Organizational mythology

Summary form only given as follows. Although most people think of “myths” as untruths (or, at best, based on faulty logic), as in “that´s only a myth”, in fact, in the true anthropological sense, myths are simply “cultural stories or lessons” (which, ultimately, may or may not be true). More precisely, an organization uses its mythology to socialize its members such that they understand, or interpret, their experiences in a way which is supportive of the organization´s overall goals. Myths exist at all levels-from global myths to ones held individually. Consider, for an example of a “national” myth, that, in the settling of the West in the 1800s, citizens were encouraged to settle semi-arid Western lands based on a myth-“rain follows the plow”. Settlers believed this religious-based myth and made life decisions based on it. Or consider a well known business organization myth-“what´s good for General Motors is good for America”. “Organizational myths” are defined as unwritten, orally communicated but often unspoken beliefs that control organizations. It is contended that underlying all aspects of an organization are the totality of its beliefs and values, as manifested in its myths. Studies have documented that organizations, particularly technology-based ones, deal poorly with the “soft” (people) side of their business, i.e., the intangibles of which an organization´s beliefs, as manifest in its myths, are paramount. Methodologies to identify and analyze an organization´s myths have been developed and are described