Artefacts and the all blacks: Rites, rituals, symbols and stories

In his book 'Organizational Culture and Leadership', E. H. Schein asserts artefacts (symbols, rites, rituals, stories) located at the surface of a culture, which are visible or tangible but sometimes not decipherable, are realisations of underlying values that in turn are manifestations of deeper assumptions. From an interpretive perspective, meanings associated with cultural assumptions and values imbue artefacts and transform them into symbols. This qualitative research study examines the significant artefacts of the New Zealand 'All Blacks' rugby team through analysis of semi-structured, in-depth interviews with past and present captains and coaches over a period of 60 years from 1950-2010. These provide a rich description, which enhances the credibility and transferability of the findings. Symbols such as the black jersey with the silver fern are clearly valued, as are rituals like the 'haka', which has become increasingly important. The captains and coaches indicated these artefacts are linked to pride in selection, winning and sustaining the All Blacks' legacy.