UC Riverside

This dissertation explores the effects of interpretational frames -- the manner in which individuals and organizations make sense of their identity, the actions and expectations of others, and their environment as a whole -- on individual and organizational level behaviors. The dissertation is composed of a series of three empirical papers. Each paper explores these effects within a different perspective and environment. The first paper examines how high-reputation firms manage the perceptual costs of maintaining high reputation by making use of the interpretational ambiguity afforded by their standing. The second, examines how childhood experiences and interpretational frames influence the behaviors of CEOs who grew up in middle class. The final paper studies how cultural interpretations of power structures, specifically acceptance of authority, influence team performance. Together these papers provide an encompassing in-depth overview of the significant impacts of interpretational frames on individual and organizational behaviors.