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

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

The facts of the situation is that there is a “Fixer Upper” project for a family that the
company wants to take on but the family’s budget is not realistic to what they need. The family
consists of a husband (Andrew), wife (Kim), a wheelchair-bound 10-year-old daughter (Lily),
and 5-year-old son (Dillion). The family recently experienced a devastation from a recent
hurricane and they lost their home. They have been living with family members but they need
space for their children. The company has $500,000 available to allocate to this project and
charity for this family in need. The situation at hand is to work with the clients to find a home in
an area they want, renovate the home for the needs of the family, make sure the home is
wheelchair accessible, and stay under budget as $500,000 is the most the company can spare.

The role I will represent is being a Project Manager. The home renovation business involves
working with clients to find the “Fixer Upper” of their dreams, buy, renovate for client needs,
and reveal the final product within the client budget (Magnolia’s Blog). As the Project Manager,
I will be facilitating the housing projects and working with the clients, interior designers,
contractors, and other stakeholders to make the experience as smooth as possible. According to
ProjectManager.com, during a remodel, you’ll find that discoveries, surprises, change orders, or
redesigns will affect scope and then budget. To remain effective, the project manager must
communicate and secure decisions or verifications as soon as possible.

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

The political frame relates to organisational and individuals’ competition and jostling for
power and leadership to influence the activities in the project (ProjectManager.com). When
politics become magnified in a company, it can cause lack of communication and destruction of
team morale and performance. For the company, Magnolia LLC, the political frame is not
something that seems to cause distress.

From watching how the company operates and handles certain situations, I have no doubt
that politics are not a major issue. In construction, there are usually superindentents, project
managers, and then the assistants and trade workers. The only possibility for a battle of power is

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between superindentents and project managers. This company consists of one project manager
and two superindentents. As long as I, the project manager, can work well with the
superindentents, these issues can be avoided.

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

Regarding the case, everything will go as planned as long as a battle of power, political
culture, is not the root of the situation. This situation requires work on budgeting, finding out
what needs to go in to this home to make it wheelchair accessible, and renovate in a timely
manner. There is no room for politics and people to fight for control. As long as everyone can
focus on their role, it will go smoothly.

A large reason that this will not be a problem in this situation is because of the overall work
environment and culture that has been built in the company. As the project manager, I focus on
keeping the overall work environment positive and focused on the current project. There is no
allowance for negativity and competition within the company. We are all on the same team and
we have to act as such.

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

So far, I don’t think anything different should be done to avoid the negative aspects of the
political frame. I have full confidence in the ability of myself as a leader and the strong team I
have established. I would only change the course of action for this situation if politics became
the focus of the project instead of the project itself. Everyone is human and most of us have a
desire to lead and take control when we think we are correct. However, having open
communication and meeting often to address concerns and recommendations will make sure that
these ideas don’t come across in a negative light.

It would be unfair as a project manager for myself to not allow battles of power and negative
politics in the workplace but also not listen to the employees. Great leaders take in account the
concerns and recommendations of the team. With a positive morale, employee appreciation, and
open communication, there is nothing I will have to change.

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 References

Construction Project Management software. ProjectManager. (2023, April 21).

Recipes, design how-tos, and stories on Magnolia’s Blog. Magnolia. (n.d.).