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.

I was an assistant director on the 2022 summer musical at Paradise Valley Community
College. There were difficulties and numerous situations to maneuver, including COVID
related issues, peer conflict, ambiguous management, and a lack of
transparency/accountability among the cast and crew in reference to the director.

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

The structure (or lack thereof) within the organization was fatally flawed. The only
people with actual “power” were the teachers that took part in the production. This
included the director, technical director, costume designer, musical director, and the
choreographer. There were other positions that had power on paper (mine for example)
but in actuality was not considered by the others. There were countless problems I had
the means and ability to solve, but since I was a student my solutions were ignored,
forgotten, or set aside.

This conundrum caused for the problems that the educators did not see or know about to
go unsolved, spiraling into bigger and bigger messes. For example, the set changes were
slow and unclear as to who was moving what. I tried to solve it by offering to bring in
crew members, running scene changes before each rehearsal, and minimizing the overlap
of costume changes and set changes, but the director dismissed my ideas saying “they
just need to get quicker.” This type of problem rang prominently throughout the rehearsal
process.

3) Recommend how you would use structure for an alternative course of action
regarding your case.

For starters, I would have had documentation outlining what my responsibilities were. It
would have made it clear that I am someone to come to with issues and I have the power

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 to make changes. I would have put more of an effort into letting the educators know that I
have a say in the production as well. All of them, but mostly the director, diminished my
leadership and directing opportunities. Putting my role into negotiated wrting would have
solved these problems.

I also would have made sure more things were approved or disapproved by me. There
were several aspects of this production that the main director took or received credit for,
when I was also a part of the final product. For example, the AriZoni award we won was
partially my doing. It was a collaboration between me and the director, but she got all the
credit for it.

4) Reflect on what you would do or not do differently given what you have learned
about this frame.

Looking back, I am glad I took charge and ruffled some feathers towards the end. The
chart I made condensing and simplifying the set changes should have been made weeks
earlier than it was. If I had stood my ground and pushed harder for what I think is
needed, then I might have gotten results earlier. In summary, I am glad I took charge
eventually, I only wish I did sooner.

I also wish I had fought harder to get rid of the other assistant director. He was not
needed – especially since I was confused and in a leadership grey area, his being there
was only additionally confusing. He also had a lot of personal conflict with some of the
other cast members, which made some rehearsals contain more drama than necessary. I
could argue that if there was only one assistant director, the leadership structure may
have been more clear.