Unpopular Culture: The Ritual of Complaint in a British Bank

As a student, the author was assigned to study a British retail bank on the understanding that when he was finished he would help the bank understand why morale there was so low. He was afraid it was going to be a boring assignment. Not a bit of it.Hoping to get an in-depth understanding of the source of the problem, he asked to be sent to the worst department, a back-office Securities Centre where people complained non-stop. They complained about the bureaucracy, the procedures, the head office, the branches, the IT department, the staff shortages, the computer system, the pay, the bonuses, and the furniture. They complained about the way people always complained. They rolled their eyes at the union representative and at the "Rah Rah" videos sent from head office.They sat gloomily while management explained why that quarter's huge profit was actually bad news that would mean that the hiring freeze would continue, if it didn't actually lead to layoffs. The bank's officers couldn't understand why the staff were always so negative.The employees seemed to have taken a shine to the amiable young American and freely confided their opinions about everybody and everything. In fact, they seem to have been a rather jolly group. They understood exactly how far they could go and what the rules and rituals of complaint were. They managed to complain ceaselessly, while ensuring that nobody ever felt complained about. They were kind and self-deprecating and often quite content with their jobs.In "Unpopular Culture", John Weeks examines the role of culture in an organization: how local cultures (such as that at the Securities Centre) relate to corporate culture. In particular, he observes how deliberate attempts to change the culture usually fail, while actual changes to the environment can have a profound effect. Despite the slightly frivolous art work on the cover of the book, this is a thoughtful ethnography. I first heard of it when Dr Weeks was interviewed on the BBC Radio "Thinking Aloud" program that is, as of this review, still available on the web and well worth listening to.