World’s Best Boss: An Examination of Leadership Styles on Organizational Culture using the Office

RM 217

Communicative moments such as organizational leadership are an important consideration because communication constitutes organizing. More specifically leadership styles are imperative to consider because they have a direct consequence on organizational culture. This study identifies managerial styles, along with verbally aggressive behaviors, in order to analyze changes that occur within an organization’s culture as a direct response to changes in leadership. Moreover, this study examined leadership and culture in the show, The Office, because it attempts to recreate the standard American office life. Set in a small Pennsylvanian town, NBC’s, The Office, is a mockumentary that takes place within a stagnant paper company called Dunder Mifflin. As demonstrated in their introductory episodes, the managerial styles of three prominent managers (Michael Scott, Charles Miner and Dwight Schrute) were analyzed and unpacked using Blake and Mouton’s original managerial grid of 1968. The corresponding changes in organizational culture were then explored and discussed, revealing that Michael and Dwight’s managerial styles were the least balanced and had the greatest negative effects on the most amount of people. Although Charles’ managerial style was the most balanced, his use of verbal aggression decreased his overall effectiveness. Overall, the impact of effective organizational communication can be seen in this analysis of leadership and culture. Being that we are a part of, or affected by, various organizations on a daily basis, isn’t it time we started to learn more about them? The global relevance of this subject makes this research crucial, as it ensures the well-being and advancement of all types of organizations.