But this was not something management could feed its employees. Hence it was found that the best way to accomplish this would be to allow employees to give their views on the subject. A questionnaire was sent to everyone in the firm and this intended to find out how people viewed the firm and its values. People came up with many interesting responses which were later discussed in a meeting presided over by our CEO. The Chief executive had been given a chance to study those responses and he together with other people in senior management developed a comprehensive yet short document that illustrated company's beliefs, its myths, its heroes and the stories it cherished.
Over the years we have often heard this story about Joseph Ralph, the senior supervisor, at our firm back in 1990s. The firm considers him a hero and his story is told and retold many times to help people see what we believe in and who they should look up to. Joseph Ralph had once found himself in a deadlock with few members of his team who threatened to stop working on an important project which could mean serious losses for the firm. Ralph did not lose his temper and instead looked for ways to get through to these people. It took him some time but finally he came up with a plan that everyone agreed upon. The deadlock not only ended, but Ralph's team was able to complete the project in record time. Such stories of heroic actions are symbolic tools used to inspire people in an organization.
A Political Frame: Politics is always present in organizational...
It is something that cannot be effectively avoided. Bolman and Deal explain that through this frame, organizations can be seen as "arenas, contests, or jungles. Different interests compete for power or scarce resources…conflict is rampant…bargaining, negotiating, coercion, and compromise are part of everyday life" (p. 14). Conflicts are common in our workplace but they are normally mild in nature. Occasionally however a major conflict arises that threatens to disturb the harmony and smooth functioning of daily work. The firm tries its best to keep conflict to a minimum but allows healthy competition where each team works hard to get selected for a project and each supervisor is busy earning reward points. The firm fully understands that it is impossible to maintain complete harmony all the time and hence it fosters healthy competition and even nurtures it. This gives people a way to positively channel their energies without getting into mindless conflicts.
Conclusion
Looking at the firm through all four frames allows for a better comprehension of organization's goals, ideals, beliefs and destination. My construction management firm may be relatively small but it is successful because it focuses on human resource improvement, minimization of conflict and is not afraid to introduce changes when needed.
Reference
Bolman, L.G. And Deal T.E. (1997). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.
