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.

My role is the Store Manager at Backyard Bowls. Backyard Bowls is a

sustainably company that solely focuses on Acai Bowls. Our menu also ranges from

smoothies, porridges, toasts, and more. We focus a lot on being and staying healthy,

offering a lot of enhancements to add to bowls and smoothies that are beneficial to your

health. My role involves managing the location in Santa Monica and creating an authentic

and positive work environment.

My situation involved me as a new Store Manager, transitioning into this position

in March 2022, I was not fully informed of the responsibilities and changes that would

need to occur prior to accepting this position. Since the interview, I was told that the last

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 Manager had neglected office duties, back of house organization, and cleanliness of the

store. When I was hired on and started my training, that is when I came to the

understanding the challenges and conflict my store has had. Because of the lack of detail,

it took me by surprise and I had to have a change of focus on how to deal with the current

issues at hand. Though it was an overwhelming experience, I was able to prioritize

individual situations and make improvements starting from the most important.

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

“There is no guarantee that those who gain power will use it wisely or justly”

(Bolman, L.G., & Deal, T.E., 2003, Pg. 199). With that said, this is influencial to my

situation based on how the person in charge tends to control the energy and overall

environment of their store. Given that prior to taking on my store as my own, it has been

previously neglected and unsupported.

Due to this factor, there was scarce employees that either ended up quitting or did

not have the best attendance, there were constant struggles of finding coverage for shifts,

there were unsupportive staff. But through it all, those that remained were able to get

through the dark part of the tunnel until someone came along to create a more positive

change.

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

action regarding your case.

When we look at conflict in organizations on a political perspective, not all

conflict are entirely a problem or a sign that something is wrong (Bolman, L.G., & Deal,

T.E., 2003, Pg. 197). Conflict is constant and challenges the status quo that encourages

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 new ideas and perspectives to an overall problem. This is a great alternative course of

action regarding my situation because this allowed me to be put in a spot to really

understand the problem and create solutions and plans to create a better store

environment.

Political prism focus primarily on strategy and tactics rather than resolution on

conflict. Depending on how the conflict is managaed reflects on the outcome of the

situation. Having a poorly managed conflict tends to lead to bickering and ineffective

power struggles, on the other hand, having a well-managed conflict stimulates creativity

and helps others to be more adaptive.

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

about this frame.

In learning about this frame, it’s put the political portion into a better perspective

of understanding the situation differently. It also gave me a better understanding of how

my situation was influenced by a past manager when it was transitioned to me.

Additionally, this gave me a better understanding of how conflict influence politics in the

workplace. Though I already knew how conflict is inevitable and also helps us find a

solution, I never really fully understood how it is a way to stimulate creativity and

innovation.

I believe that what I have learned about this frame gave me a better understanding

of my situation and I can now see it from a political standpoint. Whereas before, I had

seen it as just plain conflict that I was able to resolve in what I saw fit at the time.

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 References

Backyard bowls. Backyard Bowls. (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2022, from

http://www.backyardbowls.com/

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2003). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership.