OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA-Structural Frame Worksheet

Worksheet Objectives:
1. Describe the structural frame
2. Apply the structural 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.

The situation that I am doing for my PCA is analyzing the parental leave and breastfeeding

policies in the Air Force. My role would be considered both internal and external given the

nature that I was once in the military and these policies affected me. Now that I am out of the Air

Force my opinions and insights are more external.

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

To begin, as described in our textbook, “…the structural frame depicts a rational world and

emphasizes organizational architecture, including planning, strategy, goals, structure,

technology, specialized roles, coordination, formal relationships, metrics, and rubrics.” (Boleman

2021 pg 17). In short the structural frame is just the structure of the organization.

The structural frame of the Air Force, also known as the organizational structure, is

composed of several levels, including the highest level of leadership, known as the Headquarters

Air Force (HAF). The HAF is responsible for formulating policies, providing direction and

guidance, and making decisions on behalf of the Air Force. Beneath the HAF are the major

commands (MAJCOMs), which are responsible for training, organizing, and equipping the Air

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Force's operational units. The next level of the organizational structure is the numbered Air

Force (NAF), which is responsible for executing the policies and guidance provided by the HAF

and MAJCOMs. The NAFs are typically organized by geographic region or mission, such as the

9th Air Force, which is responsible for air operations in the Middle East. Below the NAFs are the

wings, which are responsible for the everyday operations of the Air Force's units. Wings are

typically made up of multiple squadrons, which are responsible for specific types of aircraft or

missions. Finally, there are the individual units, such as squadrons and flights, which are

responsible for carrying out the missions specifically assigned to them.

The structural frame of the Air Force outlines the different levels of leadership and

organization within the Air Force. These levels of leadership and organization can and do

influence breastfeeding and parental leave policies in a number of ways. First, policies related to

breastfeeding and parental leave are typically created and implemented at the highest level of

leadership, such as the Headquarters Air Force (HAF). This means that any changes or updates

to these policies will likely come from the HAF, rather than lower levels of the organizational

structure. Secondly, the major commands (MAJCOMs) within the Air Force may also play a role

in implementing breastfeeding and parental leave policies. For example, the Air Education and

Training Command (AETC) may be responsible for ensuring that breastfeeding and parental

leave policies are being followed at Air Force training facilities, while the Air Mobility

Command (AMC) may be responsible for ensuring that these policies are being followed by Air

Force personnel who are frequently deployed or deployed on short notice. From experience, just

because the (MAJCOMs) approve these policies and implement them into their commands, still

does not always guarantee that you get the full use out of these policies.

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 Finally, the individual units such as squadrons and flights within the Air Force may be

responsible for implementing breastfeeding and parental leave policies on a day-to-day basis.

This is usually the point where if an individual member is requesting to take parental leave or

accomadate breast feeding rights get submitted and then either approved or denied. Each

squadron commander will have their own policies in place depending on the base and the

mission. When I was in, I was apart of the Force Support Squadron which falls under the

Mission Support Group. Therefore, there were no accomodations that were made for me when I

had my first child in 2015. The squadron could not support it.

This support could include providing lactation rooms, accommodations for breastfeeding

mothers, and ensuring that personnel are aware of their rights to take parental leave. However,

since I have left the military (almost two years ago) There have been more policies put into place

and it is now a mandated policy that breastfeeding mother’s have a lacatation room provided for

them in each unit. It is also mandated that these mothers are protected for the first year to be able

to have adequate time to go and pump. I believe that this is huge. I know that I had a hard time

with this and I was told if I wanted to pump then I needed to go into the bathroom to do so. Also

because I was working in such a high demand area, I was not given time to go and pump

throughout the day. It was hard being in the military and being a first time mom and having guilt

that I am not able to provide milk for my baby because my job/career does not make it easy. It

took a mental toll on me. It's important to note that Federal laws like Family and Medical Leave

Act (FMLA) and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) now applies to the Air Force as well.

