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.

In June 2022, Gains in Bulk encountered a challenge due to a shortage of creatine

resulting from a series of unforeseeable circumstances. Gains in Bulk is a vitamins and

supplement company located in the small town of Pima, Arizona. The company operates out

of a large building that houses its production and fulfillment operations. While I am no

longer employed with the organization, I worked as a full-time production and fulfillment

staff member for six months. My daily responsibilities included measuring and filling bottles

and bags with the correct supplements in the production area during the morning, and

packaging customer orders, and generating shipping labels for the latter half of the day.

In an effort to increase efficiency, the company recently implemented a new system of

production that allowed for the mass production of various products, including creatine, at a

faster-than-ever-before pace. This new system enabled the company to ship products to

customers within a few days, a significant improvement over the prior shipping time of

around a week. However, after burning through an entire shipment of creatine within two

weeks, the company was not due to receive another shipment for another month. Despite the

low supply, the company continued to sell creatine on the website. Additionally, new

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 customers who ordered the company's renowned creatine were disappointed to learn that it

wouldn’t be shipped to them for the next several weeks. This situation had varying impacts

on staff members and ultimately damaged the company's reputation and profitability for a

period of several months.

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

A key factor that contributed to the severity of the situation at Gains in Bulk was the lack

of communication within the company's structure. The organization was divided into two

distinct teams, one working in the warehouse in production and fulfillment, and the other

working in the office handling sales, marketing, and customer service. This separation often

made it feel as though the teams were operating as two separate entities, rather than working

together as a cohesive unit.

The company's structure resembled a "One Boss" approach, where each team had its own

leader and operated efficiently and quickly, according to Bolman and Deal's framework

(Bolman & Deal, 2021, Exhibit 5.1). While this structure can be effective in some situations,

in this case, it hindered the company's ability to address the problem at hand. In order to

effectively diffuse the situation, both teams needed to come together as a unified whole to

discuss the issues at hand. Unfortunately, the lack of effective communication between the

production and fulfillment team and the office team resulted in a breakdown in information

sharing. The production team did not adequately communicate how quickly they were

running through the product, leaving the office team unaware of the shortage. Even after the

office team was notified of the shortage, they continued selling and promoting the creatine

product, which ultimately led to further complications for the company.

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

To address the creatine shortage, I would use the structural frame by implementing

effective communication and planning within the organization. First, it is important to

identify the roles and responsibilities of each department involved in the production and

fulfillment process. By doing so, we can assign the appropriate tasks to the employees who

are in the best position to complete them successfully. To prevent a similar situation in the

future, we need to create a plan to order products ahead of time based on the company's new

operational speed. Communication is key to this process, and it is crucial that each

department communicates effectively with each other to prevent a communication

breakdown. In addition to communication, the company needs to establish a system of

checks and balances to ensure that important tasks like product orders are not overlooked.

One solution would be to assign multiple people to manage the task, such as a team of

employees from different departments.

As a young company, Gains in Bulk needs to be proactive in anticipating potential issues

and changes that could impact the business. This can be achieved by implementing a

strategic planning process that involves all relevant departments. By doing so, the company

can prepare for changes and see potential risks before they occur. By utilizing effective

communication and planning within the structural frame of the organization, we can address

the creatine shortage and prevent similar issues from occurring in the future. The key is to

identify roles and responsibilities, establish a system of checks and balances, and implement

a strategic planning process that involves all relevant departments.

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 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 this structural frame, I would emphasize the importance

of effective communication within the organization to avoid a similar situation in the future.

Specifically, I would recommend creating a more collaborative and integrated structure,

where all teams work together towards the same goals. One approach could be to adopt a

circle network structure, where everyone in the organization has an equal role and

importance, and communication flows freely between all members of the team. This could

facilitate better information sharing and coordination among all teams, and help to prevent

miscommunications or misunderstandings that could lead to problems like the creatine

shortage.

I would also recommend reassigning tasks to ensure that the right people are in the best

position to complete them successfully. For example, tasks such as ordering more products

should be assigned to those who have the necessary skills and expertise to handle them

effectively. Additionally, I would suggest creating a plan for managing change within the

organization, including regular assessments of how changes might impact the organization

and its processes, as well as identifying potential risks and opportunities associated with each

change.

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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