According to Bolman and Deal (1997), ôAn organizationÆs Character is revealed and communicated most clearly through its symbolsö (38-41). An organizationÆs symbols and myths help spread the values among the organizational culture that affect performance in three ways: they form a stable base for guiding employee decisions and actions in a rapidly changing workplace; they form an integral part of an organizationÆs value proposition to customers and staff; and, they energize people to go the extra mile for their company (Harrington and Miles, 1996, 163). Shared values that arise from organizational symbols and myths form a basis for people to make decisions and take actions. As an organization evolves, these values often help resolve the problems and challenges it faces.
Computer manufacturer Hewlett-Packard (HP) is itself something of a myth. Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard founded HP during the Depression with $538 million in capital with an overriding belief that has become a corporate myth: ôbuild better mousetraps, not cheaper onesö (Musler, 2002, A43). HP established many new symbols of its corporate image at a time when most argued that companies were indebted only to shareholders: employee participation, profit-sharing, community involvement, and diversity. In fact, HPÆs reason for why the company exists is: ôContribution and responsibility to the communities in which we operateö (Harrington, et al, 1996, 166).
HP also owns another industry myth that has helped it recruit and retain some of the best and brightest in the hi-tech field. Featured prominently on the wall of a 60-year-old Palo-Alto garage where the company was founded is a plaque that reads: ôBirthplace of Silicon Valleyö (Musler, 2002, A43). From here the company rose into a symbolic role model for the industry, one that would create ôThe HP Wayö, a doctrine that defined how ôinnovat
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