Reframing, Bolman and Deal

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Essay #2: Reframing Technology
Bolman and Deal organize their book around the idea of framing, and they give many metaphors, examples, and comparisons in defining this approach. It is compared to a paradigm or a map, a mind-set or a general approach to problem solving. Managers work best, they claim, when they use a holistic approach, reframing problems in four different categories: structural, human resource, political, and symbolic. Leading a complex organization requires artistry to combine these approaches as well as an embrace of uncertainty. The best management needs a commitment not only to excellence but also to flexibility, dialogue, and open-mindedness. In this paper, I shall examine the general topic of technology through Bolman and Deal’s four frames, demonstrating how a manager can consider and implement technology in multiple ways.
Technology’s direct effects on organizational structure have been readily visible over the past twenty years. The ascendancy of personal computer networks over mainframes has accelerated the shift away from ponderous bureaucracies toward nimble networks. In other words, technology moves decision making closer to the immediate situation. The Wall Street Journal article about Captain Ayers demonstrated how even such traditionally rigid hierarchies as the U.S. military now see the value of empowering lower level decision makers and encouraging shared experiences throughout the organization. Because of this, technology has been one of the key enablers for eliminating layers of management and encouraging the use of self-organized teams and networks of individuals, moving toward Miles and Snow’s projected cellular form of the future. They discuss how each cell can continually reorganize and use technical, collaborative, and governance skills to customize and improve its output. These teams can even assemble over long distances to share expertise, which enhances productivity, as Margaret Wheatley notes, “…self-managed teams are far more productive than any other form of organizing.”
From a manager’s perspective, the freedom of self-managed teams and evolving groups can present an apparent problem of control. However, a manger can use the same tool of technology to enhance planning, oversight, statistical sampling, and quality control....

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...complishing their goals. A manager needs to ensure high quality technology so that the symbols it represents and the stories told about it remain consistently positive.
Bolman and Deal’s general approach of reframing gives managers a tool to be creative and step outside their traditional instincts. Viewing technology through multiple lenses helps a manager relate to his or her employees and see how each of them might view different benefits and challenges of new technology. Structurally, technology flattens an organization and aids coordination of teams. It also aids in the communication and individual development that a human resource perspective would value. A politically oriented manager would navigate and utilize the increasingly democratic power structure, and a symbolic manager would focus on the stories and unifying symbols of technology. Reframing the issue from all these viewpoints gives a manager a broad perspective on the opportunities of technology, while also helping spot potential conflicts and dangers. Bolman and Deal stress that management is an art that requires knowledge and flexibility; reframing a general topic like technology helps provide a manager with both.

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