# Process as Ritual By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2023-02-02 All known human societies have made use of rituals. Often these are observable within the context of religion. Whereas they are prevalent within that context, they are not exclusive to it. Rituals are a set sequence of words, actions, movements, or objects performed to achieve a desired outcome. Organizations can be viewed as sites of ritual enactment. A simple example might be a person who makes pour-over coffee in one’s office. The grinding of the coffee beans, heating of water, and methodical saturation of the coffee grounds with the water from the kettle can be viewed as a ritual preparing an individual for work. More generically, any organizational process can be a ritual or at a minimum contain ritualistic elements. An organizational anthropologist would likely be able to identify ritualistic processes quickly. Those enacting them likely see them less clearly. Processes can facilitate the smooth operation of organizations. Rituals can be important for social cohesion. When processes have ritualistic aspects, they can become viewed as essential to organizational operations. It is often lamented that organizational change is difficult to enact. Frequently the focus is exclusively on the process as a means of operation. When processes are reduced to that people underestimate the degree of resistance associated with change. If one accounts that processes may contain elements of organizational ritual, one starts to appreciate why people might be invested strongly in the maintenance of the status quo. Processes are not necessarily only about how work gets done; they might also inform who one is. Understanding organizational processes as rituals can be constructive for those interested in improving organizational performance and enhancing the lived experiences of those enacting that performance. #### Related Items [[Performance]] [[Organizational Analytics]] [[Rituals]] [[Progress]] [[Change]]