Using a Generalizable Photo-Coding Methodology for Assessing Organizational Culture Artifacts

Despite scholars’ reliance on Schein’s (1990) three-interconnected layer framework of organizational culture (i.e., artifacts, values/norms, underlying assumptions), few, if any, measure artifacts. This gap is significant because artifacts are readily visible and provide valuable insight into understanding the perpetuation of norms through their manifestation in the work environment. Moreover, existing assessments focus on one layer only, either values/beliefs or underlying assumptions, resulting in only a partial picture of culture. In this tutorial-based paper, we demonstrate a grounded theory approach comprising content analysis, thematic analysis, and intensity scoring, to develop an unobtrusive method for coding artifacts seen in photos of office spaces. Unobtrusive methods reduce participant burden, which is critical because existing assessments of culture are time consuming and/or rely on numerous participants. We demonstrate how to use the photo coding method and wrap-up the tutorial by showing how artifact coding augments an existing qualitative culture assessment, emphasizing the added value of artifact assessment. We hope by providing an unobtrusive method to artifact coding, researchers will start assessing this important layer of culture to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of organizational culture.