"The political frame does not blame politics on individual foibles such as selfishness, myopia, or incompetence. Instead, it proposes that interdependence, divergent interests, scarcity, and power relations inevitably spawn political activity," according to Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal in their book Reframing Organizations. (Bolman & Deal, 2021, p. 191) Politics in the workplace are inevitable, and leaders must learn how to be a politician. Humans are social and political organisms, so, of course, it is going to show up in organizations, Bolman and Deal further go on to say this about politics in their book, "Viewed from the political frame, politics is the realistic process of making decisions and allocating resources in a context of scarcity and divergent interests. This view puts politics at the heart of decision making." (Bolman & Deal, 2021, p. 186) The political frame is the groundwork for the decision making processes in an organization, which makes this frame important when it comes to how the culture deals with changes. My personal analysis for the political follows the same structure and layout as the previous analyses, where we start off with a recap of the situation, followed by how the organization's political structure influenced the situation, then an insight on what alternative method I would use for this frame, and finally, ending with a reflection on what I would change about the situation if I could.
Political Frame Personal Analysis - Worksheet
Reference
Before reading Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal's chapters on the political frame of organization, I often avoided talking about politics with others because I live in a very one-sided state when it comes to politics, and I lean more towards the other side. There is a taboo around politics in general where I am from, so it is not something I considered in the work place. Of course, I have experienced politics in the workplace, but after reading these chapters, I now view politics as a good thing in organizations. Politic from an organizational aspect allow for diverse ideas to arise. Looking at things from different perspectives just as politics in the political world is what the political frame of organizations encompasses.
Reference: Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2021). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership (7th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass