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.

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 politics of the organization influenced the situation.

The politics of our organization can boil down to the fact that “enduring

differences put conflict at the center of day-to-day dynamics and make power the most

important asset" (Bolman & Deal, 2017, pg. 185). We were a unit of very different

personalities trying to work together while also working towards different agendas. Some

tried to be more dominant and others, like myself, were more reserved. Because of the

varying agendas in the office we were not all on the same page with what we wanted to

accomplish. Myself and a few of the other people in the office just wanted to come to

work, do our jobs, and throw our boss a nice going away party.

T being a dominant person and wanting to get her way took charge of the party,

not asking for our input in any way. R, also a dominant person, liked to be in control, and

the fact that she felt disrespected by our actions caused her to feel like she had no control.

This lack of control caused her to lash out at us to assert her dominance and power over

us. So even though it was her last day, her perception of us was that we were trying to

undermine her and embarrass her in front of her boss.

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

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 First and foremost, understanding that our organization is made up of very

different people with varying agendas is essential for being successful in any

organization. In my situation, being more dominant in my opinion of what should have

been done for the party may have helped turn it into more of a formal party instead of a

party with inside jokes that outsiders did not understand. T needed to understand that she

did not hold all of the power and that others were entitled to opinions too.

In addition, understanding how power dynamics work would have helped me

recognize that an epic meltdown was headed our way. I already knew R could be volatile

when her power and authority were challenged or when she thought her reputation was

on the line. So, putting her in a situation where she might get offended if influenced by

outside forces should have triggered a warning to me that the situation needed to be

addressed before things got out of hand.

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

Reflecting on what we have learned about the Political Frame, the main thing I

could have done differently is not let R or T believe that they hold all of the power in the

office. “Power can be volatile, rising and falling with changes in circumstances" (Bolman

& Deal, 2017, pg. 195). When people think they hold all of the power, it affects their

judgment and creates a divide between them and everyone else. Giving people options

and the freedom to voice their opinions is the way to build trust. Everyone should get a

say in what happens when it will affect them.

I also think communicating with each other and learning about our differences

would have helped bridge the gaps we have due to those differences. Bridging that gap

would have helped us form an alliance or coalition. "Getting things done in an

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organization involves working through a complex network of individuals and groups.

Friends and allies make things a lot easier" (Bolman & Deal, 2017, pg. 194). We would

have been more of a team instead of separate individuals.

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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