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.

In Module one, I described the struggles that Elon Musk had on the operations of

Tesla. My role in this was an outside journalist who would take key examples of articles

that describe how ex employees from Tesla felt while working for Elon Musk. In the

previous Model, I was able to cite specific articles of Elon Musk’s approach to leadership

and human resources. As a journalist in this case, I have come to the conclusion that Elon

Musk’s approach to leadership is giving autonomy to his employees. The next situation

that I will discuss as an outside is how does Elon Musk apply political frame’s in his

organization. This time I will specifically look at how politics affect the struggles of

Tesla.

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

Tesla is effected by many different politics both internally and externally. These

political aspects created challenges that the CEO must work around in order to be

successful. In Chapter 9 of the Perusall text, the idea of power and decision making is

discussed. This political framework is described as, “At every level in organizations,

alliances form because members have interests in common and believe they can do more

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 together than apart.” I think that this piece of text is similar to my specific person case

situation because Elon Musk is balancing himself between many companies. I think that

these two are similar because in order to make sure Tesla is successful and the struggles

are met with answers, Elon Musk has to find people who have common interest and

combine them in order to achieve more together. According to an interview from CNBC,

Elon Musk is quoted as saying “It’s impossible for someone else to know what the

priorities are” (Kolodny, 2023). I believe that this quote speaks to the importance of open

dialogue within an organization. As a CEO, it’s important to be able to create teams who

can help with the issues that plague the company.

Tesla also has its fair share of issues externally. As an electric vehicle company,

there are many government policies and regulations that impact the business. Elon Musk

has stated the new issue that have made his organization more difficult is his new

competition. He quotes, “The Chinese car companies are the most competitive car

companies in the world. So, I think they will have significant success outside of China

depending on what kind of tariffs or trade barriers are established” (Kharpal, 2024). This

relates to the text in Module 4, Chapter 11 in Perusall. In this text it describes the political

dynamcis of ecosystems. The text quotes, “Organizations have parochial interests and

compete for scarce resources”. These two relate with one another because Elon Musk is

currently competing with international companies.

3) Recommend how you would use organizational politics for an alternative course of

action regarding your case.

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 In the case of Tesla and the struggles it has internally and externally, I would take advice

from the Perusall text in regards to business-government ecosystems. A quote from Perusall

says, “Business and politics is even more dominant in China. It is almost impossible to start

or build a business without the support of party and government officials. Relationships

generally matter more than laws and regluations.” I think that this example from the text is

similar to Tesla’s position in the United States. If I were in Elon Musk’s position, I would

use organizational politics to create relationships with the support of the government.

Applying this framework will allow Tesla to inertwine their politics and business into one.

This will create a better relationship between the two and will in return help the struggles of

Tesla.

4) Reflect on what you would do or not do differently given what you have learned

about this frame.

Based on what I have learned about this frame, I would try to understanding the

dynamics of power and decision making that happens within the organization of Tesla. If

I were in Elon Musk’s shoe and were managing multiple companies simultaneously I

would try to get my priorities straight. Tesla has many internal and external challenges.

The internal challenges were government policies. If I were Elon Musk I would create a

strategic approach that will allow me to successfully run the company. The external

aspect is the Chinese competition. Using organizational politics I would apply principles

from the business government ecosystems text. These principles would allow me to

strengthen ties not only with the United State’s government but it can also help Elon

Musk recognize a path to success.

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 References

Kharpal, A. (2024) Elon Musk says Chinese EV makers will ‘pretty much demolish’ most

competitors without trade barriers, CNBC. Available at:

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/25/elon-musk-says-chinese-ev-makers-will-demolish-

other-companies.html (Accessed: 04 February 2024).

Kolodny, L. (2023) Elon Musk says his days are ‘long and complicated’ splitting time between

spacex, Tesla and Twitter, CNBC. Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/23/elon-

musk-splits-time-across-spacex-tesla-and-twitter-heres-how.html (Accessed: 04 February

2024).