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.

When our Director, R, was leaving our organization, our unit decided to throw her

a going-away party. It was just supposed to be our unit of six people, but instead, it was

attended by the people in our whole division, which was about 25 people total. One of

our Clerks, T, was friends with R and asked if she could do the decorations and get the

cake. We all agreed and gave her money for supplies. On the day of the party, T

decorated the conference room, and when the party started, those in our unit laughed at

the decorations because they said "bye Felicia, " a favorite quote that R used a lot. The

cake said "bye traitor," which got some nervous chuckles, but R laughed, and we went on

with the party.

The following Monday, which was her last day, R came into the office and did

not say a word to anyone. Instead, she slammed shut the door to her office and stayed in

there for a couple of hours. When she finally did come out, we all knew she was angry. R

then proceeded to yell at us about how insulted she was by the decorations and cake and

how humiliated she felt in front of her boss. During her yelling, she used profanity and

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 insults, which were heard by a different unit on the other side of the floor. Afterward, R

went into her office, slammed the door, and stayed in there until the end of the day.

As the Administrative Services Assistant III in the Personnel Unit, I am

considered middle-management, and after our Director left, I took on a more supervisory

role. I assign tasks to the four Clerks in the unit and am also the go-between of the Office

of the Sheriff and Contra Costa County's Human Resources Department.

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

The human resources of any organization have to do with the organization's

people. Our unit is comprised of six individuals, some of whom work together as a team,

and a few others are just there for the paycheck. Our Director tended not to praise those

in our unit when something was done well but was always willing to tell us what was

done wrong. She treated us as though we were "passive and lazy, have little ambition,

prefer to be led, and resist change," which led to “superficial harmony with undercurrents

of apathy, indifference, and smoldering resentment” within our unit (Bolman & Deal,

2017, pg. 124).

We thought our small going away party would be a nice way to send off our

Director but did not expect it to become a larger party. The other people who came to the

party did not understand the dynamics of our unit or the very few inside jokes that we

had. So their reaction to the signs and cake partly influenced R’s reaction. Having time to

stew over the perceived slight over the weekend added fuel to her fire. Because she saw

us as followers who needed a firm leadership style, she believed we undermined her and

insulted her. Also, due to the discord pretending to be harmony in our office, she was

unwilling to have a conversation with us. She only wanted to express her outrage.

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

An alternative course of action for this situation would be to communicate more

with my co-workers and my Director. If we had, things might have turned out differently.

Our issues began before the going-away party, but if we had taken the time to work

together to plan the party, we might have been able to minimize the damage at least.

Also, talking with R about what happened and giving her our side of the story, instead of

letting her stew in her office the whole day, may have helped lessen the outrage felt in the

office.

Before this situation occurred, we could have worked together to try and change

how our Director saw us. For example, we could have tried to change the dynamic in the

unit, showing R that we did want to be there and that we were not lazy or passive. Maybe

making these slight changes could have altered her perception of us and helped build

harmony in our unit. Alternatively, even if we did not change her mind, we could have at

least changed how we interacted with each other and built a strong unit that could have

helped us communicate more efficiently and led to a different party outcome.

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

If I had the chance to do things differently, I would have been more assertive in

asking T what she was planning for the party and told her that I insisted on helping with

at least part of it. When communication and teamwork break down, there is a real chance

of failure. I know that she was friends with R, but being someone in a slightly higher

position than T, I should have realized that letting T do this would not turn out for the

best as she did not have the best decision-making skills. Even though “it is hard to be

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 effective when you are ambivalent, uncomfortable, or frightened. It gets easier as you

become more confident that you can handle others’ honest responses” (Bolman & Deal,

2017, pg. 164).

After the party, I also would have explained to R that the decorations were a play

on one of her favorite quotes to use around the office. I saw how she reacted during the

party and should have talked to her that day instead of letting it stew over the weekend.

Though, knowing how R usually talked to us and treated us, I most likely would have

chickened out because I avoid conflict and confrontations at all costs. Being willing to

step out of my comfort zone may have saved the unit a very stressful and uncomfortable

day.

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 Reference or References

Bolman, L. G. & Deal, T. E. (2017). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership

(6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass