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

OGL 481

Megan Henderson

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

I unfortunately was not able to state my original situation, organization and role in
Module 1 so I am happy to get the chance to do so now. For the sake of disgression, I will
only state that the organization I will be taking this example from is a large, globally
known and run organization that has been massively successful for over fifty years and
only continues to grow to this day. Now, onto the situation and my role. The situation I
will be going into detail about throughout the next several weeks is about the full store
remodel that occurred shortly before I left this company. I was one of the many
employees at this particular location and was essentially on the bottom of the food chain
in this company. I had been there for just over three years at this point.

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

At this organization, all I could think at first was that the structure was
hierarchical. That seems to be the norm however for most organizations at least to some
degree. As I continued to read on throughout the module this week, I realized that there
are basically two types of structures in organizations – lateral and vertical. The
organization that I worked for has a definitive vertical structure with little to no autonomy
the lower you go on the structural pyramid. It is extremely authoritative, focusing on
rules and regulations and means of control, just as the book described this sort of
structure. There is little to no consideration given to those who held the position that I did
in this organization. They were great when it came to handling emergency situations that
would arise for us, however, did little to address our day-to-day concerns such as pay
increases, or just making our working environment more suitable for us.

The structure of this organization influenced this situation of the store remodel
because of that very fact, they didn’t really consider how it would affect us as workers.

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 While we all understood that a store remodel was a necessary process that we had to
undertake, and were even a little excited for it, we were not consulted about how our new
store would be set up and the user-friendliness of it. It is honestly because of the rigid
structure of this organization that I ended up leaving shortly after the remodel as
whenever we tried to make small changes after the remodel in how product was placed,
or where we would be working and how our stations would be set up to better suit us, our
opinions and needs were immediately shut down and they would simply reset what we
had done. During this whole process as well, they just kept re-iterating the rules and
regulations, became even more micro-managerial and started threating warnings and
terminations. They wanted to reset our mindsets to do a better job, however we were
already one of the top stores in our district, so all it made us feel like was that were not
valued or appreciated.

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

I know that the rigid, vertical structure of this organization is what has made it so
successful. I know that they don’t take into consideration those that will be working in
these stores that they are remodeling because there is such a large amount of turnover
within these branches. Yes, this company does have some long-standing employees, but
they have even raised concerns over not being treated as invaluable. I know that the
concerns we raise about the structure of our working environment don’t matter because
many of us will be gone soon as this is a steppingstone to other careers for many of us.
However, one would think that having employee retention is a goal for most any
organization as it takes time and money to bring new people in. This may be small
change for the organization that I am describing, and it may not matter to them because
they are so large and successful, but it doesn’t look good none the less.

It is hard to say how I would structure them differently. First and foremost, I don’t
think they’ll ever change their vertical structure. I don’t think its necessarily a bad thing.
As I read through these chapters I remember thinking to myself that even though many
organizations have a hierarchical/vertical structure, the amount of trust that they have in
those they manage, and the amount of autonomy and decision-making ability is what sets
these organizations apart in their structures even though they are similar. I think that’s all
the organization I worked for needed, was just a little more trust, and some care and
consideration for those they managed. I know many of us aren’t going to be at that
company forever, but it would have been nice to be seen as valuable for the time that we
were there, and maybe I wouldn’t have left if I was seen as a person and not just another
number.

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

So this is the part about the reflection of what I could have done differently. That
is a very difficult thing to ponder, as again, I didn’t have any say or decision-making
capability within this organization and often time did not feel like I was trusted to do my
day-to-day duties well. This organization is a great one that offered a lot of benefits to
those like myself, in the position and role I had been given. I may have taken it for
granted at times however am happier where I am now, at a smaller mom and pop place
with less rules, more autonomy and a great sense of teamwork and comradery.

I suppose, what I could have done differently is when our team was told about the
remodel, I could have spoken up and asked if we were going to be considered at all in
how they would structure the store. We should have been as we were going to be the ones
working there every single day and it does make a difference if the space is user-friendly.
We were only told about the remodel but never considered in the process of building it. I
know that the higher-ups have the final say obviously but I wish they had listened to our
concerns. We could have been more vocal as well, but I can’t say it would have made a
difference. At least I could have tried right?

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 Reference or References

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2021). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership
(7th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass