Four Frames of Leadership

Based on Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership

L.G. Bolman and T.E. Deal

Looking at organizations through four frames & metaphors

1. Structure Frame—the factory with leadership as social architecture

2. Human Resource Frame—the family with leadership of empowerment

3. Political Frame—the jungle with leadership of advocacy

4. Symbolic Frame—the theatre with leadership of inspiration

Central concepts and challenges

1. Structure—rules, roles, policies and attune to structure, task, technology, environment

2. Human—needs, skills, relationships and align organizational and human needs

3. Political—power, conflict, competition, politics with an agenda and power base

4. Symbolic—culture, meaning, ritual and create faith, meaning, beauty

Properties of Organizations

• Organizations are complex—they are populated by people.

• Organizations are surprising—expectations often differ from results.

• Organizations are deceptive—they camouflage surprises.

• Organizations are ambiguous—complex+deceptive+unpredictable = ambiguous.

Six Structural Frame Assumptions: Organizations

1. Exist to achieve goals and objectives

2. Work best when rationality prevails

3. Increase efficiency through specialization and division of labor

4. Have structures to fit goals and objectives

5. Have coordination and controls to align work to goals and objectives

6. Need restructuring to remediate problems and performance gaps

Human Resources Frame: Core Assumptions

• Organizations exist to serve the people not the reverse

• People and organizations need each other; people need careers; organizations need the energy of people.

• When the fit between the individual and the organization is poor; they exploit or will be exploited—and both become victims. When they fit, they both win.

Human Resources Strategies

• Invest in people.

• Train, educate.

• Develop measures of human resources management.

• Share the wealth.

• Provide autonomy and participation.

• Focus on job enrichment.

Five Propositions of the Political Frame

1. Organizations are coalitions of various individuals and interest groups.

2. There are enduring differences among the interest groups.

3. Most important decisions involve the allocations of scarce resources.

4. Goals and decisions emerge from negotiating, bargaining, and jockeying for position.

Well-springs of Power in the Political Frame

• Position power—authority

• Information and expertise

• Control of rewards• Coercive power—

ability to block, punish, interfere

• Alliances and networks

• Access and control of agendas

• Framing the control of meaning and symbols--unobtrusive

• Personal power—charisma

Four Steps in Developing a Political Map

1. Determine the channels of informal communications

2. Identify principal agents of political influence

3. Analyze possibilities of internal and external mobilization

4. Anticipate the strategies that others will employ

Networking and Building Coalitions

1. Identify relevant relationships

2. Assess who might resist, why, and how strongly

3. Develop, wherever possible, relationships with opponents to facilitate communication, education, and negotiation

4. When Step 3 fails, select and implement more subtle or more forceful methods

Thoughts on the Political Frame

• Organizations are arenas.

• Managers are politicians.

• Top-down/bottom-up require different political actions.

• Organizations are political agents.

• Organizations are political ecosystems.

“The symbolic frame distills diverse ideas.”

1. The most important about an event is what it means.

2. Activity and meaning are coupled.3. Most of life is ambiguous.4. High levels of ambiguity undercut rationality,

decision making, problem solving.5. When facing uncertainty, people create symbols to

increase predictability.6. Many events and processes are important for what

they express.

What are organizational symbols?

• Humor• Myths, fairy tales• Logos-Golden arches• Rituals• History• Ceremony• Awards• Shrimp

• Employee of the month parking places

• Golden watches• Offices with windows• Pins—membership• Piano players—

Nordstroms• ETC…think of more

Conflict

• Structure—it interferes with the purpose

• Human resources—it undermines the relationships

• Political—not necessarily bad; emphasis is on tactics and strategies—not conflict resolution

• Symbolic—seeps into the culture

Strategic Planning

• Structure—strategies to set objectives and coordinate resources

• Human—gather to promote participation

• Political—arenas to air conflict and realign power

• Symbolic—ritual to signal responsibility and negotiate meaning

Decision Making

• Structure—rational sequence to produce the right decision

• Human—open process to promote commitment

• Political—opportunity to gain/exercise power

• Symbolic—ritual to confirm values

Reorganizing

• Structure—realign roles and responsibilities to fit tasks

• Human—maintain balance between human needs and formal roles

• Political—redistribute power and realign coalitions

• Symbolic—maintain image of accountability and responsiveness; negotiate a new social order

Evaluating

• Structure—ways to distribute rewards or penalties and control performance

• Human—process of helping people grow

• Political—opportunity to exercise power

• Symbolic—occasion to play roles in a shared ritual

Communication

• Structure—transmit facts and information

• Human—exchange information, needs, and feelings

• Political—influence and manipulate others

• Symbolic—tell stories

Meetings

• Structure—formal occasions for making decisions• Human—informal occasions for involvement and

exchanging needs and feelings• Political—competitive occasions to win points• Symbolic—sacred occasions to celebrate and

transform the culture

Motivation

• Structure—economic incentives

• Human—growth and self-actualization

• Political—coercion, manipulation, seduction

• Symbolic—symbols and celebrations