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Structural Frame Pca

The document describes a situation where the author worked for a playground manufacturing company. A new supervisor, who was a relative of the retiring supervisor, began sending the author frequently to human resources for various issues. The structural frame is applied to analyze how the company's structure influenced the situation. It is recommended that the company adhere more closely to the formal hierarchy for reporting incidents rather than allowing supervisors to bypass levels of management. Promoting based on family ties rather than qualifications should also be avoided.

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60 views4 pages

Structural Frame Pca

The document describes a situation where the author worked for a playground manufacturing company. A new supervisor, who was a relative of the retiring supervisor, began sending the author frequently to human resources for various issues. The structural frame is applied to analyze how the company's structure influenced the situation. It is recommended that the company adhere more closely to the formal hierarchy for reporting incidents rather than allowing supervisors to bypass levels of management. Promoting based on family ties rather than qualifications should also be avoided.

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api-685432745
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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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.

I previously worked at a playground manufacturing company in a rural area with


about 400 employees that creates play structures that are used across the globe. Shortly
after moving to a small parts kitting role from my previous role, my supervisor retired
and was replaced by a relative of hers. It was a new role for her.
I had a desk space that I decorated with pictures of my dog and later, ultrasound
pictures. My supervisor hosted a Kaizen event to improve the work process in our area.
Most of the ideas implemented were great, but she removed our desk spaces. I was sent
to Human Resources for being “overly emotional” because I briefly cried over my loss of
personal space. This started a series of Human Resources office visits, at least one per
pay period, to discuss things that my supervisor felt I was doing wrong but couldn’t be
bothered to confront herself.
One specific event nearly had me fired. My supervisor preferred texts over phone
calls, so we were allowed to text or call out of work if we were sick. I had texted her one
morning that I wasn’t going to be in because I was ill. The next day, I was sent to Human
Resources. They sat me down and let me know that she was accusing me of a no-call,
no-show event. After discussion of termination, I showed them the text and explained
my side of the story. I was released back to work, but my supervisor became more
aggressive in sending me to Human Resources.
While on maternity leave, my Human Resources manager called to discuss a
move into a position that would remove me from the current situation. This move also
gave me a pay raise and allowed more freedom to complete my work independently. I
had less interaction with that supervisor, which made for a happier workplace.

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

According to Bolman and Deal, Max Weber’s monocratic bureaucracy model


includes using technical qualities for selecting and promoting personnel over family ties
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or friendships (2021). The organization that I worked for fell short on this. There were
numerous instances that promotions were given to family or friends of other management
rather than opening an application and interviewing people who may have the skills or
experience to fill those roles. In this situation, they would have likely hired another
candidate instead of filling the role with my old supervisor’s niece “because she deserved
it.” I don’t believe she was ready for the responsibility, and she wasn’t experienced,
which showed well in the example of her behavior provided.

The organization which I worked for was a hierarchical one. Production


employees report to their supervisor, who report to their supervisor, who reports to
Human Resources and the CEO. Although there is a chain of command, my supervisor
would pass over her supervisor and go straight to Human Resources. The escalation of
the cases was difficult for me, as it was expected that there was a line of management that
I would have had to have been counseled by before landing in a Human Resources office.
I learned after a few visits that it was important to note to the Human Resources
managers that I had not been talked to by my supervisor or her supervisor prior to the
meeting.

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

One of the most important things to consider is the hierarchical structure of the
company. According to Mitzberg’s Fives in the text, the operating core is at the bottom,
middle line managers in the middle, and top managers at the top, with support staff
beside the middle managers (Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E., 2021). In a typical
hierarchical structure, it would make sense for the operating core to report to middle
managers before reporting to support staff (Human Resources). I think the company
should use the structure appropriately for reporting, and in this case, for corrective action
procedures.

According to Bolman and Deal, structure boosts morale if it’s helpful in


completing tasks, however, it lowers morale if it gives management too much control
(2021). I think in the case of this manufacturing organization, a formal structure is
necessary, and that doesn’t need to change. However, keeping to the formal structure
rather than deviating would have possibly had different results for me, and less work for
the Human Resources managers.

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

I personally could not have done things differently, having not been in a
leadership position myself. I would highly recommend that the company stick to the
hierarchical structure for reporting incidents and hold management accountable to those

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standards. I don’t think that levels of management should have been passed up for those
corrective actions. My supervisor and her supervisor should have been having
conversations with me before sending me to Human Resources management.

Something else that could be helpful for the company is to look into their
promoting practices. At the time of my employment, friends and family of management
were promoted over other employees. I think that opening an application for a position
and interviewing applicants to find those with the appropriate skills and experience for
the open position would be more appropriate. Practices like this would likely limit
situations like the one that I experienced.

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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

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