Jan Smythe was the new District Director of Special Projects. The school district had three elementary schools that participated in what was called the Consolidated Application, a school plan that included goals, objectives, action steps for every grade level, resources needed, and a budget. Each school was required to submit its own unique plan each year. There were numerous state and federal laws that had to be met in the application document.
Jan began with the school district in the 5th week of school and found that the Consolidated Application/School Plans had not yet been submitted despite the fact they were to be submitted to state-level education officials by the end of the previous May. She also quickly learned that teachers and administrators absolutely hated the process of developing this very complex and very long document and believed it was a total waste of time. Historically, their school plans had been returned to them because they failed to follow the rules and did not include all the data and information needed in them. Thus, every year they had to modify the document.
With very little work, Jan learned that the woman who had previously overseen this area in the district typically wrote most of the documents herself and just passed them by the principals and teachers. In fact, some teachers never even saw the school plan submitted on their behalf.
This year, however, a warning had come from the State that the schools would either submit appropriate meaningful plans or their grants would be suspended for the year. That amount was more than $10 million.
Because Jan had prior experience in this area, she also knew several people at the State Department of Education. She called them, explained the situation, and was able to negotiate a six-week extension.
The real issue was to persuade first the principals and then the teachers that this document was more than busy work, that it had meaning, and that it was a reflection of what they were doing.
Jan’s motives were multifaceted: first, she had taken the position because she believed she could help students by helping teachers; second, she knew how most teachers in the state felt about this task and she knew why they felt that way; and third, she was not going to fail in her first district-level administrative position, but she refused to succeed through force or coercion.
A reminder about Bolman & Deal’s Four Frames:
Bolman and Deal suggest that every individual has personal and preferred frames that they use to gather information, make judgments, determine behavior and explain behavior. Each frame provides one version of organizational life and each frame also provides a specific albeit narrow range of ideas, techniques, and processes that may be used to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization.
The four frameworks proposed by Bolman and Deal are the Structural, the Human Resource, the Political, and the Symbolic. Each is described in the following illustration. It is important to note that leaders may use any framework and may even use a combination at the same time in their daily work (1991).
The Structural Framework
The “structural” manager tries to design and implement a process or structure that will be appropriate to the problem and the circumstances. Steps would include:
• Clarifying organizational goals
• Managing the external environment
• Developing a clear structure appropriate to task, and environment
• Clarifying lines of authority
• Focusing on task, facts, and logic, rather than on personality and emotions.
The Human Resource Framework
The human resource manager views people as the heart of any organization and attempts to be responsive to needs and goals to gain commitment and loyalty. The emphasis is on support and empowerment. The HR manager listens well and communicates personal warmth and openness. This leader empowers people through participation and attempts to gain the resources people need to do a job well. HR managers confront when appropriate but try to do so in a supportive climate.
The Political Framework
The political leader understands the political reality of organizations and can deal with it. He or she understands how important interest groups are and that each has a separate agenda. This leader understands conflict and limited resources. This leader recognizes major constituencies and develops ties to their leadership. Conflict is managed as this leader builds power bases and uses power carefully. The leader creates arenas for negotiating differences and coming up with reasonable compromises. This leader also works at articulating what different groups have in common and helps to identify external “enemies” for groups to fight together.
The Symbolic Framework
This leader views vision and inspiration as critical; people need something to believe in. People will give loyalty to an organization that has a unique identity and makes them feel that what they do is really important. Symbolism is important as is ceremony and ritual to communicate a sense of organizational mission. These leaders tend to be very visible and energetic and manage by walking around. These leaders often rely heavily on organizational traditions and values as a base for building a common vision and culture that provides cohesiveness and meaning.
Part 1a Directions: Please respond to the following questions, writing 2-3 paragraphs for each question. Your responses to these questions are due Sunday, 3/26 by 11:59pm.
1. Jan is trying to implement a change in both operations and organizational culture regarding the Consolidated Application. In what way (if any) is she applying Kotter’s model of change management? In what ways does she need to supplement her actions?
2. As we think about the transition from planning to executing, how might (or does?!) Jan incorporate Bossidy, Charan, and Burck’s three key points into implementing this change in operations?
Part 1b Directions: Please respond to the following set of questions using your primary/dominant frame from Bolman & Deal’s Four Frames (from the assessment you took for Module 3). If you have more than one dominant frame, select the one you wish to use for this specific scenario. To reiterate, your responses to the questions below must reflect one of the four frames. Each response should be 2-3 paragraphs long. Your responses to these questions are due Sunday, 3/26 by 11:59pm.
1. Using your dominant frame (again, as identified during Module 3), how would Jan approach the situation?
2. Is this approach / using this frame adequate as a standalone? If so, why? If not, explain what other frames might be helpful in addressing this situation.