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

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 One alternative course of action for implementing breastfeeding and parental leave policies

within the Air Force would be to create a dedicated office or program within the Headquarters

Air Force (HAF) specifically focused on these issues. Kind of like equal opportunity, but more

specific for breastfeeding and parental policies. This office or program could be responsible for

creating and updating policies related to breastfeeding and parental leave, as well as providing

guidance and support to the major commands and individual units within the Air Force. This

office or program could also be responsible for conducting research and gathering data on the

effectiveness of current breastfeeding and parental leave policies, as well as identifying areas

where improvements could be made. This data could be used to make evidence-based

recommendations for changes to policies and procedures.

Additionally, this office or program could be responsible for providing training and

education to Air Force personnel on breastfeeding and parental leave policies, as well as

providing resources and support to new parents. There is a group called “Breastfeeding in

Combat Boots” that also helps bring awareness to these issues, but tailord for all branches. Each

base also provides a program called “The New Parent Support” and it helps by providing parent

training and classes for those that would like classes or more knowledge on being a parent.

However, I do believe that there could be more support provided. This could include providing

lactation rooms – which they have finally mandated within the last year that all units will have a

designanted lactation room that accommodations for breastfeeding mothers. I believe that there

should be an organization for ensuring that personnel are aware of their rights to take parental

leave. Yes, that’s why AFI’s and policies are put in place. However, when you get these new

Airman and they interpret it different ways, then their supervisors say differently, and it just

keeps going, they end up getting screwed because they were not fully aware. By creating a

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dedicated office or program within the HAF focused on breastfeeding and parental leave, the Air

Force would be able to more effectively and efficiently implement these policies across all levels

of the organizational structure.

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

Given what I have learned about the structural frame of the Air Force, I would make sure that

my proposed alternative course of action for implementing breastfeeding and parental leave

policies takes into account the different levels of leadership and organization within the Air

Force. Specifically, I would ensure that my proposed office or program within the Headquarters

Air Force (HAF) provides clear guidance and support to the major commands (MAJCOMs) and

individual units, so that policies and procedures related to breastfeeding and parental leave can

be consistently and effectively implemented across the Air Force. I would also make sure to

involve representatives from the different levels of the Air Force's organizational structure in the

development and implementation of policies and procedures related to breastfeeding and parental

leave. This could include representatives from the major commands (MAJCOMs) and individual

units, as well as breastfeeding and parenting experts, such as members of the New Parent

Support Group and Breastfeeding in Combat Boots. I would also ensure that the office or

program conducts regular evaluations of the policies and procedures related to breastfeeding and

parental leave, gather data on the effectiveness of current policies, and use this data to make

recommendations for improvements.

Finally, I would make sure that the office or program provides training and education to Air

Force personnel on breastfeeding and parental leave policies, as well as providing resources and

support to new parents, such as letting them know about these groups.

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 References:

"AFI 1-1, Air Force Standards" (2020). Air Force Instruction 1-1. https://static.e-
publishing.af.mil/production/1/af_a1/publication/afi1-1/afi1-1.pdf

"AFI 36-3003, Family Care Plans" (2019). Air Force Instruction 36-3003. https://static.e-
publishing.af.mil/production/1/af_a3/publication/afi36-3003/afi36-3003.pdf

Air Force | Breastfeeding Policies & Regs. (n.d.). Mom2Mom

Global. https://www.mom2momglobal.org/bficb/us-air-force-breastfeeding-policies

"Air Force Policy Directive 40-65, Parental Leave" (2019). Air Force Policy Directive 40-65.
https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/af_a1/publication/afpd40-65/afpd40-65.pdf

"Air Force Structure" (n.d.). United States Air Force. https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-

Sheets/Display/Article/104460/air-force-structure/

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

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

"Pregnancy Discrimination" (n.d.). Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/pregnancy.cfm

"Supporting breastfeeding mothers in the military" (2019). JAMA Pediatrics, 173(7), 657-658.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2735011

"Supporting working mothers: The role of organizational and community resources" (2016).
American Journal of Community Psychology, 57(3-4), 392-406.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10464-016-9840-4

"The Family and Medical Leave Act" (n.d.). United States Department of Labor.
https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/workhours/fmla