Bolman and Deals 4 Frames EDUC 524 Leadership

Bolman and Deal’s 4 Frames EDUC 524 Leadership in Urban Organizations

Why use the 4 Frames? • To study organizations from a variety of perspectives • To analyze leadership styles and strategies • To enhance one’s own set of leadership tools • Like maps, frames are both windows on a territory and tools for navigation

Frames • A set of assumptions or ideas you keep in your head about a particular “territory” • • Structural frame – organization as factory Human Resource – as extended family Political – as arenas, contests or jungles Symbolic – as tribes, theatres or carnivals

The Four Frames Frame - Disciplinary Root - Frame Emphasis - Key Concepts - Key Frame Processes Structural Sociology Rationality, Formal roles and relationships Human Resource Social and Organizational psychology The fit between People and the organization Needs, skills, relationships Tailoring the organization to meet individual needs Political Science The allocation of power and Scarce resources Power, conflict, competition, positive politics Bargaining, negotiation, coalition building Social and Cultural Anthropology Organization as Tribe, theater or carnival Culture, ritual, ceremony, stories, heroes and heroines, myths, charisma Creating and promoting a common vision: attending to the meaning of events; devising relevant rituals, ceremonies and symbols Political Symbolic Rules, roles, goals, policies, technology, environment Division of labor and coordination of individual activities

The Structural Frame Core Assumptions • Organizations exist primarily to accomplish established goals • A structural form can be designed and implemented to fit any particular set of circumstances • Organizations work most effectively when environmental turbulence and personal preferences are constrained by norms of rationality

Structural Frame (cont. ) • Specialization permits higher levels of individual expertise and performance • Coordination and control are essential to effectiveness • Problems typically originate from inappropriate structures or inadequate systems and can be resolved through restructuring or developing new systems

The Human Resource Frame Core Assumptions • Organizations exist to serve human needs • Organizations and people need each other • When the fit is poor, both will suffer Individuals will be exploited, or seek to exploit organizations, or both • A good fit benefits both. Human beings find meaningful and satisfying work, and organizations get the human talent and energy that they need

The Political Frame Core Assumptions • Organizations are coalitions of various individuals and interest groups • There are enduring differences among coalition members in values, beliefs, information, interests, and perceptions of reality • Most important decisions involve the allocation of scarce resources – who gets what

Political Frame (cont. ) • Scarce resources and enduring differences give conflict a central role in organizational dynamics and make power the most important resource • Goals and decisions emerge from bargaining, negotiation, and jockeying for position among different stakeholders

The Symbolic Frame Core Assumptions • What is most important about any event is not what happened but what it all means • Activity and meaning are loosely coupled: events have multiple meanings because people interpret experience differently • Most of life is ambiguous or uncertain – what happened, why it happened, or what will happen next are puzzles

Symbolic Frame (cont. ) • High levels of ambiguity and uncertainty undercut rational analysis, problem solving, and decision making • In the face of uncertainty and ambiguity, people create symbols to resolve confusion, increase predictibility, provide direction, and anchor hope and faith • Many events and processes are more important for what is expressed than what is produced.

Symbolic Frame (cont. ) • They form a cultural tapestry or secular myths, rituals, ceremonies, and stories that help people find meaning, purpose and passion • Symbols embody and express the organization’s culture – the interwoven pattern of beliefs, values, practices, and artifacts that define for members who they are and how they are to do things

Frame Structural Human Resource Political Symbolic Leader Attention Key Words Goals and Mission; organization’s relationship with the environment; clarity and consistency of roles and structure; rules Goals, task, technology, rationality, rules, roles, linkages, differentiation, integration People and their needs; ways to facilitate individual productivity; interpersonal relationships; empowerment; communication, motivation Needs, skills, feelings, motivation, satisfaction, norms, interpersonal, interactions, fit (between people and organization) Advocacy; coalition building; providing arenas for conflict and disagreement to surface Power base, conflict, coalitions, scarcity, agendabuilding; bargaining, negotiation Vision; charisma; interpreting experience for the organization; creating symbols and rituals; presiding at ceremonies Symbols, meaning, belief, faith, culture, ceremonies, rituals, myths, stories, play

Questions? • What if I’m very strong in one frame, and not so strong in others? • What if I’m pretty even through the 4 frames? • What is the desired profile of a leader?