OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA-Political Frame Worksheet

1. Briefly restate your situation from Module 1 and your role.

While serving as a military recuiter in 2019 to 2021, I had a leader who prioritized his need to

be the best recruiting commander within the Brigade by exceeding the standards or quota for

recruits at any cost. The problem was the process in which he took to reach this recognition

without considering the affects on his organization and recruiters, more so, during the middle of

the pandemic when the economy was in chaos.

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

Politics most definitely influenced this situation. With the pandemic causing chaos and fear, the

ability to gain any recruits let alone keep prospects were slim to none. The pressure from top

leadership made for stressful and tiring days for the recruiters. This in addition to being given

corrective action or administrative punishment for not meeting quotas did not assist in the

declining trust in leadership and decrease in the effectiveness and efficiency of recruiters.

“People rarely give their best efforts and fullest cooperation simply because they have been

ordered to do so. They accept direction better when they perceive the people in authority are

credible, competent, and sensible.” (Bolman & Deal, 2021) Thus was the main issue for my

colleagues and I. Though we continued with the mission, we did not feel as if our well-being

was being looked out for as long as the said leaders agenda was fulfilled.

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

regarding your case.

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We often hear “first impressions are critical.” I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. In this

instance, I feel that this commander could have better used his position to build relationships

with his organization in order to better outline his visions. By doing so, he would have been able

to at least take in the perspectives of his employees and build the motivation they would need to

ensure mission success. “The basic point is simple, as a manager, you need friends and allies to

get things done.” (Bolman & Deal, 2021) I would have also considered bargaining and

negotiation with the team. Offering incentives for their hardwork instead of solely punishing

recruiters for not meeting stats, especially during a time such as the COVID pandemic in

addition to the tragedy faced in the Ukraine, when it is a known fact that due to such, people

were reluctant to join the military. “Agreeing on criteria at the beginning of negotiations can

produce optimisum and momentum.” (Bolman & Deal, 2021)

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

frame.

In traditional organizations, we tend to see the workload as top down. What we don’t take in

considerations is that regardless of position, there is always an opportunity for individuals to

show their leadership skills. In regards to this situation, I would have gathered some inputs from

my fellow recruiters and proposed some ideas on some incentives that could better assist them in

keeping up morale and motivate them to continue striving for mission accomplishment. For

example, to balance time on/off, perhaps a day or two off for the station that has the highest

number of recruits. Or even a cash incentive for the leading recruiter. Though this would apply

only to my internal station, I could propose it to the higher commander in case he would like to

use for the organization as a whole.

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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