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.

The situation is the head director of the organization got fired and was replaced with a
new head director. The new director had no previous knowledge of what exactly our
organization was about or how it was run. The new director is causing problems with
current staff because they are making decisions and changes without consulting with the
current staff. They are also causing problems because they do not want to learn the
structure of the organization and are doing it their own way. My role is the special event
director of the organization.

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

The structure of the organization is that the executives and directors of Academic Alumni
Association (AAA) meet every week to discuss upcoming events or events that we
potentially want to do. The executives and directors of the organization will decide if
these events align with our values which are spirit, pride, and tradition. We also discuss if
these events would increase engagement with our members and how many people will
show up to these events. We also have to discuss if these events are within our budget and
if not reach out to alumni in order to get the necessary funding. Once an event has been
approved, we then work with our marketing directors to create marketing materials and
strategies. Then we discuss who will be working and leading each event, from there that
director will work with the necessary people to get the event done.

The structure of the Academic Alumni Association influenced the situation because there
is a very specific structure to the way we plan our events and the new head director was
unaware of this structure. Instead of asking the current executive board and directors
what the structure is and how it works, they came in and started creating their own new
structure by themselves then instructed us to do it their way. The new head director also
came in and completely replaced and changed current events that had already been
planned. The main issue with this is that there was no collaboration between the new
head director and the current staff in creating a new structure.

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

The way I would use structure for an alternative course of action for the situation that the
Academic Alumni Association is facing right now is by creating a structure that has an
orientation and training for new head directors. There is no current orientation or training
that is done when new head directors come on board. I would provide the new head
director with a full orientation on how AAA functions, including its values, traditions,
and event planning structure. I would also set up training sessions to educate the new
directors on the roles and responsibilities of each current staff member. This will allow
the new head directors to come into the organization with more knowledge of the base
structure that is established.

Secondly, I would use structure for an alternative course of action for the situation that
AAA is facing right now by establishing a transition plan and team building activities.
The transition plan would need to incorporate the new head director’s vision while still
respecting the existing structure and traditions of the organization. Along with gradually
implementing the changes to allow for adaptation and understanding from the staff. This
would avoid sudden and unexpected changes. Team building activities would help to
foster a positive and effective working environment. It would also encourage team
members to understand each others roles and responsibilities while establishing a shared
purpose in the organization.

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

If this were me as the new head director, I would have done things differently. I would
have set up a meeting to first welcome myself as the new head director to the staff and to
ask what their structure is. Then would have asked to set up meetings with each of the
current executives and directors. This way I would understand what exactly their roles are
and what responsibilities each role has. Along with this, I would ask what current events
each person was working on at the time I came into the organization. This way I would
now step on any toes of the current staff and would instead be able to come to them with
any concerns, questions, or changes I may have.
Along with this, I would set up meetings with the current staff to discuss what they would
like to see changed in the structure of the organization. This way I could get a better
grasp on what exactly is working and what is not working in the current structure. Once I
gathered all the information on what the current staff thinks needs to be changed I would
then set up another meeting to collaborate on creating a new structure that implements all
the changes they want to see and the change that I have. Doing it this way, allows all the
current staff to feel like they were a part of the creation of the new structure that they will
be using.