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. As a Contracting Officer in the 49th Contracting Squadron, a situation occurred

revolving around the implementation of an online contract file storing system
known as KTFS at Holloman Air Force Base. This “overhaul” raised many
concerns within the organization as it proves to be extremely time consuming and
poses issues with an initial learning barrier that must be overcome. An inspection
of the organization and its implementation of the new file storage system was
accomplished and the organization was reprimanded for failing to implement the
system. A breakdown in communication at all levels in the organization led to a
failed inspection.

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

a. The politics of the organization influenced the situation because the Department
of the Air Force is a subset of the Department of Defense (DoD) and the DoD
mandated use the newly created file storage system. Additionally, the Commander
has significant influence locally within the organization and uses his authority to
make top-down decisions. This authority in decision making (or lacktherof in this
case) led to the Flight Chief not enforcing the implementation of the new file
storage system because the Commander stated, “he would reach out Contracting
HQ to inquire about an extension to the implementation deadline.” This prompted
the Flight Chief to idley stand by and wait for further guidance.
b. The issue with this and the political power and influence at play led to the failed
inspection because of the single point of failure with the Commander and his
authority to exercise top down power. That said, with the authority power he
wields, he needs to be clear in what he states he wants or needs from his team.
The Commander failed to establish and agenda, which Bolman refers to as both
structural and political, outlining a goal and schedule of activites, or a statement
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 of interests and a scenario for getting the goods (Bolman, 2021, pg 213). As a
result, there was no clear path forward that established a set of activities to pursue
in light of the recent goal that was established by the DoD. When the Commander
failed to communicate with Contracting HQ regarding an extension and operated
under the assumption that the Flight Chief was going to enforce the
implementation of the new system to the employees, he blamed the Flight chief
for a failure to act, when in fact, there was no agenda, with no tasks established to
reach the goal, especially when his political power is such that decisions outside
the standard deviation aren’t made unless the Commander states to do so.

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

a. When I look at the political frame after reading the material this week, I think
there are some key things to note regarding an alternative course of action.
Understanding that organizations are inherently political would shape the
interaction between the Commander and the Flight Chief in a different way.
Understanding that they need eachother in this instance even though they have
some overlapping interests and some differing interest. The Commander wants to
follow the guidance of the Contracting HQ and implement the new file storage
system, however the Flight chief due to lack of employees and time, wants to
prolong the implementation and follow local storage policy.
b. With that in mind, the scarcity of resources as indicated by the Flight Chiefs’
avoidance of the implementation due to lack of personell and time, is something
that needs to be understood by the Commander. Additionally, the Flight Chief
needs to work with the Commander and understand that his interests may lie with
the Contracting HQ as he is beholden to HQ policy, which he then implements
locally. However, both leaders also need to understand that they share a common
interest of the overall well being of the 49th Contracting Squadron. That said, they
would need to establish clear goals and tasks prior to departing the meeting and
ensuring they negotiate what needs to be negotiated with the aforementioned
factors regarding lack of resources and political interest. This could have ensured
both were on the same page and the system would have been implemented prior
to the inspection occurring, thus avoiding a failed inspection.

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

a. Reflecting on the material this week, and had I been in the Flight Chiefs position
in this case, I would have ensured I got with the Commander after the initial
meeting discussing the need to implement this new system and established an
agenda of action. This would ensure that I knew my steps going forward and

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 ultimately avoid any mishaps. Additionally, I would use my influence with the
employees as the middle manager to ensure they understood not only the
ramifications of not transitioning to the new system, but the rewards of
successfully transitioning systems, thus ensuring employee buy-in.
b. Further, with the scarce human resource, I would try to use my position to
negotiate an extension with the Commander and Contracting HQ. Understanding
that the the two individuals may have different interests, but one primary similar
interest (the 49th Contracting Squadron), allows for room to negotiate together
with the Contracting HQ in the best interest of the entire squadron. While the
Commander initially stated he would reach out to them, I would use my position
as the eyes and ears of the squadron to sit with the Commander and call
Contracting HQ together so we both have our answer immediately, leaving out
any room for miscommunication.

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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