OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

Personal Case Analysis (PCA) -Human Resources Frame

CONFIDENTIAL

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

Phoenix-Metro Public College (PMPC) is the organization I have chosen to focus on for
my Personal Case Analysis (PCA). I had the opportunity to experience this organization
in both internal and external capacities for no less than two years and my observations
have given me plenty of data to analyze the strengths and weaknesses based on current
structure and desired strategic goals. PMPC considers itself to be a “learning”
organization, both for the customers it serves as well as the nearly thousand employees
staffed there. Based on the current structural frame, “learning” is not always the outcome.
In fact, I would argue that the current structure enforces barriers to learning, especially
for employee development.

As an independent consultant, I have been tasked with analyzing PMPC’s organizational

structures based on the Four Frames (Bolman, 2022) to determine how they may better
reach their strategic goals in providing exemplary service to all stakeholders.

2) Describe how the human resources of the organization influenced the situation.

The Human Resources frame influenced the situation of creating barriers to learning for
both students and employees. Coincidently, the Human Resources Department was a
main factor and influence in the failure to reach organizational objectives by my
observation. It seemed that they were more concerned with daily processes of recruiting
and hiring rather than having a solid training and development program, even for those
within their own department. Those that worked in the department worked well with one
another to complete all departmental tasks, but the resistance to invest in new and
established employees through continual learning opportunities was concerning. The only
justification that was given against mentoring, authorization to increase skill sets,
knowledge, and development of employee responsibility was that it would require them
to increase the wage, which they were unwilling to do even after consistent
demonstrations of loyalty and a desire to learn by long-term staff.

This was an indication that the Human Resource structure prevented the organization
from aligning with its assertion that it is a learning organization (despite, and in contrast
to its academic service to students). As employers, they failed to fully invest in those they
hired on as colleagues and team members (Bolman, 2022). The expectation appeared to
be that the employees would invest in their own professional development on their own
time. The result was that the employees seemed to be disconnected from one another,

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 individually, departmentally, and from the organization itself. As Bolman and Deal state
in the chapter 6 conclusion of Reframing Organizations, the disconnect causes the
organization to suffer for lack of investing in its people (2022).

3) Recommend how you would use the human resources for an alternative course of
action regarding your case.

I would begin my recommendations to PMPC for an alternative course of action by

restating the organization’s mission and vision, inquiring as to how these values align
with their employee relations model. I would then inquire as to how the current Human
Resource structure, assumptions, and perceptions may be playing a role in perhaps not
reaching the highest potential of organizational vision and strategic goals.

Improving Human Resource structure and management might require challenging many
of their working assumptions and providing new perspective and influence toward a more
integrative approach. The students of PMPC should not be the only stakeholder
beneficiaries of the business model. Including the employees as beneficiaries of the
learning organization will serve the organization and all of its internal and external
stakeholders. Students will have a better experience as a direct result of instructors and
staff who continue to grow, strengthening the campus, and fostering trust, collaboration,
and exemplary customer service.

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

It seems obvious to state that organizations will benefit from employees who feel a sense
of belonging coming from being treated like they matter, and invested in through training
and opportunities for promotion, but I think it is often overlooked or forgotten by
leadership looking to improve the bottom line (Bolman, 2022). A lack of egalitarianism
in an organization places employees’ value only in what they can do for the employer
without any return on investment of those employees’ time, skill sets, good faith and
loyalty.

Change must begin by leadership taking a hard look at each member of the team,
including themselves, remembering why they were hired in the first place, identifying the
collective strengths and weaknesses in interpersonal skills, defining solutions, and having
the hard conversations that challenge our assumptions. In chapter 8, Interpersonal and
Group Dynamics, leadership is encouraged to consider effective group dynamics, and the
task and process levels at which they operate (Bolman, 2022). I would encourage
leadership to include themselves in those considerations, and to find common ground and
create an environment of equity when beginning the endeavor of structural reframing.

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 References

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2022, September 17). Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice,

and Leadership (7th ed.). Perusall. https://app.perusall.com/courses/ogl-481-org-

leadership-pro-seminar-i-2022-fall-b-795852759/reframing-organizations-artistry-choice-

and-leadership?chapter=Acover