OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA-Political Frame Worksheet

Worksheet Objectives:
1. Describe the political frame
2. Apply the political 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.

During the height of COVID-19 in 2020, my current company, Alpha ProTech

(APT), a manufacturer of disposable protective apparel including N-95 particulate
respirators, received several large orders for N-95’s from the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security (DHS). Within a week or so afterward, I received an email from my manager,
the senior vice president of sales, that our CEO had ordered all the government orders to
be fulfilled first, which pushed back our national distributor orders by several weeks, and
in some cases, months. Based on my manager’s tone, while diplomatic, he clearly did not
align with this strategy. Alpha ProTech is a publicly traded company, and while it is not a
formally published goal, it is reasonable to suggest that “shareholder profitability” was a
significant motivation in this decision, as the profit margins on these government orders
were higher than our traditional distributor orders.

As an Area Manager for Alpha ProTech, I am responsible for the growth and
development of my territory by establishing new customer and distributor relationships,
while effectively managing the existing relationships of our large distributors located
throughout the Western U.S. and Western Canada. Many of these distributors are aligned
with high-profile companies desperate for orders to keep their employees safe. Additional
delays in order fulfillment dates created tension between our company, our distributors,
and our end-user customers at times. This was concerning, as we are a company highly
dependent on our relationships with our distribution partners since we do not have a
direct sales business model; the U.S. government is an exception during the rarity of a
national pandemic.

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

The Political Frame views organizations as arenas for competition and conflict
among individuals and groups with competing interests, goals, and values. Leaders who
use this frame focus on building coalitions and networks to gain power and influence
within the organization. However, in this situation, the CEO already has legitimate power
and influence, given his position within the organization (Bolman & Deal, 2021).

That said, I would suggest that at the center of this case were three political
factors. The first was the CEO’s self-interest, first in the form of personal gain, as the
profit margin on these large government orders was more significant than standard
distributor orders. His annual bonus is tied to the company’s operating profit, and this
order gave it a generous lift. The second component of self-interest would be in the
approval from the board of directors considering the impact on the company’s balance
sheet and delight for the shareholders. While Lloyd is the CEO of the business, finding
favor from the Board works to his advantage, especially if he wants to leverage this
relationship for future business initiatives.

Next, resources were scarce, and Lloyd likely saw this as an opportunity to build a
political alliance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), where the
orders originated. Through his lens, despite the risk of jeopardizing relationships with the
company’s traditional customer base (industrial and healthcare distributors), by
prioritizing the FEMA orders to be fulfilled first, it would serve as a reciprocating gesture
towards a future consideration for additional large volume orders (Bolman & Deal,
2021). Alternatively, one could say he feared losing future high-margin opportunities
from the government, knowing there were more prominent manufacturers with twenty
times our capacity and an unknown end date to the pandemic.

Third and finally, as Bolman & Deal (2021) mentions, “enduring differences lead
to multiple interpretations of what’s true and what’s important. Scarce resources trigger
contests about who gets what.” (p. 211). This was a factor in this case, as there was a
limited supply to meet the unprecedented demand. As such, there were competing views
on how that supply should be allocated between the CEO and the sales division, resulting
in a vertical conflict (Bolman & Deal, 2021).

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

If I am approaching this situation objectively, there are alternative strategies that

Lloyd could have employed (although my preference will be detailed in the following
question). As mentioned earlier, leaders use the Political Frame to build coalitions and

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 networks to gain power and influence within the organization (and externally as well).
Again, the circumstances surrounding this case focus on Lloyd’s use of legitimate power,
which is permissible due to his role within the company. However, while he is at the top
of the internal organizational chart, he still reports to the Alpha ProTech Board of
Directors (of which he is a member), who oversees his leadership. The Board provides
high-level oversight of the corporate activities and the company’s financial performance,
representing the company’s shareholders. They are a group with considerable influence
and power as elected by the shareholders, and they can elect to revolve Lloyd in or out of
the organization as they see fit. As such, Lloyd and the Board need to nurture a healthy
and respectful relationship with each other.

