Leadership Leadership PerspectivesPerspectivesWhat you see is what you What you see is what you get!get!

Leadership Leadership PerspectivesPerspectivesWhat you see is what you What you see is what you get!get!

There may be more than one way to see things

Organizational FramesOrganizational Frames

Structural Human Resource

Political Symbolic

Structural FrameStructural Frame

StructuralRoots: sociology, management science

Key concepts: goals, roles (division of labor), formal relationships

Central focus: alignment of structure with goals and environment

Structural Frame AssumptionsStructural Frame Assumptions

Organizations exist to achieve established goals and objectives

Specialization and division of labor increase efficiency and performance

Appropriate forms of coordination and control are essential

Organizations work best when rationality prevails

Structure must align with circumstances

Problems arise from structural deficiencies

Basic Structural TensionsBasic Structural Tensions

Vertical CoordinationVertical Coordination

Ver

tical

C

oord

inat

ion

Lateral CoordinationLateral Coordination

McDonald’s and Harvard: A Structural Odd CoupleMcDonald’s and Harvard: A Structural Odd Couple

Clearer goals, more centralized, tighter performance controls

Diffuse goals, highly decentralized, high autonomy for professors

Why have two successful organizations developed such different structures?

Structural ImperativesStructural Imperatives

Structural Leadership Structural Leadership

Effective Ineffective

Leader Analyst, architect Petty tyrant

Leadership process

Analysis, design Management by detail and fiat

Effective Structural Leaders…Effective Structural Leaders…• Do their homework• Rethink relationship of strategy,

structure, environment • Focus on implementation• Experiment, evaluate, adapt

Structural View of ChangeStructural View of Change Change alters the clarity and stability of roles and

relationships, creating confusion and chaos.

This requires attention to:

•Realigning roles•Clarifying goals and objectives,•Redesigning patterns, policies and procedures

Examples include:

•Re-engineering•Matrix management•Knowledge management•Performance measures

Human Resource FrameHuman Resource Frame

Human ResourceRoots: personality and social psychology

Key concepts: needs (motives), capacities (skills), feelings

Central focus: fit between individual and organization

Human Resource Frame AssumptionsHuman Resource Frame Assumptions

Organizations exist to serve human needs

People and organizations need each other: organizations need ideas, energy, talent; people need careers, salaries, opportunities

When the fit between people and organizations is poor, one or both suffer

A good fit benefits both—individuals find meaningful and satisfying work; organizations get the talent and energy they need to succeed

Human Resource Leadership Human Resource Leadership

Effective Ineffective

Leader Catalyst, servantWeakling, pushover

Leadership process

Support, empowerment

Abdication, indulgence

Effective Human Resource Leaders…Effective Human Resource Leaders…

• Believe in people and communicate that belief

• Are visible and accessible• Empower others

Human Resources View of ChangeHuman Resources View of Change

This requires:– Providing psychological support

and opportunities for involvement

– Providing training to help develop needed new skills and competencies and to manage conflict

Leaders need to:– Pursue change strategies that

increase the capacity of individuals and human systems

People feel needy, confused, powerless, incompetent-- they experience loss.

Key Concepts

Political FramePolitical Frame

Political

Roots: political science

Key concepts: interests, conflict, power, scarce resources

Central focus: getting & using power, managing conflict to get things done

Political Frame AssumptionsPolitical Frame Assumptions

Organizations as CoalitionsOrganizations as Coalitions

• Coalitions rather than pyramids• Organizational goals are:

– Multiple– Sometimes conflicting because

they reflect bargaining involving multiple players with divergent interests.

Sources of PowerSources of Power

Political Leadership Political Leadership

Effective Ineffective

Leader

Advocate, negotiator

Con-artist, thug

Leadership process

Advocacy, coalition building

Manipulation, fraud

Effective Political Leaders…Effective Political Leaders…

• Are clear about what they want and what they can get

• Assess distribution of power and interests

•Build linkages to key stakeholders

•Persuade first, negotiate second, and coerce only if necessary

Skills of Leaders as a Politician Skills of Leaders as a Politician

Skills of Leaders as a PoliticianSkills of Leaders as a Politician

Political View of ChangePolitical View of ChangeChange generates conflict and can create winners and losers—avoiding issues drives conflict underground.

Political leaders:– Create “arenas” in which

issues can be negotiated. – Use negotiation skills – Manage relationships with

internal and external stakeholders to build coalitions and networks of support that advance/protect the organizations interests.

Symbolic FrameSymbolic Frame

Symbolic

Roots: social and cultural anthropology

Key concepts: culture, myth, ritual, story

Central focus: building culture, staging organizational drama

Symbolic Frame AssumptionsSymbolic Frame Assumptions

Organizations as CulturesOrganizations as Cultures

Organizational SymbolsOrganizational Symbols

Organizational SymbolsOrganizational Symbols

Symbols reveal and communicate culture

McDonald’s golden arches and the legend of Ray Kroc

Values are what an organization stands for and cares about

Myths are deeply rooted narratives that explain, express, and build cohesion

Harvard’s myth, mystique, and rituals

Organizational Symbols Organizational Symbols Organizational symbols: provide an indirect approach

to issues that are too hard to approach head-on

Symbolic Leadership Symbolic Leadership

Effective Ineffective

Leader

Prophet, poet Fanatic, fool

Leadership process

Inspiration, framing experience

Mirage, smoke and mirrors

Effective Symbolic Leaders…Effective Symbolic Leaders…

• Lead by example • Use symbols to capture attention• Frame experience• Communicate a vision• Tell stories• Study and use history

Symbolic View of ChangeSymbolic View of Change

People form attachments to symbols, rituals, and symbolic activity—when the attachments are severed they find it difficult to let go and are in need of transition rituals.

Creates loss of meaning and purpose

Symbolic leaders need to:– Help people find new

symbols to shift their thinking and create meaning.

Structural Frame

Human Resource Frame

Political Frame

Symbolic Frame

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

Align structure to task, technology, environment

Align organization and human needs

Develop agenda and power base

Create meaning

Reframing ChangeReframing Change

Frame Barriers to Change Essential Strategies

Structural Loss of clarity and stability; confusion; chaos

Communicating, realigning, and renegotiating formal patterns and policies

Human Resource Anxiety, uncertainty; people feel incompetent, needy

Train to build new skills; participation and involvement; psychological support

Political Disempowerment; conflict between winners and losers

Create arenas for negotiating issues, forming new coalitions

Symbolic Loss of meaning and purpose; clinging to the past

Transition rituals; mourn past, celebrate future

Matching Frames to SituationsMatching Frames to Situations

Choosing a frame

Choosing a FrameChoosing a Frame

Question If yes: If no:

Are individual commitment and motivation essential?

Human resource, symbolic

Structural, political

Is technical quality of decision important?

Structural Human resource, political, symbolic

Are there high levels of ambiguity, 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, symbolic Structural, human resource