OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA-Structural Frame Worksheet

Worksheet Objectives:

1. Describe the structural frame

2. Apply the structural frame to your personal case situation

Complete the following making sure to support your ideas and cite from the textbook and other

course materials per APA guidelines. After the peer review, you have a chance to update this and

format for your Electronic Portfolio due in Module 6.

1) Briefly restate your situation from Module 1 and your role.

Happening after the initial lock-down of the pandemic, our building, a hotel and

conference center owned by Aramark, was vacant, everyone was on furlough, and we

awaited word to return. I was the pastry chef of the kitchen. During this time, managers,

and the only people having access to the building, decided to keep all staff paid their

regular average salary until further notice. However, several months later, we got a

message from our General Manager (GM) stating that a future of reopening sooner than

later looked dim. The decision of Aramark to terminate employment was decided.

2) Describe how the structure of the organization influenced the situation.

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 The organization is resembled as a simple-hierarchy; top-down (Bolman & Deal, 2021,

Exhibit 5.3). In this scenario, I assume the CEO of Aaramark, along with the Board of

Directors, addressed each area that Aramark was affected and how their circumstances

differ. For our location, we are a conference center and hotel. Because our main source of

revenue comes from room reservations, and with the lack of travel and in-person

requirements (Wisconsin allows “no more than 10 people at any indoor gatherings” after

July 13, 2020), we, and the rest of the area, had to put off business until our county could

accept a larger attendance (Heinrich, 2020, p. 4).

I believe it was a simple matter of what would offer the least negative impact to Aramark

given the current COVID situation. Because we cannot predict the future, and with

current trends offering a grim appearance at the virus’s outlook, the hierarchy structure

laid the decision of employment to those within management. I, as kitchen staff, was

merely informed about the decision of my employment without being asked. Hence, a

top-down structure.

3) Recommend how you would use structure for an alternative course of action

regarding your case.

Given the unknown possibilities with the pandemic, an alternate structure, and

one I full-heartedly support, is that of a self-managing system. This is a structure

that employs teams to manage themselves, assign jobs to members, plan and

schedule their own work, make production- or service-related decisions, and

remedy problems by taking action (Bolman & Deal, 2021, p. 112). In addition to

this, self-management practices allow anybody to spend any amount provide an

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 advice process is respected, peer-based challenging of their team’s investments,

they set their own salaries, profits (and losses) are shared, and dismissal is very

rare (Laloux, 2014, p. 141).

I see self-managing systems as highly flexible teams that communicate in such a way that

literally everyone is a part of the process. It is because of these features mentioned above

that I feel would allow the retention of Aramark’s employees while considering the

COVID-19 situation. What other options could the business have done? Unfortunately,

my position does not allow me to know nor to voice my opinion in the matter. However,

one historical example that follows the advice process, highlighted by Laloux (2014, p.p.

104), is a company called FAVI. Due to the crisis of the First Gulf War, the CEO, Jean-

François Zobrist, instead of making the decision to cut temp workers which would lower

morale, sought to seek the worker’s advice. They eventually came to an agreement to

work only three of the four weeks while simultaneously keeping the temp workers. It’s

this kind of thinking that gets acceptance during difficult circumstances. And that’s what

I want to emulate.

4) Reflect on what you would do or not do differently given what you have learned

about this frame.

Given my role as kitchen staff, there was not much I could do; Aramark has

hierarchy and I am at the bottom of the ladder. However, given perspective of the

situation, my now current interest toward management, willingness to help the

company, and my introduction into Organization Leadership at ASU, I could have

asked to take part in understanding the management processes instead of sitting

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 at home, awaiting my employment’s demise. This could have also allowed me to

understand the decisions leading up to the termination of employees.

If I were in a self-managing system, one thing I would do differently is participate in

weekly meetings, whether via Zoom or in-person with the 10-person limit per emergency

ordinance. Figuring out ways to attract revenue while still employing everyone would be

a monumental task only done through everyone’s input and hard work. This would also

alleviate the pay differences associated with basic needs, wants, and uncertainty during

the worst part of the pandemic. One thing I would not do is cheat the system by paying

myself my weekly wage; I would pay myself only what I need or what I earn through

hourly employment. This would make it so I minimize my impact of the costs of the

company, considering others do the same, while still employing and supporting myself.

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 References

Bolman, L. G. & Deal, T. E. (2021). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership

(7th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass

Heinrich, J. (2020, July 7). Emergency Order 8. Order of Public Health Madison & Dane

County. Public Health Madison & Dane County. Retrieved from

https://publichealthmdc.com/documents/2020-07-07_Order_8.pdf

Laloux, F. (2014). Reinventing Organizations. Brussels, Belgium: Nelson Parker. ISBN: 978-2-

960133-50-9