OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA-Symbolic Frame Worksheet

Worksheet Objectives:
1. Describe the symbolic frame
2. Apply the symbolic frame to your personal case situation

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

My role is internal, I am a provider success represensitive. I handle the billing for

members. I also price services for the providers. My role as all the others in the company
is work from home. The communication was the problem entering this company, both
girls I work with were very busy and it was hard to set time for training as well as the
delay in gaining access I needed to do my job. There was very little policies and
procedures in place for me to go by.

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

This one I think is hard to reflect into the situation. Zero symbolizes the good in
health care. People being able to take control of there health at a zero cost to them. Most
people can’t afford their deductibles and out of pockets which in return means they can’t
get the surgeries, lab testing, radiology, colonoscopies and so on done. Zero makes that
possible, the symbols internally are sound too. The company takes care of its people. As a
company still in the start up phase of course is still establishing its business.

I think it is the culture of the organization, that fostered the change when it
became an issue. When I felt like I couldn’t get good communication in, I left it at that. It
was a in person conversation that we had as a team that brought the issue up, and the
problems I was having trying to get a better understanding of my position. It was the
director who wanted her team to succeed that stepped up and asked what we could do
differently to better ensure the communication was better and the training.

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

Being a new company with people who had been there less than two years at that time,
creates a hard alternative. When you work in the office together things are a little bit

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 easier. In this case I think schedules should be established up front, any important
information should be kept on a shared spreadsheet under that certain organization. In
this situation I think the only other alternative course of action would have been to let the
team create the policy and procedures as they went and had it reviewed by management
for approval to use to guide the next people that come in for training.
While lines of communication were established it was the lack of communication
among the group or guidelines. One person shouldn’t show you different than the other
person. This is where those policies and procedures are needed. If that would have been
established as they worked and schedules were defined the role would be easier to
transition into.

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

I think given the organizations symbols, what I could have done differently is
speak up sooner. I should have taken face value of the organizations care for their
employees and their opinions as source of open communication. I did not speak up in fear
of retaliation based on my previous work experiences. This hindered my role in the
beginning.
When I realized that I was able to communicate my problems to my director, she
made the necessary changes, she talked to me about what I could do differently, and
created a solution for better training. Policies and procedures were documented and
reviewed by our team as a means of ensuring that nothing was missed going forward.

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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