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.

Briefly restate your situation from Module 1 and your role.

The name of my organization is Starbucks Coffee Company. Starbucks is a company that

has been around since 1971, when they first sold whole-bean coffee to customers in

Seattle, WA. Their iconic name comes from the old tale Moby Dick, speaking on the

mythical creature, the siren, who lured men to their death out at sea. Starbuck's mission is

to create a culture of warmth and belonging where everyone is welcome, but its mission

statement has recently been scrutinized. While Starbucks has made great strides in

adapting to change, Starbucks is currently experiencing a spike in unionizing stores

across the nation. The demand started with partners demanding a voice regarding the vital

decision-making in where the organization is going. The disconnect between corporate

and partners has grown, creating understaffed stores and exhausted baristas. Partners feel

their rights are being violated, their hours are being cut, wages reduced, and leaders are

overstretching their authority when partners decide to unionize. I am an assistant store

manager with Starbucks, so my role is internal.

Describe how the politics of the organization influenced the situation.

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 Bolman states that the political frame showcases how organizations are inevitably

political (Bolman & Deal, 2021.) Starbucks strives to have a diverse culture; their

employees scored the company seventy-five out of one hundred across various culture

categories, placing Starbucks in the top fifteen percent of diverse companies (Diversity at

Starbucks, 2022.) Political activity is more perceptible and prevalent under diverse

conditions, making ongoing disparities easier for Starbucks, especially when every

partner is united under similar values and beliefs. However, these unionizing workers

bring different beliefs, values, and interests.

At Starbucks, top managers set goals such as growth and profitability. To help reach

these goals, Starbucks employs a range of standard operating procedures to avoid

uncertainty. These procedures have had pushback from many unionized partners, and

they argue that these rules and policies favor the customer over the partner. With how

Starbucks measures success, partners feel their worth is limited to a number for

management. Starbucks has used coercive power to constrain and interfere with

unionizing workers who disagree with how Starbucks is going about its business.

Starbucks Workers United showed the same coercive power when they gathered together

to make a difference. While it is productive in starting a movement, it has been

debilitating for Starbucks as it now faces union representatives advocating on a political

field with other unionized partners.

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

action regarding your case.

Coalitions are formed because partners need one another despite the differences in their

interests. Constructive politics is a possibility and necessary to make Starbucks efficient

while ensuring their coalitions are high-functioning. Cyert and March bring up quasi‐

resolution of conflict, which means organizations break problems into pieces and farm

pieces out to different units (Bolman & Deal, 2021.) Allowing partners to be a part of

resolving this conflict will align the coalitions to continue functioning. Starbucks has

done far too many problematic searches for solutions, grabbing the first acceptable

solution instead of analyzing how to move forward. Starbucks should evolve its goals and

bring its partners along in the journey instead.

From a political perspective, goals emerge from the bargaining and negotiation among

powerful coalitions. While authorities are the dominant members of the coalition, like

upper management, partners should also be recognized as a powerful coalition. Starbucks

Workers United believes the wrong people are setting the agenda when it should be the

partners, or they should at least have a part in the process. Partners should also be

developing the political map, networking, and building coalitions and should be the one's

bargaining and negotiating.

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

frame.

Things I would do differently is developing Starbucks' political skills while incorporating

partners. The political view depicts coalitions composed of individuals and groups with

enduring differences, which put power and conflict at the center of organizational

decision-making (Bolman & Deal, 2021.) This means an effective leader should create an

agenda for the company and stakeholders and those who help keep the organization

running with two primary elements: a vision balancing the long‐term interests of key

parties and a strategy for achieving the vision while recognizing competing for internal

and external forces (Bolman & Deal, 2021.)

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 Reference

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

(7th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass

Diversity at Starbucks. Comparably. (2022). Retrieved from

https://www.comparably.com/companies/starbucks/diversity