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 1, I explained a situation at my previous workplace, a restaurant in

Glendale, Arizona, where tips were split between sushi chefs and servers. This way of

distributing the tips from dine-in orders created some controversy and discussion about

fairness. In this restaurant I worked first as a hostess for two years and then, later, as a

server for a year.

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

At the restaurant I was employed with, organizational politics influenced the

situation explained above, both in how it unfolded and the lack of a resolution despite

numerous complaints. To understand the situation and how it relates to politics, the term

must first be defined. As explained in Reframing Organizations, “politics is the realistic

process of making decisions and allocating resources in a context of scarcity and

divergent interests” (Bolman & Deal, 2021, p. 185). One aspect of politics that is

important to acknowledge is the idea that “interdependence, divergent interests, scarcity,

and power relations inevitably spawn political action” meaning that politics within an

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 organization is generally not avoidable, though managing politics within an organization

is necessary (Bolman & Deal, 2021, p. 190).

During my experiences with separating tips at this restaurant, I can see that

politics was a large factor in the perceived lack of fairness. One issue, scarce resources, is

related to the idea of splitting tips. Since the number and amount of tips received varied

each shift, tips can be considered a scarce resource. As mentioned in Reframing

Organizations, “most important decisions involve allocating scarce resources- deciding

who gets what” which is the exact political issue that we faced (Bolman & Deal, 2021, p.

191). This created problems with communication and how employees treated each other

since “scarce resources and enduring differences put conflict at the center of day-to-day

dynamics and make power the most important asset” (Bolman & Deal, 2021, p. 191).

This conflict resulted in a lack of willingness to work together and ultimately led to no

solution being established.

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

While it is important to recognize that many have a negative view of politics,

organizations can benefit from understanding that politics may have a positive impact on

an organization. Keeping in mind that “a jaundiced view of politics constitutes a serious

threat to individual and organizational effectiveness” is important as leaders must

acknowledge that politics within organizations is often not positive and usually requires

maintenance (Bolman & Deal, 2021, p. 185). Similarly, “understanding basic issues of

power, conflict, and ethics” is vital to problem-solving and overall effectiveness (Bolman

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 & Deal, 2021, p. 185). The idea that organizations can utilize politics to overcome issues

relating to power and conflict should not be overlooked.

In the restaurant I worked for, politics could be used to improve the situation and

find an outcome that satisfies many. For example, agenda setting could be a viable way to

use politics to make changes (Bolman & Deal, 2021). Remembering that “a vision

without a strategy remains an illusion” makes creating an agenda seem worthwhile

(Bolman & Deal, 2021, p. 214). However, this may not be easy, since “a strategy has to

recognize major forces working for and against the agenda” such as the managers, the

owners, and the servers and sushi chefs involved in the situation (Bolman & Deal, 2021,

p. 214). Another way that organizational politics can be used for an alternative course of

action is to remember that “bargaining is central to decision making” and not be afraid to

work together and have disagreements (Bolman & Deal, 2021, p. 219). Creating an

agenda that stresses the importance of finding a resolution to this issue that considers

everyone involved, has the possibility of generating the change that is desperately

needed.

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

After learning about the political frame, I have a different perspective when

considering organizations. Prior to learning about the political frame, I had a more

difficult time understanding how politics affects non-political companies. However,

while reading about the political frame I began to see that all organizations face some sort

of internal politics and are influenced by external factors (Bolman & Deal, 2021). I can

observe how various issues like conflict and power influence organizations, job

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 satisfaction, and overall productivity. Similarly, I can use the examples seen in chapters

9, 10, and 11 of Reframing Organizations to understand how to resolve issues related to

politics within a workplace (Bolman & Deal, 2021). Most importantly, after reflecting on

the political frame I can interpret the situation created in Module 1 in a different, more

useful way.

With my knowledge of the political frame, I would spend time considering how

power is influencing those within the organization. I would consider how power has

resulted in conflict among servers and sushi chefs, as both parties assume they are tied to

a system that creates feelings of inequality. I would utilize my understanding that “goals

and decisions emerge from bargaining, negotiation, and jockeying” and find a way for all

team members to unite, express ideas, and come to a common agreement (Bolman &

Deal, 2021, p. 191). Taking into account what I know about politics and how it relates to

organizations, I would enlist the help of my manager to help bring everyone together.

Encouraging my manager to remind all team members to “separate people from the

problem” can help all involved come to a solution that is truly fair and focused on the

issue (Bolman & Deal, 2021, p. 219).

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 Reference

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2021). Reframing Organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership

(7th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.