Saint Mary's College Dance Marathon

Think about an organization that you have been a member of or are familiar with, and discuss how organizational culture contributes to people’s sense of membership within that organization. Close by discussing whether the organization actively attempts to shape the organizational culture, as in the examples discussed in class, and what this might accomplish.

Since my freshman year, I have been the President of Saint Mary’s College Dance Marathon. It is an organization on campus that raises money throughout the year for Riley’s Hospital for Children. In April we hold a twelve-hour marathon, where students stay up all night on our feet for those children who cant. The monetary total that we raised throughout the year is then revealed in the early morning hours. For the past two and a half years, I have wondered what makes people feel connected to this cause and what gives them a sense of membership? After reading through chapter five, especially the section on organizational culture, I think I have a better understanding of why people have a sense of membership within SMC-DM.

The concepts of dance marathons throughout the state of Indiana are organized in a specific way. There is an executive council, and each member of the council has a specific committee under them such as Public Relations or Dancer Recruitment. Because the organization has such as specific structure, it gives people a “unique sense of place,” (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 128).

At the beginning of the year, the SMC-DM Executive Council has a day long retreat where we spend time getting to know each other and working on ideas for the year. We meet once a week every Wednesday, this group of women becomes friends and the members can describe the organization as a “family.” This is one cultural element called a metaphor, which is “a figure of speech that defines an unfamiliar experience in terms of another more familiar one,” (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 128). The weekly meetings are also an example of ritual. Meetings are run in a similar fashion each week and from year to year, each committee typically has its own rituals. Rituals “dramatize” a culture’s basic values and can range in scope from personal, day-to-day routines for accomplishing tasks to annual organization-wide celebrations of top performers, (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 128). Not only are the meetings a ritual, but the actual marathon is a ritual in its self. There are numerous events throughout the marathon that we participate in because of the sense of membership and community everyone feels.

Each year, every member of the executive council receives a polo shirt. The polo’s are to be worn during the marathon with khaki pants so we are presented in a professional manner. In addition the polo’s are to be worn when we visit the hospital or make other important appearances. Having a unified shirt is an artifact, or the tangible and physical features of our organization, (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 129). Our dress code of a polo shirt is a marker of the dance marathon culture. Each year, in the corner of the polo, we add a star to represent how long our marathon has existed. I believe this gives people a sense of pride in the organization as they watch is grown because of their hard work and dedication. This furthers their sense of membership within the organization.

The entire executive council and committee all share the same values such as work ethic and compassion. Values represent a shared set of beliefs about appropriate organizational behaviors. They are often derived from charismatic leaders, founders or organizational traditions. As a unit, sharing the same values creates a unity, which helps create a sense of membership as well.

Saint Mary’s College Dance Marathon actively attempts to shape the organizational culture. We want a specific look and set of standards that follow the people involved in organization. Everything from the clothing we wear to our weekly meetings contributes to our sense of membership and shape the organizational culture.