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Reframing
Organizations
Artistry,
Choice and Leadership
Jossey-Bass Publishers – 2nd Edition 1997 (424 pages in paperback)
Authors Lee G. Bolman & Terrence E. Deal
ISBN 0-7879-0821-5
Reframing Organizations is considered by many to
be a modern masterpiece. Today it is used as a class textbook by some major
universities in their management and leadership classes. Bolman
& Deal encourage leaders to step back and re-examine the operation
of their organization through the use of various frames or windows. These
different lenses can bring organizational life into a different or clearer
focus. They allow the leader to view the workplace from different images to
make judgments, gather information and get things done. The authors label four
windows and name them the structural, human resource, political and symbolic
frames. The purpose of the book is to examine the elements and advantages of
the four frames presented by Bolman & Deal. The
end result is that we learn the importance of stepping back and looking at a
situation from more than a single pane of glass. This is vitally important
because most of us have the tendency to look at situations or problems from a
limited narrow perspective, and this hinders our ability to be effective and visionary
leaders.
The Structural Frame attempts to look at the social context of work and not
simply at the individual. Once an organization designates specific roles for
employees, the next decision is to form or group them into working units.
Coordination and control of these various groups are achieved either vertically
or laterally. The best structure depends on the organization's environment,
goals and strategies. Bolman & Deal list six
assumptions behind the Structural Frame. 1) Organizations exist to achieve
established goals and objectives. 2) Organizations work best when rationality
prevails over personal preferences and external pressures. 3) Structures must
be designed to fit organizational circumstances. 4) Organizations increase
efficiency and enhance performance through specialization and division of
labor. 5) Appropriate forms of coordination and control are essential to
ensuring that individuals and units work together in the service of
organizational goals. 6) Problems and performance gaps arise from structural
deficiencies and can be remedied through restructuring.
The Human Resource Frame is
another window to bring an organization into a unique focus. It views an
organization like a large extended family. From this perspective, an organization
is inhabited by individuals. These individuals have needs, prejudices,
feelings, limitations and skills. The goal of the leader is to mold the
organization to meet the needs of its people. The leader will seek to
merge the peoples’ need to feel good about what they are doing with the ability
to effectively get the job done. Bolman & Deal
state that the key to this window is a "sensitive understanding of people
and their symbiotic relationship with organizations."
The Political Frame is a window
that looks at the workplace as a jungle. This may not sound pretty but the
reality is that “it is a jungle out there”. It is a competitive environment or
contest in which different people compete for power and limited resources. Reframing
Organizations recognizes the work environment is one of rampant conflict immersed in
negotiation, bargaining, compromise and coercion. Bolman
& Deal offer five propositions as a summary of this frame. 1) Organizations
are coalitions of various individuals and interest groups. 2) There are
enduring differences among coalition members in values, beliefs, information,
interests, and perceptions of reality. 3) Most important decisions involve the
allocation of scarce resources and what gets done. 4) Scarce resources and enduring
differences give conflict a central role in organizational dynamics and
typically make power the most important resource. 5) Goals and decisions emerge
from bargaining, negotiation, and jockeying for position among different
stakeholders. Unfortunately, this is truly the business and social world most
of us live in.
The Symbolic Frame is a
powerful window that builds on cultural and social anthropology. It views
organizations as carnivals, theaters or tribes. An organization is a unique
culture driven by stories, ceremonies, rituals and heroes. This is in contrast
to an organization being driven by rules, authority or policies. The
organization is analogous to a theater. With this theater, various actors play
their respective roles in the drama and the audience forms its own impressions
of what is seen on the stage. The Symbolic Frame also looks at team building in
a different light. It views the development of high-performing teams as a
spiritual network also enhanced by rituals, ceremonies and myths. One does not
need to look far to discover these symbols. They exist from the proverbial
“corner office”, to corporate seals, to the camaraderie of military units.
The four windows or frames presented by Bolman & Deal allow a leader to see events in new ways
and to shift perspective. The use of the multiple frames can assist the leader
to see and understand more broadly the problems and potential solutions
available. It encourages the leader to think flexibly about their organization
and opens various opportunities to the leader to view events from multiple
angles. Reframing Organizations is the kind of book that forces you to
view organizational life from a different viewpoint and new reality.
weLEAD rating highly recommended
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