Melissa M.

Villalobos

ASU, OGL 481-Reframing Leadership: Making Sense of Organizations 

October 26th, 2022

S, an official one-month partner for Starbucks, woke up for her 4:30 am opening shift at

Hunter’s point. She expected the day to go like her last; she would show up, her shift supervisor

will open the door, and she would prepare herself for the grueling day of tasks and orders ahead.

Being a barista was more work and verbal instructions than S had initially expected. She applied,

thinking it would be like her favorite chill coffee shop. Instead, Starbucks is busy and all about

routines. As a new hire, she is pounded with constant feedback at work. She hasn’t experienced

feedback from a manager in over a year after being a self-employed tattoo artist, calling that

feedback: micromanaging. Her shift was not there when she showed up to work on time. Melissa

had woken up late, arriving at 4:45 am. S was upset.

The situation with S can be viewed through Bolman’s Four Frames (2021). Bolman

describes leadership thinking as framing through mental models. Viewing a position in four

frames: Structural, Human Resource, Political and Symbolic can create insight into what is

occurring and aids in how to approach organizational situations. In S’s position, it can be seen as

an interpersonal relationship in a team setting.

I am Melissa, the supervisor running behind in the story stated above. Through the

Structural and Human Resource lens, I was ready with a plan to delegate the late start. When I

got there, I assessed the situation; being late, I had partners waiting in the cold. I sincerely

apologized to T, an anxious one-month partner, M, a reliable tenured partner, and a visibly

bothered S, who was already at the door. As a six-year partner and supervisor, I allotted the

morning tasks quickly and efficiently to ensure opening the store on time while keeping the tone
positive. I gave each person assignments and ensured everyone understood their roles. They had

agreed, and we carried on opening the store. I quickly noticed that S and T had switched from the

approved positions. When I came to coach them on the role switch, I immediately sensed S was

troubled. Upset, S said she did not want to hear any more coaching. She felt overwhelmed by me

due to my lateness. She felt unappreciated for her hard work and felt her actions were all

controlled. Without warning, she left the store for a smoke break. When this incident took place,

I was dumbstruck. Through a political framework, I felt disrespected by a fellow partner, and her

disobedience left me with the action of sending her home for being insubordinate.

Reflecting on the incident, I decided to use a technique learned in the text: Resolving

Conflicts at Work

and increased (my) ability to empathize with (my) opponent and acknowledge (her)

contributions to (my) learning and improvement (Goldsmith & Cloke, 2011, p. 9)

I spoke with S the next day; after listening to her side, I concluded that S needed to prepare for a

late opening as a newer partner. She was frustrated. She blamed the bureaucracy for the many

routines that made her job near impossible (Deal & Bolman, 2021, p. 30). As her leader, I had to

approach this creatively.

I decided to meet in the middle. According to the Leadership Orientation Scoring

Assessment, I favorably view leadership with a symbolic and human resource mental frame

model (structural coming third and political last). I consider my partners as an extension of my

family, and although it is not my job, I like helping and aiding in growing my fellow peers, and

when I have time, I approach the situation through a symbolic lens. I assured S that my lateness

was not personal and that I would use preventative measures not to let it happen again. We talked

about adapting routines and reconciled how to communicate in a formal way when situations like
these arise. Concluding the conversation, we both agreed that we left feeling satisfied and with a

renewed view of our connection.

 References:

Bolman, L. G. and Deal, T. E. (2021). Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and

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

Goldsmith, J., & Cloke, K. (2011). Resolving Conflicts at Work: Ten Strategies for Everyone on

the Job. Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, John.