college degree

grad/professional degree

What are some of the things you like best about working for Stairways?

What are some of the things you like least about working for Stairways?

If you want, please use the back of this page to write comments about the survey
or to express your thoughts about worklife and communication at Stairways.

THANK YOU!

Interpreting Organizational Values

APPENDIX 3
Employee Payroll Enclosure

YOUR OPINION IS IMPORTANT
I will soon be entering the results of the Stairways' Employee
Survey into my computer. If you have already returned your
completed survey, thank you so much! If you have not had time
to complete it, it's not too late to send it to me. The more
surveys we have to add to the data base, the more valid the
results will be. If you have misplaced your survey or did not
receive one in the mail, please call me at 824-2294, leave your
name and address and I will send you another. Thank you.
Mary Ellen Dahlkemper

135

Interpreting Organizational Values

136

APPENDIX 4
VALUES ORIENTATION CATEGORIES AND DATA ANALYSIS
Mean and Standard Deviation

Human Nature Orientation: Productivity
1 (good)
1. Our staff is industrious; the work ethic is very much alive here.
2.*There are apathetic employees working here.
3. Employees do their utmost to carry out Stairways's mission.
4.*Certain employees at Stairways are unproductive.
5. We have many capable people in administrative positions.

(evil)5

M
2.091
3.313
2.224
3.455
1.919

SD
0.846
1.122
0.936
1.100
0.933

Mean for Human Nature Category: 2.600

Environmental Orientation: Destiny
1 (control)
(subjugation)5
1. Stairways plays a major role in the well-being of the community.
2. Stairways can shape its own future without undue constraints from outside forces.
3.*Problems with state funding pose a threat to Stairways's well being.
4. Politically we have a lot of clout in the legislative process.
5.*Groups outside of Stairways have too much to say about how the institution is run.

1.495
3.222
3.131
2.879
3.192

0.645
1.191
0.955
0.746
1.056

Mean for Environmental Category: 2.784

Time Orientation: Vision
1 (future(past)5
1 .* A lot of people would like to see things done the way they use to be.
2. The whole organization is moving in a positive direction.
3. We are emerging as a future-oriented organization.
4. Future planning is very important at Stairways
5. There is a perception here of vibrant growth.
Mean for Time Category:

1 (active)
(passive)5
Activity Orientation
1. Stairways is probably more innovative than most organizations.
2.*We have a fairly "laid back" tempo in most departments.
3.*Stairways is slow in its planning.
4. Stairways is significantly more active than in the past.
5. Our style at Stairways is risk-taking.
Mean for Activity Category:

2.758
2.202
2.040
1.384
2.141

1.060
0.833
0.741
0.832
0.769

2.105

1.980
3.081
2.677
2.040
2.747
2.505

0.947
1.066
1.028
0.832
1.072

137

Interpreting Organizational Values

Relational Orientation: Teamwork 1 (collaterality)------------1.(lineality)5
1. This environment emphasizes teamwork rather than individual "stars".
2. Lines of authority are clear here.
3. Going over the head of one's superior rarely happens here.
4.* People who "give orders" fit in well here.
5.* People here aren't consulted before decisions are made.
Mean for Relational Category:

Mission: Client Support
1 (effective
(ineffective)5
1. One of our primary activities is providing rehabilitation for the mentally ill.
2. Providing quality housing for the mentally ill is a primaiy goal for Stairways.
3. We provide a "healing community" for persons with mental illness.
4. Stairways is creating awareness about mental illness in the community.
5. Stairways provides adequate support services for persons with mental illness.
Mean for Mission Category:

M
2.152
2.818
3.040
2.505
3.121
2.727

1.576
2.000
1.677
1.707
1.939

1.778
2.273
2.333
2.101
1.859

Mean for Shared Culture Category:

2.069

Mean for Communication Category:

0.858
1.010
0.603
0.786
0.806

1.780

Shared Culture: Tradition
1 (family)
(corporate)5
1. The annual picnic is a great way for employees and clients to interact.
2. Even though this is a large institution, we manage to keep a family spirit.
3. The "Great Getaway" creates understanding of different departments and sites.
4. The Annual Dinner helps us recognize the achievements of our co-workers.
5. Most people here would agree that we're respected by other institutions.

Communication Orientation
1 (improved
not improved)5
1 ."Jumping the Curve" meetings have helped improve communication around here.
2. E-mail has helped improve communication around here.
3. Voice mail has helped improve communication around here.
4.1 feel comfortable initiating a conversation with upper level managers.

SD
1.053
1.164
1.039
0.952
1.154

2.919
2.172
2.010
1.818
2.230

0.852
0.956
0.845
0.839
0.742

1.037
0.990
0.995
0.908

Interpreting Organizational Values

138

APPENDIX 5
VALUES ORIENTATION CATEGORIES AND DATA ANALYSIS
Frequency Tables: Raw Data
Human Nature Orientation: Productivity
1. Our staff is industrious; the work ethic is very much alive here.
2.There are apathetic employees working here.
3. Employees do their utmost to carry out Stairways's mission.
4.Certain employees at Stairways are unproductive.
5. We have many capable people in administrative positions.

