1. Leadership in Urban Organizations
Bolman and Deal’s
4 Frames
EDUC 524
Leadership in Urban Organizations

2. Why use the 4 Frames?
To study organizations from a variety of perspectives
To analyze leadership styles and strategies
To enhance one’s own set of leadership tools
Like maps, frames are both windows on a territory and tools for navigation

3. Frames
A set of assumptions or ideas you keep in your head about a particular “territory”
Structural frame – organization as factory
Human Resource – as extended family
Political – as arenas, contests or jungles
Symbolic – as tribes, theatres or carnivals

4. The Four Frames Frame - Disciplinary Root - Frame Emphasis - Key Concepts - Key Frame Processes
Structural
Sociology
Rationality,
Formal roles and relation-
ships
Rules, roles, goals, policies, technology, environment
Division of labor and coordination of individual activities
Human
Resource
Social and
Organizational
psychology
The fit between
People and the
organization
Needs, skills, relationships
Tailoring the organization to meet individual needs
Political
Science
The allocation of power and
Scarce resources
Power, conflict, competition, positive politics
Bargaining, negotiation, coalition building
Symbolic
Cultural
Anthropology
Organization as
Tribe, theater
or carnival
Culture, ritual, ceremony, stories, heroes and heroines, myths, charisma
Creating and promoting a common vision: attending to the meaning of events; devising relevant rituals, ceremonies and symbols

5. The Structural Frame Core Assumptions
Organizations exist primarily to accomplish established goals
A structural form can be designed and implemented to fit any particular set of circumstances
Organizations work most effectively when environmental turbulence and personal preferences are constrained by norms of rationality

6. Structural Frame (cont.)
Specialization permits higher levels of individual expertise and performance
Coordination and control are essential to effectiveness
Problems typically originate from inappropriate structures or inadequate systems and can be resolved through restructuring or developing new systems

7. The Human Resource Frame Core Assumptions
Organizations exist to serve human needs
Organizations and people need each other
When the fit is poor, both will suffer Individuals will be exploited, or seek to exploit organizations, or both
A good fit benefits both. Human beings find meaningful and satisfying work, and organizations get the human talent and energy that they need

8. The Political Frame Core Assumptions
Organizations are coalitions of various individuals and interest groups
There are enduring differences among coalition members in values, beliefs, information, interests, and perceptions of reality
Most important decisions involve the allocation of scarce resources – who gets what

9. Political Frame (cont.)
Scarce resources and enduring differences give conflict a central role in organizational dynamics and make power the most important resource
Goals and decisions emerge from bargaining, negotiation, and jockeying for position among different stakeholders

10. The Symbolic Frame Core Assumptions
What is most important about any event is not what happened but what it all means
Activity and meaning are loosely coupled: events have multiple meanings because people interpret experience differently
Most of life is ambiguous or uncertain – what happened, why it happened, or what will happen next are puzzles

11. Symbolic Frame (cont.)
High levels of ambiguity and uncertainty undercut rational analysis, problem solving, and decision making
In the face of uncertainty and ambiguity, people create symbols to resolve confusion, increase predictibility, provide direction, and anchor hope and faith
Many events and processes are more important for what is expressed than what is produced.

12. Symbolic Frame (cont.)
They form a cultural tapestry or secular myths, rituals, ceremonies, and stories that help people find meaning, purpose and passion
Symbols embody and express the organization’s culture – the interwoven pattern of beliefs, values, practices, and artifacts that define for members who they are and how they are to do things

13. Frame Structural Human Resource Political Symbolic Leader Attention
Key Words
Structural
Goals and Mission; organization’s relationship with the environment; clarity and consistency of roles and structure; rules
Goals, task, technology, rationality, rules, roles, linkages, differentiation, integration
Human Resource
People and their needs; ways to facilitate individual productivity; interpersonal relationships; empowerment; communication, motivation
Needs, skills, feelings, motivation, satisfaction, norms, interpersonal, interactions, fit (between people and organization)
Political
Advocacy; coalition building; providing arenas for conflict and disagreement to surface
Power base, conflict, coalitions, scarcity, agenda-building; bargaining, negotiation
Symbolic
Vision; charisma; interpreting experience for the organization; creating symbols and rituals; presiding at ceremonies
Symbols, meaning, belief, faith, culture, ceremonies, rituals, myths, stories, play

14. Questions?
What if I’m very strong in one frame, and not so strong in others?
What if I’m pretty even through the 4 frames?
What is the desired profile of a leader?