OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA-Political Frame Worksheet

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

A senior manager at Malouf Companies has been frustrated with the lack of growth and
opportunities within the company, also citing unclear strategy and expectations in his current
role. This manager has put a lot of work, effort and sacrifice into building Malouf, and has
played a significant role in who they are today. Recognizing that he has deficiencies in several
areas, this senior manager proactively reached out to his new VP to try and get some guidance
and career/growth planning. He first sent an email to the VP with specific details that he would
like to learn and be involved with. It took the VP four months to respond to the email, and
another two months to set up a meeting and talk. In the meeting a few items were discussed but
the VP did not come prepared. In the end the take aways for the Senior Manager was that he
would need to “figure it out” on his own to get involved with everything he wanted to grow and
learn.

The Senior manager was frustrated with the overall situation due to the VP not responding in
a timely manner, and that the outcome did not result in a growth or action plan, or any other type
of strategic approach to be given a chance to build his capabilities or learning opportunities.

I have an internal role at Malouf companies. My job is Director of distribution and

operations. I specifically oversee the Distribution network for Malouf companies.

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

The politics within the organization certainly play a role in this situation. The way power is
distributed closely resembles an under bounded system, “power is very loosely controlled”
and an “Under bound system encourages conflict and power games”. (Bolman & Deal 2021,
pp 203). As noted in previous frames there is very little structure so when power is loosely
controlled it can lead to situations like this. It means that if the leader in “power” in this case

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 the VP of operations doesn’t see this as a need to address currently and he has the legitimate
prerogative to not do anything, and that decision becomes binding.

“Politics is the realistic process of making decisions and allocating resources in a context
of scarcity and divergent interests”. (Bolman & Deal 2021, pp 185). The VP is responsible
for allocating resources, and currently feels that this manager seeking growth opportunities is
best providing those resources in his current role rather than creating new opportunities. It
falls upon the VP and his power to prioritize workflow to ensure that the operations of the
company functions as it should and deciding who gets what and who does what. Based on the
situation those decisions diverge from the feelings and interests of the manager looking for
new opportunities. The manager now has a decision to make within the political frame as
well. He can choose to accept things how they are, or he can focus on networking and
building coalitions internally within other groups of the organization to achieve opportunities
for growth by gaining perspective and insight and doing it on his own. He can “Develop,
wherever possible, links with potential opponents to facilitate communication, education, or
negotiation”. (Bolman & Deal 2021, pp 217).

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

The political framework poses so many different challenges and situations to balance.
The idea of managing impressions of forming coalitions and cultivating networks brings
out a lot of human emotions and self-interest, balancing those with organizational
interests and the unique ecosystems that exist within an organization. The case really falls
into the self-interests of the manager looking for growth and opportunities and aligning it
with organizational interests.
I think the main thing that could help with provide the desired outcome through
an alternative course of action really falls on the manager and his ability to network
within the organization, specifically networking and involving Human Resources rather
than just talking about things with his manager, the VP of operations. Human resources
also can help align goals and self-interests with employees and the organization. So,
while the VP might not see it, HR can help balance and provide opportunities to move
forward as well. HR can not only provide some balance, but they are stakeholders in
making decisions and allocating resources of diverging interests like this case.

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

The political frame for this case poses some significant barriers for the manager. The VP
is in a position of power and making binding decisions for the business and for team
members. He is responsible and accountable to ensure that business operations happen as
they should. The only thing I would recommend given this frame would be that the manager
use his ability to learn and grow through networking within the organization. His ability to

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 make connections and relationships would provide opportunities to learn and gain
perspective, but also form coalitions with other teams and managers that could possibly open
doors for similar opportunities that he is asking for from his manager. That and networking
within the HR department would help his current case as well as HR is responsible for
making decisions and allocating resources could make the difference rather than just going to
his manager.

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 Reference or References
Bolman & Deal (2021). Reframing Organizations Artistry, Choice, Leadership (Perusal 7th
Edition)