The text for Pro-Seminar 1 is Bolman and Deal's Reframing Organizations - Artistry, Choice, and Leadership. This text discusses the four frames of organizations, while showing the pros and cons of each. These frames can help guide you on framing your own organization or assessing the current situation you may find yourselves in. A frame is a coherent set of ideas or beliefs forming a prism or lens that enables you to see and understand more clearly what's going on in the world around you. The four frames are Structural, Human Resource, Political and Symbolic.
The Structural Frame
- The Structural Frame is how to organize and structure groups and teams to get results. When people think of structure they think of organization charts, but we must look farther than that. A company must view structure on how to maximize their employees strengths. A structure should be vertical and horizontal to ensure that the elements mesh together. There must be specialized roles, each working with one another to help the company achieve the end goal. There is no cookie cutter structure that works for every company, each structure must be specialized to make best use the assets and people's strengths, while also taking into account the strategy and goals. The structure will help align internal activities with outside pressure and opportunities. The five major components (as identified by Mintzberg) are strategic apex, middle management, operating core, techno structure, and support staff. The most important part of structure is being able to adapt. Change will happen and each company must be ready and willing to adapt when needed, or even if it is required, restructure completely. It is important to pay attention to the teams and make sure you know what game you are playing, so you can have the right strategy. Teams need a clear purpose, measurable goals, the right mix of expertise, a common commitment to working relationships, collective accountability and manageable size.
The Human Resource Frame
- The Human Resource Frame is how to tailor organizations to satisfy human needs, improve human resource management, and build positive interpersonal and group dynamics. This frame values the phrase, "Our most important asset is our people". This frame focuses on what organizations do for people as well as what people do for organizations. All organizations need people (their energy, effort, and talent) and people need organizations (for money and internal satisfaction) - but their wants or needs are not always on the same page. It is important to have a mutually beneficial relationship between the two if you want to have a successful company. Organizations struggle between trimming down the workforce to save on overhead or investing in people. It has been found that the more you invest in people, the more you get out of them - which is a mutual benefit for both the organization and the employee. Investing in people gives you a skilled workforce of competent people as well as ignites passion. When people are happy with where they work, companies benefit from their dedication, hard work, and talent. If people are not satisfied with their work, they withdrawal, put out minimal effort and subpar work. To cultivate a good relationship with employees, employers should offer benefits, pay well, bonus plans, job security, training opportunities, and even profit sharing. It is also important to empower your employees, recognize hard work, and encourage them to engage in the shared vision. The most important asset is people and in this frame we invest in them.
The Political Frame
- The Political Frame is how to cope with power and conflict, build coalitions, home political skills, and deal with internal and external politics. This frame recognizes that when there are a diverse group of people, there is power and conflict around all the decision making that happens. It points out that there are different forms of power, beliefs, and the contenders are each fighting to have a slice of the preverbal pie that is the organization. It is theorized that all goals, structure and policies come to be from different groups bargaining, much like special interest groups. They also point out that the people/groups on top may not be the ones in charge, with the example that a school district is not controlled by the board, but the teachers' union. The same can be said that permanent civil servants than by political leaders at the top. The real danger here is that those who gain power may not use it appropriately - it could be used constructively or destructively. This brings a very important question to the forefront - while all organizations are political, what kind of politics will they encompass? It is imperative to have leaders who are constructive politicians who can construct an agenda, map the terrain, have a support network, and work with both allies and adversaries. They need to be able to make tough decisions that will sometimes have them negotiate or collaborate, or even worse, step out alone. Once an organization has a set political frame, they are able to use that to influence outside decisions.
The Symbolic Frame
- The Symbolic Frame is how to shape a culture that gives purpose and meaning to work, stage organizational drama for internal and external audiences, and build team spirit through ritual, ceremony, and story. This frame highlights myths, values, and vision to bring people together, give clarity or direction, and help people connect to their organization. This can be done with stories of heroes, rituals to celebrate, metaphors and humor can be used to lighten the mood. Symbolic frame is close to the culture of a workplace. As quoted, Culture eats strategy for breakfast. This metaphor represents that people want to like where they work, and they want a high energy workplace. Spirits are raised by managers or leaders who know that team building needs to be at the heart of the matter. You must create a community of believers who together believe in the shared vision, even when things aren't going as planned. In this frame, you must engage a culture that believes hope dies last. These people will be the internal glue that keeps the organization afloat.