PCA – Structural Frame Worksheet

Kevin Miranda

OGL 481: Organizational Leadership Pro-Seminar I

Dr. Joy D’Angelo

January 28, 2024

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 OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:
PCA-Human Resource Frame Worksheet
Worksheet Objectives:
1. Describe the human resource frame
2. Apply the human resource 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.

In 2020, during the pandemic, we faced challenges in maintaining equipment

while adhering to COVID-19 restrictions and FAA regulations. We couldn't have all the
people at the same time on the office floor and for this, the Section Chief carried out a
virtual meeting for ideas on how to tackle this challenge. The first idea to work in small
teams during outages was dismissed for uncertainty of restraints duration. I suggested a
5-team organization, each being headed by a supervisor, who would work at the office
once per week, also making sure to balance skills and experience within each team. In the
beginning, there were issues with team composition but after some discussion, we all
agreed. The system I developed allowed efficient maintenance and training to improve
our performance. However, once the restriction was lifted our efficiency went down
because of a lack of motivation and other non-essential responsibilities.

2) Describe how the human resources of the organization influenced the situation.

The organization's human resources played important roles in dealing with the
other human challenges experienced due to the pandemic, in terms of learning to operate
in a limited capacity that followed the restrictions of the pandemic but ensured at the
same time compliance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations. In this
context, the resourcefulness and agility of the team proved to be crucial (Bolman & Deal,
2021). The team was faced with the needed requirement to keep essential equipment
running but did so while being present in a workspace for a limited amount of time due to
restrictions related to a global pandemic. Such a situation required not the routine
solutions but also problem-solving creatively and the human resources to treat the issues
with the much needed flexibility (Bolman & Deal, 2021). The initiative of the Section
Chief for a virtual brainstorming session underscores the need that in matching human
resources, and leadership plays a significant role. This led to the pooling of diverse ideas
and perspectives for innovative solutions through the form of small rotating teams in this

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 collaboration. In addition, human resources showed great signs of flexibility to change as
it was necessary.

The transition to a new working model, which involved both remote work and a
rotational presence in the office, required significant adjustments from the staff. Their
willingness to embrace this change was crucial in maintaining the continuity and quality
of work (Bolman & Deal, 2021). The resistance in the beginning to team compositions
and further resolution through a draft and discussion process was highlighted upon the
communication and collaboration within the teams. This was the process that ensured not
only a fair distribution of skills across the teams but also developed the feeling of
ownership and collective decision-making amongst the staff. The successful practice
implementation of this model evidenced by improved performance and efficiency is a
testimony that human resources are adaptive, teamwork-oriented, and innovative. Their
ability to work independently and coupled with the lesser bureaucracy enabled more
focused maintenance and training hence eventually increasing the standards of
performance post-pandemic. The scenario here speaks so loud of the role of human
resources in an organization's response to external challenges and thus highlights how
they can become positive contributors to problem-solving processes once empowered.

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

The alternative course of action would involve using human resources to pursue
an individualized approach toward the formation of teams and the allocation of tasks. The
process would include a complete evaluation of the skills, experiences, and preferences of
all members (Bolman & Deal, 2021). For this, personal interviews could be used for such
assessment to comprehend each person's strengths, weaknesses, and working styles more
specifically. Luckily, the Air Force documents everyone’s training and understanding of
procedures very well and a personal interview would just showcase someone’s
confidence. Such information would be invaluable in organizing teams that are not only
qualitatively balanced in terms of skill and experience but also quantitatively aligned in
terms of work preferences as well as interpersonal dynamics (Bolman & Deal, 2021). For
example, while remote team members might perform best in that setting, others may
prefer the structure and social nature of an office, and at the time several of us were like
this. By dynamically aligning the teams, the organization would maximize the
satisfaction and productivity of its personnel (Bolman & Deal, 2021).

Another strategy would adopt the rotating leadership model in the groups. In other
terms, members of the teams would rotate through various leadership positions allowing
each member a chance for professional development of personal growth. This approach
could provide for better dynamics of teamwork by creating an environment of equality
and shared responsibility. This would also be a great opportunity to develop these newer

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 team members on these skills without the threat of a high operational tempo. It also
would foster a team that is much more flexible and adaptive due to the growth of
leadership capability throughout the workforce. What would be very complimentary to
this model is the establishment of regular team-building activities and workshops that
improve collaboration, communication, and problem-solving skills (Bolman & Deal,
2021).

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

I realized that such a flexible and adaptive work model rolled out had a
significantly positive impact on productivity and morale amongst the team. First, and
most importantly, the success of this model was due to focusing on the high level of
human resources' autonomy and efficient usage under the conditions of severe
constraints. This allowed team members to work in a way that was more fitting to their
personal and professional needs, and consequently, motivation and productivity increased
(Bolman & Deal, 2021). This experience revealed the necessity of workplace flexibility
and showed that strict traditional work structures do not always bear fruit. The pandemic
situation was a catalyst of change in an organization, where the team is bestowed with the
trust to manage their time and work responsibly making them do much more than what is
expected of them on regular days. This insight is invaluable to future organizational
planning, suggesting even that keeping some flexibility in the work arrangements may
continue to offer good results through the post-pandemic world despite the operational
needs returning.

However, the decrease in performance and motivation had already been noticed
once the pandemic restrictions were lifted, meaning that the transition to normal working
ways might have been too sudden or poorly managed. This suggests the necessity for a
more gradual and thoughtful approach in transitioning work models (Bolman & Deal,
2021), one that would gather the learnings from the pandemic. For example, a hybrid
model retaining the best elements of remote work while integrating some aspects of
office work can sustain the high productivity as well as job satisfaction acquired during
the pandemic. Unfortunately, in this situation or the military, implementing such models
is just not feasible. Lastly, it exhibits the need to address other non-core duties and
bureaucratic processes that might impede efficiency. Streamlining such procedures and
ensuring that team members only concentrate on their core duties and career
developments could help maintain motivation levels and avoid a decline in performance.
The military notoriously has a high turnover rate with people either getting orders to new
locations every few years to people just not reenlisting. This shows the need for civilian
contractor positions to be held to have better continuity and maintain these bureaucratic
processes.

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 References

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2021). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership.
Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Brand.