Four Frames of

Leadership

Perception based decision

making

Who w

e a

re

Joshua LaFave, Director

of Graduate Studies @

SUNY Potsdam

Chris Connor, Assistant

Dean, EM @ University

of Buffalo

Sean-Michael Green, XX

Goals

for

the

sess

ion

Perception, Frames and LensesLooking through

different frames and

“reframing”The four framesFrames for Enrollment

ManagersWhat’s your frame?Tabletop Exercises!

Perc

epti

on

immediate or intuitive

recognition or appreciation, as of moral, psychological,

or aesthetic qualities;

insight; intuition; discernment”

Learn

ed

Exp

eri

ence

“Perception is the awareness of the external world, through

one or more of our senses and, the interpretation of these

by our mind”

Com

pre

hensi

on We all interpret the

world around us differently. Understanding relies

upon the speaker and

their audience having

the same “perception”

of a certain outcome.

What

do y

ou

see?

What

do y

ou

see?

What

do y

ou

see?

Fram

es/

Lense

s

Lenses – focus, filter some things and allow others to pass through, help us order experience.

Frames – A set of ideas and assumptions that you carry in your head to help you understand and negotiate a particular “territory.”

Four

Fram

es

To harness our perceptions, lenses and

frames of thinking and

decision making, there

are four “frames” through Bolman and

Deal that help us think

and re-think the decisions we make and

the way in which we

lead.

Str

uct

ura

l Fra

me

oOrigins - sociology &

management science.

oGoals, specialized roles, and formal relationships.oStructures fit organizations

environment and technology.oResponsibilities, rules,

policies, procedures.

Str

uct

ura

l Fra

me

Problem arises when the structure does not fit the situation.

Polit

ical F

ram

e

o Institutions are coalitions of

individuals and interest groups.

o Members have enduring

differences.o Different interests competing for

power and scarce resources.

o Conflict is part of day-to-day

dynamics – difference in needs,

perspectives, and lifestyles.

o Bargaining, negotiation,

coercion, compromise, and

coalitions are used in decision

making.

Polit

ical F

ram

e

Where to look for conflict:

- Boundaries or interfaces

between groups and units

- Horiztonal (departments/schools)

- Vertical (border between levels)

- Cultural conflict (groups with

differing values, traditions,

beliefs and lifestyles)- What constitute “sources” of

power?- Rewards, constrain- Information, expertise, reputation

and personality - Institution as a complex

ecosystem

Polit

ical F

ram

e Problems arise when

power is concentration

in the wrong places or is

too broadly dispersed.

Hum

an

Reso

urc

es

o Institutions as extended family.

They exist to serve human

needs.o There is a capacity to learn and

a capacity to defend old

attitudes and beliefs.o Institutions need people for

their energy, effort and talent.

People need their institutions.

o When fit is poor, people feel

exploited or they exploit the

institution

Hum

an

Reso

urc

es Challenge is to tailor

institutions to people –

find a way for individuals

to get the job done while

feeling good about what

they are doing.

Sym

bolic

Fra

me

o Origins - social and cultural

anthropology.o Institutions as tribes, theatres,

or carnivals.o Culture – rituals, ceremonies,

stories, heroes, and myths.

o The Institution is a theatre –

actors play role while

audiences form impressions.

o Problems arise when actors

play their parts badly, when

symbols lose their meaning,

when ceremonies and rituals

lose their potency.

Sym

bolic

Fra

me

o Looking for meaningo Signal reaction: Symbols

are created with or without intention

o Connection of symbols

and things symbolized.

o Problems arise when

actors play their parts

badly, when symbols lose

their meaning, when

ceremonies and rituals

lose their potency.

 Structural Human

ResourcePolitical Symbolic

Metaphor for Organization

Factory or Machine

Family Jungle Carnival, temple, theater

Central Concepts

Rules, roles, goals, policies, technology, environment

Needs, skills, relationships

Power, conflict, competition, organizational politics

Culture, meaning, metaphor, ritual, ceremony, stories, heroes

Image of Leadership

Social architecture

Empowerment Advocacy Inspiration

Basic Leadership Challenge

Attune structure to task, technology, environment

Align organizational and human needs

Develop agenda and power base

Create faith, beauty, meaning

Organizational Ethic

Excellence Caring Justice Faith

Leadership Contribution

Authorship Love Power Significance

Overview of the Four-Frame Model

Source: Bolman & Deal (1997), p. 15 & p. 344

Reframing

you

r w

ork:

Iden

tify

ing, P

repar

ing,

Adap

ting

o Institutions can have a lot of ambiguity

and complexity. You need mental

maps that anticipate complicated and

unforeseeable problems.o Your “frame”, or theories can tell you

what is important and what can be

safely ignored.*They can also block you from

recognizing your errors.o Reframing is an art—neither exact or

precise, but creative, flexible, and

subject to interpretation.o Perceptions revisited – New

experiences, new frames, new

decisions

Refr

am

ing

…uses knowledge and

intuition to find sensible and effective

ways to channel organizations in productive directions

Bolman, LG &

Deal T. E.

Reframing

Organizations: Artistry,

Choice and Leadership. 2004

Question Frame if answer is Yes

Frame if answer is No

Are individual commitment and motivation essential to success?