SA
21
12
18
18
35

MA
57
40
53
33
46

N

13
20
17
29
12

MD
07
21
07
14
03

SD
01
06
3
05
03

58
08

33
25

08
15

00
39

00
12

07
04
11

26
21
26

44
58
40

17
15
15

05
01
07

1. A lot of people would like to see things done the way they use to be.
2. The whole organization is moving in a positive direction.
3. We are emerging as a future-oriented organization.
4. Future planning is very important at Stairways
5. There is a perception here of vibrant growth.

08
17
22
64
20

09
53
54
32
48

46
22
20
3
28

23
06
03
00
03

13
01
00
00
00

Activity Orientation
1. Stairways is probably more innovative than most organizations.
2. We have a fairly "laid back" tempo in most departments.
3. Stairways is slow in its planning.
4. Stairways is significantly more active than in the past.
5. Our style at Stairways is risk-taking.

36
08
02
30
12

37
30
22
37
29

19
29
30
30
37

06
26
32
02
14

01
06
13
00
07

Relational Orientation: Teamwork
1. This environment emphasizes teamwork rather than individual "stars."
2. Lines of authority are clear here.
3. Going over the head of one's superior rarely happens here.
4. People who "give orders" fit in well here.
5. People here aren't consulted before decisions are made.

28
10
06
01
12

45
37
24
15
27

12
23
38
31
30

■ 11
19
22
38
21

03
10
09
14
09

61

24

09

05

00

33

47

08

08

03

39
45
29

53
42
53

07
08
11

00
04
06

00
00
00

Environmental Orientation: Destiny
1. Stairways plays a major role in the well-being of the community.
2. Stairways can shape its own future without undue constraints
from outside forces.
3. Problems with slate-funding pose a threat to Stairways's well being.
4. Politically we have a lot of clout in the legislative process.
5. Groups outside of Stairways have too much to say about how the
institution is run.

Time Orientation: Vision

Mission: Client Support
1. One of our primary activities is providing rehabilitation
for the mentally ill.
2. Providing quality housing for the mentally ill is a primary
goal for Stairways.
3. We provide a "healing community" for persons with mental illness.
4. Stairways is creating awareness about mental illness in the community.
5. Stairways provides adequate support services for persons
with mental illness.

Interpreting Organizational Values

Shared Culture: Tradition
1. The annual picnic is a great way for employees and clients to interact.
2. Even though this is a large institution, we manage to keep a
family spirit.
3. The "Great Getaway" creates understanding of different departments
and sites.
4. The Annual Dinner helps us recognize the achievements of
our co-workers.
5. Most people here would agree that we're respected by other institutions.
Communication Orientation
1 ."Jumping the Curve" meetings have helped improve communication
around here.
2. E-mail has helped improve communication around here.
3. Voice mail has helped improve communication around here.
4.1 feel comfortable initiating a conversation with upper-level managers.

Communication Channels
In my household, Progress Notes is read by:
45 = myself only
42 = myself and others
3 = other household members only
2 = no one
6 = none of the above
If I had a complaint about my work situation, I would discuss it first with:
60 = my supervisor
33 = a co-worker
4 = someone outside of work
1 - no one
1 = checked multiple answers
0 = a consumer
I usually get most of my information about Stairways from:
31 = meetings
22 = my supervisor
19 = the grapevine
11 = checked multiple answers
7 = memos
4 = agency publications
I prefer to get most of my information about Stairways from:
49 = my supervisor
27 = meetings
13 = checked multiple answers
7 = memos
3 = agency publications
0 = the grapevine

139

SA

MA

N

MD

SD

45
19

35
49

15
17

04
13

00
01

17

38

39

04

01

24

47

22

06

00

31

55

09

04

00

06

31

35

19

08

25
34
42

45
40
41

19
19
09

07
02
06

03
04
01

Interpreting Organizational Values

demographics

Number

Percent

Length of Service:

less than one year
1 to 5 years
6 to 10 years
10 to 20 years
over 20 years
no answer

25
42
22
4
5
1

25.3
42.4
22.2
04.0
05.0
01.0

Age:

under 21 years old
21 to 35 years
36 to 49 years
50 to 65 years
over 65 years
no answer

0
37
44
15
2
1

00.0
37.4
44.4
15.2
02.0
01.0

Gender:

male
female
no answer

40
58
1

40.4
58.6
01.0

Work Status:

full lime
part time
no answer

74
24
1

74.7
24.2
01.0

Union Member:

yes
no
no answer

36
61
2

36.4
61.6
02.0

Supervise Others:

yes
no
no answer
checked both

29
67
2
1

29.3
67.7
02.0
01.0

yes
no
no answer

27
68
4

27.3
68.7
04.0

0
18
18
36
25
2

00.0
18.1
18.1
36.4
25.3
02.0

Work at the
Main Agency:

Educational Level: some high school
high school
some college
college degree
grad/prof degree
no answer

140

Interpreting Organizational Values

141

Frequency Tables: Percentages
Human Nature Orientation: Productivity
1. Our stall is industrious; the work ethic is very much alive here.
2.There are apathetic employees working here.
3. Employees do their utmost to cany out Stairways's mission.
4.Certain employees at Stairways are unproductive.
5. We have many capable people in administrative positions.

SA
21.2
12.1
18.2
18.2
35.4

MA N
57.6 13.1
40.4 20.2
53.5 17.1
33.3 29.3
46.5 12.1

MD
07.0
21.2
07.0
14.1
03.0

SD
01.0
06.0
03.0
05.0
03.0

58.6
08.0

33.3
25.3

08.0
15.2

00.0
39.4

00.0
12.1

07.0
04.0
11.1

26.3
21.2
26.3

44.4
58.6
40.4

17.1 05.0
15.2 01.0
15.2 07.0

Time Orientation: Vision
1. A lot of people would like to see tilings done the way they use to be.
2. The whole organization is moving in a positive direction.
3. We are emerging as a future-oriented organization.
4. Future planning is veiy important at Stairways
5. There is a perception here of vibrant growth.

08.0
17.1
22.2
64.6
20.2

09.0
53.5
54.5
32.3
48.5

46.5
22.2
20.2
03.0
28.3

23.2
06.0
03.0
00.0
03.0

13.1
010
00.0
00.0
00.0

Activity' Orientation
1. Stairways is probably more innovative than most organizations.
2. We have a fairly "laid back" tempo in most departments.
3. Stairways is slow in its planning.
4. Stairways is significantly more active than in the past.
5. Our style at Stairways is risk-taking.

36..4 37.4
08.0 30.3
02.0 22.2
30.3 37.4
12.1 29.3

19.2
29.3
30.3
30.3
37.4

06.0
26.3
32.3
02.0
14.1

01.0
06.0
13.1
00.0
07.0

45.5 12.1
37.4 23.2
24.2 38.4
15.2 31.3
27.3
30.3

11.1
19.2
22.2
38.4
21.2

03.0
10.1
09.0
14.1
09.0

61.6

24.2

09.0

05.0

00.0

33.3

47.5

08.1

08.1

03.0

39.4
45.4
29.3

53.5
42.4
53.5

07.1
08.1
11.1

00.0
04.0
06.0

00.0
00.0
00.0

Environmental Orientation: Destiny
1. Stairways plays a major role in the well-being of the community.
2. Stairways can shape its own future without undue constraints
from outside forces.
3. Problems with slate funding pose a threat to Stairways's well being.
4. Politically we have a lot of clout in the legislative process.
5. Groups outside of Stairways have too much to say about how the
institution is run.

Relational Orientation: Teamwork
1. This environment emphasizes teamwork rather than individual "stars". 28.3
10.1
2. Lines of authority are clear here.
06.0
3. Going over the head of one's superior rarely happens here.
01.0
4. People who "give orders" fit in well here.
12.1
5. People here aren't consulted before decisions are made.
Mission: Client Support
1. One of our primary activities is providing rehabilitation
for the mentally ill.
2. Providing quality housing for the mentally ill is a primary
goal for Stairways.
3. We provide a "healing community" for persons with mental illness.
4. Stairways is creating awareness about mental illness in the community.
5. Stairways provides adequate support services for persons
with mental illness.

142

Interpreting Organizational Values

SA
Shared Culture: Tradition
1. The annual picnic is a great way for employees and clients to interact.
2. Even though this is a large institution, we manage to keep a
family spirit.
3. The "Great Getaway" creates understanding of different
departments and sites.
4. The Annual Dinner helps us recognize the achievements of
our co-workers.
5. Most people here would agree that we're respected by other
institutions.
Communication Orientation
1 ."Jumping the Curve" meetings have helped improve
communication around here.
2. E-mail has helped improve communication around here.
3. Voice mail has helped improve communication around here.
4.1 feel comfortable initiating a conversation with upper
level managers.
Communication Channels
In my household, Progress Notes is read by:
45.5% = myself only
42.4% = myself and others
3 .0% = other household members only
2 .0% = no one
6.0 % = none of the above
If I had a complaint about my work situation, I would discuss it first with:
60.6% = my supervisor
33.3% = a co-worker
4.0% = someone outside of work
1.0% = no one
1.0% = checked multiple answers
0.0% = a consumer
I usually gel most of my information about Stairways from:
31.3% = meetings
22 .2% = my supervisor
19.2% = the grapevine
11.1% = checked multiple answers
7.1% = memos
4.0% = agency publications
I prefer to gel most of my information about Stairways from:
49.5% = my supervisor
27.3% = meetings
13.1% = checked multiple answers
7.1% = memos
3.0% = agency publications
0.0% = the grapevine

MA

N MD

SD

45.4 35.4
19.2 49.5

15.1 04.0
17.2 13.1

00.0
01.0

17.2

38.4

39.4

04.0

01.0

24.2

47.5

22.2

06.0

00.0

31.3

55.5

09.1

04.0

00.0

06.0

31.3

35.4

19.2

08.1

25.3
34.3
42.4

45.5
40.4
41.4

19.2
19.2
09.1

07.1
02.0
06.1

03.0
04.0
01.0

Interpreting Organizational Values

143

APPENDIX 6
likes best/likes least responses and summary
A. What are some of the things you like best about working at Stairways?
Comments from employees who work at sites other than the main agency:
MEANINGFUL WORK: WORKING WITH THE CONSUMERS
1. The consumers!
2. Clients' success/progress makes work rewarding.
3. The clients.
4. Working with the clients and seeing their progress.
5.1 like working with the people.
6. Working with people and helping people who need the help. This way I get more than just a paycheck in
return.
7. Working with and helping others is my goal. Interaction with very special consumers.
8. Working with consumers.
9. Enjoy working with the mentally ill and helping them make their life easier.
10. Working with consumers. Witnessing and experiencing positive transformations.
11. One-on-one with consumers.
12. Working with the clients and seeing them learn new things - taking pride in the job I perform.
13. The opportunity to help others.
14. The clients
15. Working with the clients.
16. Rewarding work.
17. Working with the mentally ill and helping them function to the best of their ability.
18. Being able to help other people.
19. Sharing my life experiences with clients in order to help them.
20. One-on-one with clients.
21. Working with most residents/clients.
22. Being able to help the clients.
23. The clients.
24.1 like working with the clients. I enjoy encouraging them to work through problems and talking with
clients.
25. The reaching out to help people in all areas - drug abusers, mentally ill.

Interpreting Organizational Values

144

26. Knowing that I do make a difference in the life of a person with a mental illness.
27. Helping a person with a mental illness feel like someone.

THE ENVIRONMENT: CREATIVITY, AUTONOMY, IDEAS VALUED
1. As a total environment, there is more room to be yourself than most other agencies.
2. Most of us are pretty creative, divergent thinkers.
3. Fosters creativity. Lives the philosophy and values.
4. Mr. Huber and staff are constantly looking for ideas among staff and residents/consumers to make program
services better.
5. Stairways has proven to possess a genuine caring attitude toward its employees.
6. That my input is respected and there is an open door policy and overall friendliness that allows for
communication freely.
7. Creative freedom in programming.
8. Respect for employees' need to have a life outside of work. The relaxed atmosphere, with no boss standing
over you all of the time.
9. Having a chance to be creative.
10. The ability to structure and plan my workday.
11. The unique work environment, and the chance to learn about myself.
12. Can progress at own level.
13. Stairways presents a level of honesty and truthfulness that is refreshing to be a part of and to witness to.
Great!
14.1 like the diversity my position offers.
15. Benefits. Working hours.
16. Even though I've only been employed for 3 1/2 months, I feel very comfortable with everyone on the
Stairways staff. Executive or otherwise - everyone is friendly.
17. Stairways is a good place to work.
18. Stairways is a very understanding organization.
19.1 feel like my actions, thoughts and ideas really to help and count!
20. Innovative and creative spirit.
21. Freedom of speech: being able to speak my mind on certain issues without repercussion.
22. The autonomy and freedom I am allowed to perform my job.
23. Tremendous encouragement to use personal creativity; good work and excellence are recognized.
24. It is very people oriented.

Interpreting Organizational Values

145

CO-WORKERS/TEAM/FAMILY ATMOSPHERE
1. Relationships with co-workers. Every employee made to feel like valuable team member.
2. Most of my co-workers.
3. The staff are great.
4. Being a part of the team.
5. The staff
6. Working as a team.
7.1 like my coworkers at the unit I work at and the team atmosphere we have.
8. The staff.
9. The pleasant coworkers.
10. The relationship is good with my coworkers.
11. The warm, family-like relations between myself and my supervisor and peers.
12. Camaraderie between coworkers.
13. My supervisor and coworkers on third shift.
14. Teamwork. Family atmosphere.
15. Working with other staff.
16. Somewhat of a family atmosphere.
17. "Family" type atmosphere.

MANAGEMENT/SUPERVISION
1. The open door policy with supervisors and other administrators usually leaves one thinking they're pretty
approachable and non-authoritarian.
2. My supervisor always helps me and listens to my suggestions.
3. Access to people in administrative positions.
4. Good communications between management (generally) and employees.
5. Sincerity of supervisors in helping you achieve goals. Teamwork between supervisor and staff.
6. The helpfulness of staff and management. You never feel left alone and always seem to have a resource.
7. Administration really cares about their employees.
8.1 enjoy close working relationships with my supervisor.
9. Teamwork between coworkers and supervisors in my department.
10. Being able to talk with upper management and supervisors. They are open to new ideas.

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
1. The mental health trainings have been very beneficial.
2. Trainings are ongoing.

Interpreting Organizational Values

146

3. The ability to continually learn from constant training which is always available.
4. The trainings.
5. Trainings offered. Good experience.
6. Allowance to develop skills.
7. The classes and trainings.
8. The inservices (trainings).

THE MISSION
1. Holistic approach (spiritual -emotional - mental - physical) towards mental health; consumer groups offered
to address all these issues.
2. Those with mental illness are treated as a person with an illness and most as the illness itself.
3. De-institutionalization.
4. The family style living in residences. The care and activities for residents.
5. The willingness to care and provide housing.
6. The employees really care.
7. It enables those who have an illness to get out of their shells.

FUTURE ORIENTATION/VISION
1. From the top down, there is a feeling of forward, positive movement.
2. Jumping the curve - thinking of the future for the mentally ill and management's interest in on-line staff
opinions.
3. The vision that Stairways has.

B. What are some of the things you like best about working at Stairways?
Comments from employees who work at the main agency site:
THE ENVIRONMENT
1.1 am free to propose innovations which are frequently adopted. Communication has improved greatly. Most
staff are committed to quality.
2. The friendly and comfortable feeling I have received since the first day I was at Stairways.
3. Being able to be your own person.
4. Good work situation.
5.1 have had the opportunity to grow as a leader.
6. Innovativeness.
7. Encouragement for creativity in programming, new initiatives. Stimulating atmosphere, intellectually, e.g.

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emphasis on learning and having informed perspective.
8. My position allows for creativity. I can be myself on a day-to-day basis. The atmosphere is "laid-back"
comfortable. Very friendly atmosphere. At Stairways, everyone has a voice.
9. Every day is a challenge.
10. The casual corporate climate. The ability of the organization to change directions quickly.
11. Flexibility of the agency in trying to meet the needs of the mentally ill although this can also create much
flux and "tolerable" chaos. Autonomy (within reason) to do my job.
12. The chance to philosophize.

CO-WORKERS/TEAM/FAMILY ATMOSPHERE
1. Family style
2. The feeling of "family" among most of the staff.
3. The team building and camaraderie; the hard work and dedication and commitment to others.
4. Being with my co-workers.
5.1 have met and grown with some very special people here, both staff and clients.
6. The friendly atmosphere of the staff.
7. Good/professional employees.
8. The family atmosphere.
9. Stairways is made up of intelligent, caring individuals who, for the most part, genuinely like one another.
10. Competent, well-educated personnel. Good communications.

MEANINGFUL WORK: WORKING WITH THE CONSUMERS
1. Genuine love of clients; ability to help someone
2. Working with and assisting clients with complex problems. Training staff to work with clients in effective
and efficient ways. I take pride in my profession and this agency.
3.1 feel the most important thing is to enjoy your job.
4. The ability to create meaningful programs for clients keeps me involved. Diversity ofjob and job duties has
kept me here over 20 years.
5. That I am doing something important.
6. Working with the mentally ill and their families.
7. Being able to help others. The type of work I do.
8. Helping the clients.
9.1 am proud to work at Stairways. Our organization is not only brain, but functions with a heart. At the end
of a work day, I am tired and I get up and look forward to going to work again. A successful day is improving a
clients quality of life.

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THE MISSION
1. Stairways is a healing community seeking to improve the well being of clients, families and staff. While
providing growth opportunities, Stairways seeks to involve everyone and provide educational experiences that
are "life" lessons.
2. It's striving for quality, genuine concern for the consumers and their well-being. The very nature of its
mission (helping others).
3. Educating volunteers about the essence of Stairways.
4. Seeing the impact that our services have on increasing consumers' quality of life.
5. We are able to serve a large number of people. Treating people in a holistic manner and with respect. I've
met a lot of caring and creative people.
6. At the heart of this organization is a commitment to celebrate the individual. People of many talents are
encouraged to be the best they can be.

MANAGEMENT/SUPERVISION
1. Management is being much more courageous about information sharing.
2. Strong leadership.
3. My supervisor is just great. He fosters a warm, happy productive work atmosphere. He encourages me to
try new things and makes it ok when I fail. I enjoy working with upper administration. We laugh, cry, swear,
think, plan, worry and just plain act as a family.