That said, while my reflection on the following question will showcase the
benefits of focusing on his relationships downstream, he could focus his attention
upstream with the Board of Directors instead for this alternative course of action. The
strategy would be relatively simple; explain his strategy for prioritizing the FEMA orders
over the other distributors, sell them on how the financial benefits outweigh the risks, and
gain the Board’s approval. Doing so protects his relationship with the company’s
governing body, as they will act as his ally and preserve his self-interest. Moreover, since
Lloyd has the Board’s approval to act, he can decide when or if he wants to address any
downstream vertical conflicts. While this strategy is not the most desirable (or
respectable, for that matter), it is still an option he may employ based on the structural
and political factors evident in this case.

Another strategy Lloyd could explore would be negotiating with FEMA on the
delivery terms of the contract. When the government issues contracts, there is often a
specific delivery date by which all orders must be fulfilled. However, during the
pandemic, all “normal” requirements went out the window, per se. The scarcity of
resources took on different definitions, depending on whether it was through the lens of
the buyer or the seller. Only a small handful of qualified NIOSH-certified N-95 respirator
manufacturers were pre-approved by FEMA. Considering both parties were in a position
for mutual gain, bargaining for staggered delivery dates on the order would not have been
too difficult to achieve (Bolman & Deal, 2021). This would have eliminated the risks
associated with prioritizing the FEMA orders over the other distributors while still
providing them with the N-95s they requested, albeit in staggered shipments. Through the
lens of the Political Frame, if Lloyd had employed this strategy, he would have
effectively leveraged his power to achieve his goals.

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

As previously mentioned, the Political Frame views organizations as arenas for

competition and conflict among individuals and groups with competing interests, goals,
and values. This case is an example where these elements did not align and as such, a
vertical conflict and tension surfaces between the CEO and the sales division. The
interests, goals, and values of the members of the sales division are to: (1) meet the needs
of critical distributors who have placed large orders of N-95s in order to supply their
high-profile customers with products they need, (2) maintain the customer relationships,
which translates into territory revenue performance, and (3) realize the subsequent
financial benefit correlating to this performance. On the other hand, Lloyd, as the CEO, is
focused on the business's financial performance, which ties squarely to his own self-
interests financially and relationally with the board of directors and company
shareholders.

Through political and structural lenses, Lloyd has legitimate power due to his
position in the company. However, I would have considered the risk versus reward
beforehand rather than declaring a directive if I was in his shoes. The individuals
opposing Lloyd’s order fulfillment strategy, being the sales division, represent vital
positions within the organization’s ability to drive future revenue. As Bolman & Deal
(2021) illustrate, “it is risky to use scorched-earth tactics that leave anger and mistrust in
their wake” (p. 221). Again, if I am him, I need to make sure my key relationships remain
intact below me (on the org chart), as I do not want to establish a reputation as being
someone who is motivated through my self-interests at the expense of others, or whose
judgment is deemed untrustworthy. Politically speaking, this will not serve me well in the
long term. (Bolman & Deal, 2021).

That said, the most productive way to accomplish this is by scheduling a meeting
with the vice president of sales to discuss the benefits and risks of moving the FEMA
orders to the front of the line. The meeting would also serve as a platform for a potential
negotiation, given that both parties will have some interests in common, while others may
conflict (Bolman & Deal, 2021). Once each other’s interests and concerns are discussed
and understood, it would serve as the foundation to develop potential solutions of mutual
gain for both “sides” (Bolman & Deal, 2021). As a result, I am demonstrating an
awareness of the challenges a diversion from the operational norm may cause and that I
am willing to take proactive steps by engaging my leadership team to discuss potential
solutions to mitigate them. This approach would be the best strategy for preserving my
internal relationships and showcasing my commitment to consider the interests of others
in the organization instead of only my own.

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 Reference:

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