Leadership

Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership

Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership

  • Downloads：2931
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-09-06 09:19:22
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Lee G. Bolman
  • ISBN：1119756839
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Milton ，

Kinda ok， kinda whack Läs om du inte har nåt liv

AnnikaFredin ，

Sjuk bok， pro tip är att skriva 4 uppsatsen om den inom 2 dagar om ni vill speedrunna alla fyra perspektiv。 Skulle också påstå att HR perspektivet är en weak mindset。

Tim G ，

This book was a apart of the curriculum for a subject I studied， Organisational behaviour。 This book was a pleasant addition to the required reading and really appreciated the real world and historical insights to aid in illuminating the chapter topics。

Ling ，

I got the basic concept of frames， but the book overall is too theoretical for me。

Steve ，

Bolman and Deal discuss the four frames from which they view organizations。 Using this text for a change leadership course。

Rolf ，

Useful as a general intro to how social science could be used in organizations， but honestly it mostly made me wish I were reading the primary sources Bolman and Deal use to make up their "four frames。" Since I came to it in the context of it being used in education courses， too， I wish the language weren't so business/corporate。 Useful as a general intro to how social science could be used in organizations， but honestly it mostly made me wish I were reading the primary sources Bolman and Deal use to make up their "four frames。" Since I came to it in the context of it being used in education courses， too， I wish the language weren't so business/corporate。 。。。more

Andrew Stannard ，

Using the 4 frames on Structural， Human Resource， Political and Symbolic to examine organisations。 I found the examples made the book more interesting and there was a good section on references for further study。

Sharon ，

At the end of the day， multiple frames will guide the way through the art and choice of leadership。

Sarah ，

This is the most accessible textbook I've had the pleasure to be assigned。 The contemporary organizational examples and reflections （from Wells Fargo to the 2016 Election） are refreshing and informative。 After reading this， I'm seeing organizational theory in everything and I think this will be an indispensable text in the long run career-wise。 I borrowed this copy from GU， but when I get a full-time librarian position， I will be picking up my own copy of this as a gift to myself。 This is the most accessible textbook I've had the pleasure to be assigned。 The contemporary organizational examples and reflections （from Wells Fargo to the 2016 Election） are refreshing and informative。 After reading this， I'm seeing organizational theory in everything and I think this will be an indispensable text in the long run career-wise。 I borrowed this copy from GU， but when I get a full-time librarian position， I will be picking up my own copy of this as a gift to myself。 。。。more

T。D。 ，

This was an excellent read on the various theories of organizational leadership。

Noel ，

I read the actual book not the audio book。 The four frames Structural， HR， Political， and Symbolic， makes sense。 The chapters on the political frame was the most interesting and informative， IMHO。 Politics does not have to be a negative activity， when used appropriately it can help teams and organizations to achieve their goals （win-win vs zero sum）。

Danielle ，

This book is phenomenal。 It was required reading for one of my classes in my graduate program， and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it。 The way they discuss the four frames and tie them in with narrative examples really helps keep the reader interested。 The information presented is extremely valuable and has helped me reframe how I see things！ I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in leadership！

Jacob Avery ，

Frankly， this text changed how I thought about organizations and， even， groups I was associated with。 I truly gave me a new frame on how to look at the world。 I have taken the important lessons learned in this text to every position， volunteer or paid， I have been in。 Yes， it was assigned reading at the time; but definitely an assignment that has stuck with me as a life long learner。

Chanh Nguyen ，

The key message in these blinks:Companies are complex entities that function in a complex world， so it’s no wonder decision-making is no easy task。 However， by applying a number of simple structures and methods， companies can be well placed to weather the inevitable storms and continue to grow。 These structures include self-managing teams， the development of a strong company culture and a commitment to ethical behavior。Actionable advice:Blame the structure， not the people。Within an organization， The key message in these blinks:Companies are complex entities that function in a complex world， so it’s no wonder decision-making is no easy task。 However， by applying a number of simple structures and methods， companies can be well placed to weather the inevitable storms and continue to grow。 These structures include self-managing teams， the development of a strong company culture and a commitment to ethical behavior。Actionable advice:Blame the structure， not the people。Within an organization， things can sometimes go horribly wrong。 As a manager in these circumstances， it’s easy to assume that your employees are at fault and to start looking for new ones。 But instead of blaming the people involved， focus on the structures that might be causing the problem。 For example， how clearly are responsibilities defined within the company？ Often conflicts arise not because people are inherently incapable， but because guidelines are not clear。 Make sure everyone is clear about their tasks and positions within the company and that they are on board with this structure。 You may soon find your problems dissolving。 Highlight 1。 Mistakes are made when complexity is simplified。 The trick is to question your prejudices。 we see what we already believe， rather than believe what we see。2。 The existence of self-managing teams within company structures can improve decision-making processes。3。 Company success is built on good hiring practices and quantifiable rewards for employees。4。 Distributing company profits and job security encourages employee loyalty。Distributing company profits and job security encourages employee loyalty。5。 Myth and vision are key to company success， and company heroes and heroines enforce those ideals。6。 Taking on a new managerial role can be tough， and it requires quick thinking to fit in quickly。7。 New executives should adapt to their new company culture， which often involves winning over key stakeholders。8。 Companies that don’t make ethical compromises find themselves better off and trusted。 。。。more