C. What are some of the things you like least about working at Stairways?
Comments from employees who work at sites other than the main agency:
COMMUNICATIONS
1. Not having good communications.
2. Lack of communication.
3. "Rumor mongering," but this goes on at all workplaces.
4. Disorganized - chain of command unclear. Others making decisions about consumers in others' units
without primaiy therapist knowledge.
5. Poor communication between employee and management.
6. Communications could be better. Feedback.
7. Lack of communication both vertical and horizontal. Lack of consistency.
8. The lack of communication in my department and the size of the grapevine.
9. Too much gossip and "superiority" complexes.
10. Too many gossip mongers. Good thing none of them work with me here at this unit.

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11.1 don't like how I sometimes feel like I miss vital information that I should receive. For example: if you
had not mailed this to my house and instead sent it to my workplace, I doubt I would have received it.
12. Big time communications gap, getting information , only hearing it from other sources.
13. Poor communication, very "political" atmosphere, poor organization, (same person said that the best things
are teamwork, family atmosphere and one-on-one with clients)
14. Conflicts with other divisions (specifically social coaches, vocational)
15. At times, reactions to situations before complete information secured.
16. Too many meetings! All are necessary but need to be more productive and involve only the necessary
people to address the agendas.

MANAGEMENT/SUPERVISION
1. Lack of supervision and action in personnel issues that are detrimental to programming and staff teamwork.
2. Change in supervision. No real consistency. There is only some teamwork.
3. Some upper management are quick to blame someone when things go wrong, but slow to praise when things
go correctly.
4. Dysfunctional supervisors at CLS.
5. Upper management appears to be uninvolved with daily operation of units and cannot empathize with direct
line staff.
6. The lack of focus and interdisciplinary teams.
7. Administration not standing firmly behind their own rules when staff must deal with its clientele in a touchy
situation.
8. Lack of communication between supervisors and staff No processing time after trauma, no clear definitions
about policy.
9. Most employees are scared of their bosses and will not talk about their concerns for the company. You have
a boss that says this is the way it will be done and if you suggest anything else, it is used against you. They
exhibit their power.
10. Stairways does well in not (being) slow in planning, but it lacks follow-up. It is always stressed that
follow-up and outcome are important, but if upper management lacks this ability, how are the line staff
supposed to get this message.
11. Lack of consistency with clients and staff. Grandiose attitude of some supervisors.
12. Inability to communicate with supervisor.
13. New plans are not given enough time to work. We scrap ideas before they get a chance to take off.
14. Currently working in a high stress environment. Need more management support.

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WAGES/BENEFITS
I.1 wish that we could make more money per hour, but coming from a shop environment, it is really out of the
question.
2. Salaries could be a little more competitive. Talent, dedication and experience hold a "back seat" to level of
education.
3. Lack of part time benefits and short hours offered to work that some employees work.
4. The pay is way too low for a mental health unit, turnover must be killing the company. Stress is very high
among employees over pay alone, this is brought to work with them and it shows.
5. This is a business where the majority of the employees are females and as you know they are very underpaid
in society. I know that the managers that are male are receiving far more than any woman in the business as a
percentage per say (sic).
6. Amount of pay for work performed.
7. The pay.
8. The wages.
9. Pay structure not competitive with similar agencies and does nor compensate for what' is expected of the
employees.
10. Wages! If Stairways were more competitive for this area, they could hire and retain more competent
employees.
II. Low pay.

WORK SCHEDULE/STAFFING
1. I'm not getting enough hours.
2. Working nights!
3. Attending all the orientation meetings at all different times.
4. My schedule is difficult for me. Rotating shifts.
5. The hours that I work.
6. People with more than a year's seniority taking priority on shifts during a holiday or any other working day.
Shifts can be shared during a holiday - that is what teamwork is all about.
7. Lack of sufficient staff, lack of good part-timers.
8. The fact that most trainings are on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the day.

ENVIRONMENT: INTERNAL
1. Sometimes the above (freedom to be oneself) goes a little overboard, as when a team-member acts like a
"wild hair" and refuses to follow procedure that the team as a whole decides on. This puts everyone's timing off
and reduces productivity as a whole. I enjoy the fact that we're trusted and allowed the freedom to develop out

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own work style, but when someone goes overboard with it and "doing their own thing" is causing problems,
and the supervisor is too easy-going to do anything about it, resentment is the eventual response to the rest of
the employees.
2. Lack of resources.
3. Trouble with computers.
4. The heating and air conditioning systems that are inefficient. More space to accommodate expanded
programming. Access to stove and sinks outside restrooms.
5. More staff if we are expected to attend large numbers of meetings.
6. Both staff and resident smoking that goes on in non-smoking areas. Lake of safety for both staff and
residents.
7. The lack of tolerance for the human ability to drag our feet while effecting change ... .it is not a speedy to
necessarily efficient process.

WORK: OTHER
1. Being assigned duties that do not pertain to the job title.
2. Trying to keep paperwork up-to-date.
3. Numerous procedures, too many to accomplish.
4. Working in an unstructured program.
5. The work paper load and the do's and don'ts.
6. Too much cleaning.

