Eliicia Villasenor

OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA-Politcal 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.

I am a sergeant in the Army National Guard, I have a squad leader who runs his squad
differently than most. Due to his method of running his squad, there are often times an
overlap in roles and responsibilities. Although I understand the chain of command
structure, there are many times when I feel like most work is put on me. Sometimes my
squad leader forgets to do certain tasks, and it is on me to remind him. There are also
times when other people in our unit will reach out to me instead of him, and this is where
conflict with roles arises.

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

The politics in this situation would be following the proper chain of command.
When this process is broken it can create conflict, miscommunication, or (like I have said
before) an overlap in roles/responsibilities. In politics, image and reputation are highly
valued and protected and I feel like it is the same with the military. There are times when
my squad leader will forget to do something or will have me do something, but then take
credit for it. Although I believe he has a good heart, he does not like to have a bad image.
Any opportunity he has to take credit or gain recognition for something, he will take it.
Even if it was other people that did the work and he had nothing to do with the task.

This can be rather disappointing and lead me to question his credibility. In the
military many people go by the motto “you can respect the rank and not the person”
because we all know the history and hard work that goes into receiving each rank, but
sometimes people get on some sort of power trip with their rank and as a person and care
less for others. In Chapter 9 of Reframing Organizations, “Power and Decision Making”
is discussed and every organization should have a structure of where the authority and

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 decision making is coming from. The military does have a structure, however in my case
that structure is broken up. This also causes a conflict in authority and confusion in who
the rest of the squad should report to.

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

The first thing I would do would be to reorganize the structure of authority and
ensure that responsibility is placed exactly where it is supposed to be. I will address my
concerns with my squad leader and recommend he takes full control so we can avoid any
more conflict. He does give me personal recognition sometimes by telling me that he can
really depend on me and that I really know how to step up. My concern is that
information will not be properly disseminated since he is forgetful with checking his
phone, and that following the chain of command will be broken because he practically
has me running the squad. I am worried that if I am questioning his integrity, his
credibility, and his ability to lead than I may not be the only one, “Conflict among major
partisan groups can undermine leadership’s ability to function.” (Bolman & Deal, 2017)
I want to minimize any future conflict and grow from any past conflict, because I
would want our squad to effectively work together. I believe it is important for teams in
any organization to work together. I would want our priorities to be less on our image and
more on our people. Politics in an organization does not always have to be perceived as
negative, but create structure and smooth function. I would use organizational politics to
effectively communicate and have authority in the right hands.

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

There would be a couple things I would do differently. In the beginning, when

squads are created and roles are assigned I would clarify what exactly my role consists of.
I do not mind people depending on me, but I also do not like people taking credit for my
work or overlap in roles. I would ensure that I have an organized squad leader who
checks his phone and emails regularly. Like I said above, I want to minimize any conflict
and a lot of this conflict could have been avoided. I would restate our values too and
remind everyone that our priorities should be on the soldiers and less on our
image/reputation.

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 Reference Page

Bolman, Lee G., and Terrence E. Deal. Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and
Leadership. John Wiley & Sons Inc, 2017, Perusall.com, app.perusall.com/courses/ogl-
481-org-leadership-pro-seminar-i-2020-summer-b/9781119281849?
assignmentId=Asmkdr8nrt73G9yx2&part=1.