Chapter 15

Integrating Frames for Effective Practice

Integrating Frames for Effective Practice Life as Managers Know It Across Frames: Organizations as Multiple

Realities Matching Frames to Situations Effective Managers and Organizations Managers’ Frame Preferences

Life as Managers Know It Myth:

Managers are rational, spent time planning, deciding and controlling

Organized, in control, unruffled Reality

Management life is hectic, frantic, constantly shifting

Too busy to read or even think Rely on intuition and hunches for many of the

most important decisions Hassled priests, modern muddlers, wheeler-

dealers

Across Frames: Organizations as Multiple Realities Four Interpretations of Organizational

Processes Doctor Fights to Quit Maine Island

Organizations as Multiple Realities

Process Structural Human Resource

Political Symbolic

Strategic planning

Create strategic direction

Meeting to promote participation

Arena to air conflict

Ritual to reassure audiences

Decision-making

Rational process to get right answer

Open process to build commit-ment

Chance to gain or use power

Ritual to build values, bonding

Reorgani-zing

Improve structure/ environment fit

Balance needs and tasks

Reallocate power, form new coalitions

Image of accountabili-ty, respon-siveness

Organizations as Multiple Realities

Process Structural Human Resource

Political Symbolic

Evaluating Allocate rewards, control performance

Help people grow and develop

Chance to exercise power

Occasion to play roles in organiza-tional drama

Approaching conflict

Authorities resolve conflict

Individuals confront conflict

Bargaining, forcing, manipulating

Develop shared values, meaning

Goal setting Keep organization headed in right direction

Keep people involved and informed

Let people make their interests known

Develop symbols, shared values

Organizations as Multiple Realities

Process Structural Human Resource

Political Symbolic

Communica-tion

Transmit facts, information

Exchange information, needs, feelings

Influence or manipulate others

Tell stories

Meetings Formal occasions to make decisions

Informal occasions to involve, share feelings

Competitive occasions to score points

Sacred occasions to celebrate, transform culture

Motivation Economic incentives

Growth, self-actualization

Coercion, manipulation, seduction

Symbols, celebrations

Matching Frames to Situations

Choosing a Frame Commitment and motivation Technical quality Ambiguity and uncertainty Conflict and scarce resources Working from bottom up

Table 15.2

Choosing a FrameQuestion If yes: If no:

Are individual commitment and motivation essential?

Human resource, symbolic

Structural, political

Is technical quality of decision important?

Structural Human resource, political, symbolic

Is there high level of ambiguity, uncertainty?

Political, symbolic Structural, human resource

Are conflict and scarce resource a significant factor?

Political, symbolic Structural, human resource

Are you working from the bottom up?

Political, symbolic Structural, human resource

Effective Managers and Organizations

Characteristics of Excellent/Visionary Companies Embrace paradox Clear core identity

Effective Senior Managers Highly complex jobs requiring diverse skills Political dimension is critical

Effective middle managers Structural and human resource skills help

performance, but political skills help you get ahead

Table 15.3

Characteristics of Excellent or Visionary CompaniesFrame Peters &

WatermanCollins & Porras

Collins

Structural Autonomy, entre-preneurship, bias for action; simple form, lean staff

Clock building, not time telling; try a lot, keep what works

Confront brutal facts; best in world; economic engine; technology accelerators; “flywheel”, not doom loop

Human Resource

Close to customer; productivity through people

Home-grown management

“Level 5 leadership”; first who, then what

Table 15.3 (continued)

Characteristics of Excellent or Visionary CompaniesFrame Peters &

WatermanCollins & Porras

Collins

Political ******** ******* *******

Symbolic Hands on, value-driven, loose-tight; stick to the knitting

BHAGs; cultlike cultures; good enough never is; preserve the core, stimulate progress; more than profits

Never lose faith; deeply passionate; culture of discipline

Table 15.4 Challenges in Managers’Jobs

Frame Kotter (1982) Lynn (1987) Luthans, Yodgetts, & Rosenkrantz (1988)

Structural Keep on top of large, complex set of activities; set goals and policies under conditions of uncertainty

Attain intellectual grasp of policy issues

Communication (paperwork, etc.); traditional management (planning, goal-setting, controlling)

Human resource

Motivate, coordinate and control large, diverse group of subordinates

Use personality to best advantage

Human resource management (motivating, managing conflict, staffing, etc.)

Table 15.4 (Continued) Challenges in Managers’Jobs Frame Kotter (1982) Lynn (1987) Luthans,

Yodgetts, & Rosenkrantz (1988)

Political Allocate scarce resources; get support from bosses and other constituents

Exploit opportunities to achieve strategic gains

Networking (politics, interacting with outsiders)

Symbolic Develop credible strategic premises; identify and focus on activities that give meaning to employees

Manager’s Frame Preferences

Research shows ability to use multiple frames is consistently associated with effectiveness.

Effectiveness as manager – structural frame is key

Effectiveness as leader – political and symbolic frames are central

Conclusion

Managers’ daily reality is messier, less rational, more conflict-filled than is often realized

Choice of frame depends on circumstances Managers need multiple frames to survive