WORK: CLIENTS
1. Clients do not do enough for themselves as far as daily living requirements. They can do more but everyone
else does it for them.
2. The lack of consequences for the drug and alcohol clients! However, I do feel that will change.
3. Not having consequences for consumers whenever they break unit or program rules.
4. I hate to see a client who has done really well in the program go out and fail in the community. It would be
nice if everyone could "make it" outside of the group home.

COWORKERS
1. Some people who do not do their job the way they should.
2.1 don't care for staff who have a tendency to feel that clients behave "on purpose" with some behaviors
wherever I can I remind others that we must look to our feelings as to how we react to the mentally ill to
provide the best care possible.
3. The plan with a client is not consistent. One person will instill discipline and the other person will not be

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consistent with the plan. What does this do to a client?? Most employees do not go along with a plan for a
client. They want to be the good person.
4. Interdepartmental competition for attention (trash your colleagues to gain status).
ENVIRONMENT: EXTERNAL
1. Not about Stairways, but about the entire Erie County Mental Health System: too many out-dated policies
re: procedures for the coordination of consumer services.
2. Too shaped by other agencies (ie: county MH/MR, BSU, etc.). Need to be more proactive.
3. The way outside political realities influence the way we work. The loss of autonomy we once had.
4. Lack of integrity of some major players within all of human services.

HIRING PRACTICES
1. Nepotism in hiring practices.
2. There seems to be a preference for hiring more women than men. Male employees have a difficult time
advancing within Stairways.

TRAINING
1. That it is growing so rapidly that new personnel may not have the training or time to be trained prior to
working.
2. Aside from all other training, a need for specific MAP training oriented to: PA Code: Title 55 Department of
Public Welfare, Chapter 5310 Com Res Redev Ser for the Mentally 111.

NO COMPLAINTS
1.1 have no complaints.
2. There is nothing I do not like least.

D. What are some of the things you Like least about working at Stairways?
Comments from employees who work at the main agency site:
COMMUNICATION
1. Lack of communication.
2. Great amount of "office politics" leading to poor communication and downward cooperation.
3. There isn't much communication. I rarely know what is going on around work until after it happens. We
need more agency staff meetings to discuss everything. We only have those like every 6 months.
4. Lack of communication.

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5. I've noticed some negative experiences by a small number of people and I feel the employees should openly
express their concerns with supervisor and/or staff.
6. Going through channels.
7. Not really knowing what's going on.
8. I wish we could come up with better ways of communication. In the information age, there is just not
enough hours in a day to gather all this information. E-mail and voice mail are great. When decisions are
made, these tools are often not used to communicate. Example: A manager is promoted or hired. It is always
by the grapevine to get the news.

LACK OF RESOURCES: AFFECTS MISSION
1. Stairways needs additional clerical support staff as well as more organized filing system, particularly keeping
important documentation current (ie client files, inspection records, etc)
2. Limited funds for projects.
3. Office space and the lack of updated office equipment and furniture.
4. Frustration with technology ie: computer. Lack of adequate resources to really do the job right. Mostly
person-power. This relates to prioritization.
5. Lack of money to provide our tenants with a quality living environment agency wide.
6. Too much to do with too few staff.
7. Stairways is not gutsy enough in insisting on programs being what we know is best. Stairways had put
money it cannot afford into glitz. Residents have better homes than staff can afford. Stairways should be lean
and mean, while effective.
8. Too few staff in department-many demands from client-staff are not serving their needs as they should be.

ENVIRONMENT: INTERNAL
1. High growth in short period of time has made it difficult to refine what we do. We need to circle back often
and to quality assurance.
2. Stairways lacks safety for the employees when confronted by an angry consumer. Need more protocol for
employee safety issues.
3. Disorganization.
4. Lack of agencywide priorities and consensus to support these issues.
5. Some upgrades are needed with the computer equipment for better consistencies.
6. While seeking to involve everyone in planning and decision making, we are not allowing individuals to learn
from their mistakes and share success frequently enough.

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MANAGEMENT/SUPERVISION
1. Navigating (my work) based on power-stances. Dealing with administrations' tempers, power-based
mentalities, witnessing the continuance of the "old"boy" network particularly regarding Stairways's future.
2. Competition in management.
3. Not enough positive reinforcement for employees. The agency wants to adapt its management structure to a
circular or flattened model but remains quite linear.
4. Sometimes upper management will make promises for others when they really don't know the entire scope of
a situation.
5. The petty things that go on between management - they sometimes just plain lie.

COWORKERS/UNPRODUCTIVE, COMPETITIVE, INCOMPETENT
1. Competitiveness between departments.
2. The slow process in removing a dysfunctional employee.
3. Double standard of productivity and accountability in some department.
4. Some people don't turn in their paperwork.
5. Lazy people (staff).

