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.

The organization New Age Homes is currently in between investor funding rounds and
barely surviving on a limited budget. The two major divisions, research and development,
and field production, are competing for resources as both contribute to company success
and are deemed essential. Without research and development there is no more innovation,
inventing, patents, and startup investor attraction. Without field production there is no
feedback for development, secondary income source, or in-use product to show investors
and or gain new production contracts. The company cannot continue to support both
fully, and it also cannot afford to lose one or the other. Currently both are fighting for the
bulk of the resources, splitting manning, and blaming the other for lack of success. My
role is robotics operator, I control the machines in the field division and contribute to the
project of home building.

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

The politics of the organization influenced the situation by creating an environment of

competition over collaboration. What once was a coordinated effort quickly became a
game of office politics, othering, and blaming. The company went through a tough period
financially causing programs to be halted, people to be laid off, and roles to be changed.
This led to blaming for what caused it, ultimately dividing the group into polar sides. On
top of each side blaming each other, going forward, the groups continue to fight over
resources as they each believe that their mission is the solution to the problems at hand.

In our reading, I came across the idea of organizations as arenas. I cannot describe the
current work environment any better than with the term arena, as it very much is a game
that seemingly will have only one winner. With neither side willing to compromise, there
seems to be no middle ground or quick solution. As the problem has progressed the

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 opposing sides have become more firm in their standing and have further increased their
demands.

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

I would start to bring the groups together in two different ways. First I would start by
gathering the key leaders and personnel and facilitate a meeting that lets both sides air out
their concerns while maintaining peace. I would then poll or question the concerns of the
individual workers on both sides to gain a total force perspective in order to try and craft
a plan. I would look for the common interest and make recommendations on how both
parties could satisfy their needs while still making reasonable compromises.

Once a resolution is reached, I would implement workplace changes that facilitate clear
communication and allow for individual voices to be heard. I would try to establish a
bottom-up approach where communication between workers and managers was fluid and
all concerns were addressed. I would allocate resources ahead of time so each group
knows what they are working with and for what time period to help reduce infighting
over common resources. Finally, I would look into aligning the organization around
common interests and setting achievable goals.

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

Before learning about the political frame, I did understand some of the nuances of office
politics, but I did not quite understand ways to go about solving inefficiencies with
organizational politics. One key learning was the topic of bargaining and negotiation
specifically principled bargaining. Principled bargaining, built around the four strategies
of separating people from the problem, focusing on interest and not positions, inventing
options for mutual gain, and insisting on objective criteria, serves as an alternate
approach to traditional negotiating that leads to concessions to reach agreements.
(Bolman & Deal, 2021, Ch. 10). This change in approach is what I based my alternative
course of action.

After learning about the political frame and principled bargaining, I would look for a
more structured and focused approach to problem-solving rather than looking for a quick
resolution. During my time in the military, I was used to having to make quick decisions
or living with the quick decisions of others appointed over me. There was no time for
hashing out arguments or explaining sides. In the environment I am in now, there is
plenty of opportunity to slow things down and get them right the first time while creating
a win-win resolution for all parties involved.

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 Reference

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