OGL 481 Portfolio PCA

Structural Frame
Is the organizational setup of a company or organization, that everyone has a role that they play.
It could be from a top-down structure; the decisions are made from the top and the trickles down
the line of subordinates. There is also horizontal structure where there is not a lot of levels
separating upper management and lower-level employees. One style that has becoming more
common practice is bottom up, and that is where lower-level employee have more say and
“direct” contact with upper-level managers. The situation in my organization Starbucks, is that
although it has always been a top-down structure, and the divide between store employees and
upper management has become too big. There have been issues involving health and safety,
broken equipment, lack of product due to shortages, complicated drink recipes, and understaffing
that have not been addressed quickly or transparently. Partners are unhappy, many are quitting,
and stores are voting to unionize.
Reflection
Unfortunately, the position I am in is does not give me room to try and fix the situation. Our
store does not want to unionize, so the best we can do in the stores is keep filling out the partner
perspective surveys they send out quarterly. It is Starbucks’ way of trying to be more bottom-up
as opposed to top-down. Top-down structure works in a corporate setting but, when their
decisions negatively affect the jobs of the store partners, then it does not work. I would hope that
they might even become more horizontal and listen to district managers more, only if they give
honest feedback of the stores and not sugar coat it.
Human Resource Frame
It is the people that make up an organization and how they work together. It can mean creating
an environment where everyone feels like they belong that they have part ownership in the
organization. For some, it is the satisfaction of knowing something they worked on has an impact
on the everyday lives of the public. In Starbucks, there is a lack of motivation happening with the
partners in the stores because they do not feel valued and that Starbucks is just a job, not a career
opportunity. This was not always they case, when I started back in 2004, there was a belief that
upper management cared about what happened in the stores, and our main concern was creating
connections with our customers. Those days are long gone, now we have to worry about
transactions numbers, customer wait times, and then satisfaction numbers.
Reflection
I believe that human resource frame is about empowering employees, that they are what make
the company successful. Many times, throughout the book and in other courses, I would read
about the creation of Southwest Airlines, and that it values their employees. I do not get that
feeling from Starbucks, even as I read quotes from Howard Schultz in several of these chapters.
Some of my hesitancy might come from the previous CEO Kevin Johnson, he does not have the
same way with words that Howard does. When Howard speaks, or writes a letter to the company,
he has a way of inspiring people that make them proud to be a partner.
Political Frame
Political frame does not mean political affiliation, although it could play a part in the divide of an
organization. Politics refers to “activities associated with making decision in groups or other
forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status”
(Wikipedia contributors, 2022). Many people do not like workplace politics, it can pin team
members against each other, it can prevent people from doing an important and even life saving
job. At Starbucks, the issue with politics in the stores have usually been between lower-level
partners and management. Some stores are voting to unionize and that is creating a difficult
position for partners caught on both sides. There are stories painting both as conniving and
ruthless leaving no room for neutrality. The other problem with politics in the stores have been
whether or not you have a good relationship with your manager or district manager. Some
partners that have better relationships with managers can get away with not following rules and
policies, some have been able to get promotions from it.
Reflection
This was my least favorite frame to read about, it is all about playing the game to win. The
subject matter covered in these chapters showed that greed and self-preservation is more
important than people’s lives. Many big companies over the years have withheld information
because they were afraid of what it might mean for them and that should never be the case. The
situation in my organization is now where near that dire but, it does affect the livelihood of some
of our partners. If they happen to be on the wrong side of politics they can miss out on a
promotion, get a demotion, or forced out. It does not make a great work environment for anyone.
Symbolic Frame
Symbols have the power to inspire, uplift and be a beacon of hope. It can affect people
emotionally and be passed done through stories and myths for generations. Each symbol has
different meaning to organization it could be; culture, spiritual, ceremonial, theatrical. A symbol
that is important to Starbucks partners is the green apron. We all start off with one, just like a
green coffee bean. As we develop more in our role as a partner and create relationships with each
other, it becomes, stories we can passed to the next generation of green beans.

Culture Reflection
The culture in Starbucks is decaying. It used to a place where people enjoyed working at, that
this was a team, or a family and partners would share their experiences with each other. The love
of the craft is gone, there is no passion for the job, it is just work. Any time used to do coffee
tastings or work on beverage creation is seen a wasting time when they could be tasking. And
sadly, I now look at those as wasting time. I think we need to incorporate more ceremony and
celebration into work, it might be what is needed to light the spark.
Ethical Frame
Ethics in an organization is setting a mission and values statement and holding everyone
accountable to it. That might mean losing people that are great at their job but, if their actions go
against the values of the organization, then they need to go. It thrives off the culture of an
organization and can help it grow. Ethics are pressed upon us at work and there are some who
believe that it still exists, for others it does not. For the last four years, it has felt like Starbucks
put profit before people. They want us to increase business while being understaffed, and we do
not know how to earn more labor. We do not feel like the stores of yesteryear.
Ethics Reflection
Starbucks does some great things for their partners, free college, pay higher than minimum wage,
benefits for full and part-time employees, free premium Spotify, stock, and a 401k. Most of those
benefits have been around long before I started but, for many it is too little, too late. I think with
Kevin Johnson retiring some of the issues in the stores will go away however, the family feel is
gone, we are just co-workers, robots making coffee like a factory assembly line. We need our
spirit back because we have none.