WAGES/BENEFITS
1. Lack of differentiated (merit) rewards utilizing objective criteria. To date, no reward (compensation) for
advanced degrees.
2. My pay is below what comparable positions in other not-for-profit organizations pay.

WORK: OTHER
1. My job is becoming more and more paperwork.

TRAINING
1. Lack of training for supervisors on management, systems, etc.

NO COMPLAINTS
1.1 have not found any (likes least) yet.

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E. Additional comments from employees at all sites:
COMMENTS EXPRESSING GRATITUDE/FRIENDLINESS
1. Thank you for undertaking this project.
2. This is great knowing someone on the board of directors wants to know about the employees and the job we
are doing. You can relate that to the other directors. That's what I said about communication at Stairways. We
like to have board members come around or even spend a day with us to really find out what we do.
3.1 feel it's important for board members to know how the staff is doing, all too often, they only get the news of
stairways staff from the administration. I feel this survey is a new fresh start for the board of directors to see
how employees view their careers.
4. Mary Ellen, Thank you for you commitment to Stairways and investment in this project. I'm sure that
Stairways will use the information to improve our environment for the betterment of all.
5. Good luck on your thesis!
6. Good design to your survey! We'll lot forward to your findings!
7. Sorry this is late. Good luck on your degree!
8. I'm glad that I could be of help, Mary Ellen. I hope you have a good response and do well. I'm very grateful
for the opportunity to work for this program. I think that its an excellent chance to learn about people on a very
close and interactive level, and in turn learn about yourself. I haven't worked here very long so I'm still getting
a feel for the place, but I think there's a lot of good people doing good work for good people. Again I say good
luck on you project and in life.

COMMENTS OF OVERALL SATISFACTION:
1. My answers may reflect that I am an unsatisfied employee. That is not true! I just would like to see
improvement and changes in those areas, especially an increase in wages.
2. For the most part, I am a very happy and contented employee. No matter where you work - you can always
find problems if you try hard enough; the glass is half full!
3.1 have been a nurse for 10 years and I love my job!!!
4. Let me add that the positives far outweigh the negatives in my experience thus far with Stairways. I look
forward to a lengthy and productive relationship with this organization.
5.1 find my job to be very rewarding here. Management tries to be as fair as possible, will always consider the
individual employee, giving all an opportunity to have a voice and learn and grow with the agency at the same
time our community is benefitting.

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NEUTRAL COMMENT:
1.1 have been on the job for only two weeks and don not feel I can comment on some of the questions. This is
the reason so many 3's are circled.

GENERAL NEGATIVE COMMENTS:
1.1 believe there are many (good) things here at Stairways and employees that truly care about the consumer
and are willing to listen. I have, however, seen some who are burnt out and need to be revitalized through unit
retreats, etc. I believe also that in this profession all people should work well together, creating trust and
support. I don’t see this. I believe that some of the practices at the administrative level are unfair, and demands
made with no consideration. Ex: Upon hire, it was insisted persistently that you own a car "to keep your job" when you're part time at a low pay scale. Ex: the emphasis on the term "part time" is a regular put down.
"Only lull-time can do this. You're only part time." Part time employees are sometimes more dependable and
capable. Ex: We are told we can be full time without a degree, we tiy to obtain that "on part time wages," with
no consideration or feedback. Is there no funding for continuing education through Stairways?
2. Staff should be allowed mental health days so that we don't get burned out. Comp time without fighting for
it. Professionalism is missing. Some staff have no clue what it is.
3. When a problem arises between two staff or a staff and a consumer, and all people involved are not given an
opportunity to explain their perception of the situation. This hasn't happened often, but I have experienced
both situations. The result could be the loss of good employees from being treated unfairly or in situations with
consumers, manipulation of situations by either party leading to a non-productive relationship between
Stairways and their consumers.

F. Comments on specific survey questions:
#6 Respondent put a "?" above the word "rehabilitation and circled 3.
#11

The word "tempo" - respondent took it to mean "rate of activity".

#11

"Question 11 doesn't make sense the way it is written. Are you asking is workers are working slowly or
if the atmosphere is 'laid back'?"

#22.

"The few employees who do not pull their weight are the reasons that I did not rate overall productivity
or teamwork as high as I might have. Some with their own agendas or that are stuck in the past have
the effect on the team that a mis-firing spark plug might in an engine. Unfortunately, those in positions
of authority won't take action against this, causing poor morale in those of us who go the extra mile,
until the burden becomes too great."

#34.

"Clients are becoming more needy and the supply seems not to be keeping pace with the demand." (in
regard to Stairways providing adequate support sendee)

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#40.

"I discuss complaints about work with a co-worker first in order to do 'reality testing' and see if my
perceptions are accurate."

#41.

"I live alone." (therefore, no one else to read the newsletter)

#42.

Checked none of these because gets most information from a combination of sources.

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