Human Resource, Symbolic

Structural, Political

Is the technical quality of the decision important?

Structural Human Resource, Political, Symbolic

Are there high levels of ambiguity and uncertainty?

Political, Symbolic Structural, Human Resource

Are conflict and scarce resources significant?

Political, Symbolic Structural, Human Resource

Are you working from the bottom up?

Political Structural, Human Resource, Symbolic

Source: Bolman & Deal (1997), p. 271

Choosing a Frame

 Structural Human

Resources

Political Symbolic

Effective Leader

Analyst, architect

Catalyst, servant

Advocate, negotiator

Prophet, poet

Effective Leadership Process

Analysis, design

Support, empowerment

Advocacy, coalition building

Inspiration, framing experience

Ineffective Leader

Petty tyrant Weakling, pushover

Con artist, thug

Fanatic, fool

Ineffective Leadership Process

Management by detail and fiat

Abdication Manipulation, fraud

Mirage, smoke & mirrors

Reframing Leadership

Source: Bolman & Deal (1997), p. 303

Process Structural HumanResource

Political Symbolic

Approaching conflict

Maintain organizational

goals by having authorities

resolve conflict

Develop relationships by

having individuals

resolve conflict

Develop power by bargaining, forcing or

manipulating others to win

Develop shared values and use

conflict to negotiate meaning

Goal setting Keep organization

headed in the right direction

Keep people involved and

communication open

Provide opportunity for individuals &

groups to make interests known

Develop symbols and shared

values

Communication Transmit facts and information

Exchange information, needs, and

feelings

Influence or manipulate

others

Tell stories

Meetings Formal occasions to

make decisions

Informal occasions for involvements,

sharing, feelings

Competitive occasions to win

points

Sacred occasions to

celebrate and transform

culture

Motivation Economic incentives

Growth and self actualization

Coercions, manipulation, and seduction

Symbols and celebrations

 Structural Human

ResourcesPolitical Symbolic

Barriers to Change

Loss of clarity and stability, confusion, chaos

Anxiety, uncertainty, feelings of incompetence, neediness

Disempowerment, conflict between winners and losers

Loss of meaning and purpose, clinging to the past

Essential Strategies

Communicating, realigning and renegotiating formal patterns and policies

Training to develop new skills, participation and involvement, psychological support

Creating arenas where issues can be renegotiated and new coalitions formed

Creating transition rituals: mourning the past, celebrating the future

Source: Bolman & Deal (1997), p. 321 

Reframing Change

Init

iati

ng C

hange

o Creating a sense of urgency.

o Pulling together a guiding team

with the needed skills,

credibility, connections and

authority to move things along.

o Creating an uplifting vision and

strategy.o Communicating the vision and

strategy through a combination

of words, deeds and symbols.

Refr

am

ing

Change

o Removing obstacles, or

empowering people to move

forward.o Producing visible symbols of

progress through short term

victories.o Sticking with the process and

refusing to quit when things get

tough.o Nurturing and shaping a new

culture to support the emerging

innovative ways.

Kotter, John, Leading Change: why Transformation Efforts Fail. Harvard Business Review, March April 1995

Structural Human Resource

Political Symbolic

Sense of urgency

Involve people throughout the organization, seek input

Network with key players, use power base

Tell a compelling story

Guiding a team

Develop a coordination strategy

Run team building exercises for guiding team

Stack team with credible, influential members

Put commanding officer on team

Uplifting vision & strategy

Build implementation plan

Map political terrain

Craft a hopeful vision of future rooted in organization history

Kotter’s Stage of Change

Structural Human Resource

Political Symbolic

Communicate vision & strategy through words, deeds and symbols

Create structures to support change process

Hold meetings to communicate direction, get feedback

Create arenas; build alliances, defuse opposition

Visible leadership involvement, kickoff ceremonies

Remove obstacles & empower people to move forward

Remove or alter structures & procedures that support the old ways

Providing training, resources and support

Stage public exposure of counter-revolutionaries

Early wins Plan for short term victories

Invest resources & power to ensure early wins

Celebrate & communicate early signs of progress

Kotter’s Stage of Change

Structural Human Resource

Political Symbolic

Keep going when the going gets tough

Keep people on plan

Hold revival meetings

New culture to support new ways

Align structure to new culture

Create a culture team; broad involvement in developing culture

Mourn the past; celebrate the heroes of the revolution; share stories of the journey

Kotter’s Stage of Change

Fram

es

Exe

rcis

e

What frame do you predominantly view your work and make decisions

in?

Refr

am

ing a

t yo

ur

Inst

ituti

on

o How do you see the four

frames in your institution?

o What is the problem, and

what is the situation in which

it is embedded?o Which frames are in play?

o Which frame(s) is most likely

to lead to the desired

change?o How can the concepts,

metaphors, and values of that

frame be used to reframe the

situation to resolve the

problem?

What

do y

ou

see?

Tabletop Exercise: The Enrollment

Manager’s dilemma

Sourc

es

BOLMAN, Lee G. and

DEAL, Terrence E. (2008). Reframing organizations: Artistry,

choice, and leadership.

San Francisco, Calif, Jossey-Bass.