Felipe CZ ，

A book on how to structure organizations to simplify tasks， since companies are complex entities which often lead to hard decision-making。 But by applying self-managing teams， and developing a strong company culture， companies can continue to grow。 It is not always the fault of the employees but rather on the structures that cause the problems， because guidelines are not clear about tasks and positions。

Sen Foo ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This is probably my favorite leadership book at Teachers College， Columbia University。 It introduces four different frames that leaders can use to analyze and look at the same situation from different perspectives。 Among the chapters that talk about these four different frames， my favorite one is in the middle of the book which talks about the 3rd frame， power， conflict and politics。 The reason is that I like the example in this chapter the best they are talk about the power conflict within NASA This is probably my favorite leadership book at Teachers College， Columbia University。 It introduces four different frames that leaders can use to analyze and look at the same situation from different perspectives。 Among the chapters that talk about these four different frames， my favorite one is in the middle of the book which talks about the 3rd frame， power， conflict and politics。 The reason is that I like the example in this chapter the best they are talk about the power conflict within NASA。 Specifically they talk about dear conflict between the management in NASA and engineers。 And as well as the outside expectation from taxpayers and government。 Spoiler alert。 The example talks about why several rocket luanches failed during the nineties or the early two thousands。 。。。more

Caitlin ，

I really liked the examples the book used。

Caroline ，

While not exclusive to education， offers leaders a plethora of examples on 4 frames to use when leading an organization。

Emma Que ，

Excellent primer on understanding the nature of organizations and the ways that they function。

Peaches ，

For a textbook in my Ed。D。 program， this one was a decent read。 There is strong voice in the descriptions and several interesting examples that span a variety of organizations。 My favorite was the symbolic frame， especially the concept of dramaturgy。 I recently worked in a public school for five years that was toxic and caused me PTSD when I left。 Since it was the organization I "knew" the best， I had to analyze it for a course I was in this semester， and it brought forth a lot of negative emoti For a textbook in my Ed。D。 program， this one was a decent read。 There is strong voice in the descriptions and several interesting examples that span a variety of organizations。 My favorite was the symbolic frame， especially the concept of dramaturgy。 I recently worked in a public school for five years that was toxic and caused me PTSD when I left。 Since it was the organization I "knew" the best， I had to analyze it for a course I was in this semester， and it brought forth a lot of negative emotions; however， looking back on it with a dramaturgical lens， where everything is a performative experience that can be satirical， my mind coped with it better。 Thanks Bolman and Deal！ 。。。more

Jeni Enjaian ，

I read this book as the official text book for my first educational leadership class。 Bolman and Deal have engaging relatable styles which make it easy to understand the text。 This text has also been frequently updated and includes relevant， recent examples throughout the entire book。 For anyone wanting to get a deeper understanding on the basics of organization both as a leader and as a subordinate， I recommend this book。

Margo ，

This is a fantastic book and the principles taught are applicable to all organizations， not just schools。 The frameworks provide a clear and concise lens to consider change in organizations with。 The new edition is full of detailed and up to date examples of the frameworks at play， including a look at the 2016 election。 Although the book is in-depth and a deep read， the principles taught are logical and relatively easy to apply in real life organizations。

Scott ，

Surprisingly well-written and engaging for a district class text。

Rick Mcgarry ，

This is a lovely postmodern take on management and leadership。 They have tried and succeeded to create a fun resource that presents relevant useful information clearly and simply， without being simplistic。 They deliberately integrate major organizational theories， focusing on practical implications。 Their perception is that each major theoretical tradition of organizational leadership is true and helpful。 Each has blind spots。 The ability to shift from one viewpoint to another helps make organiz This is a lovely postmodern take on management and leadership。 They have tried and succeeded to create a fun resource that presents relevant useful information clearly and simply， without being simplistic。 They deliberately integrate major organizational theories， focusing on practical implications。 Their perception is that each major theoretical tradition of organizational leadership is true and helpful。 Each has blind spots。 The ability to shift from one viewpoint to another helps make organizations understandable and manageable。 Managers who are blind to messy organizational realities progress inexorably from frustration to failure。The Four FramesSmart people often do dumb things。 The authors begin by explaining that this is often because managers who always read their organization through the same lens frequently misread situations， so they respond inappropriately。 When smart people who have power， position or influence do dumb things they can hurt a lot of people and cripple or even kill the organization they are helping to lead。 Organizations are complex and unpredictable， as we learn by examining some common management fallacies before exploring the characteristics of effective approaches to leadership and management。 This leads into a discussion of four different frames or lenses through which organizations can be viewed。 The bulk of the volume is an analysis of these four frames。STRUCTURAL FRAME This frame is based on sociology， economics and management science， and sees the organization as a factory or machine。 Rules， policies， procedures， systems and hierarchies organize different activities toward one purpose。 The leader is a social architect who attunes the structure of the organization to task， technology and environment。 Social architecture plays an important role in shaping the behaviors of organizations。 Different environments require different structures if organizations are going to succeed。Leading from a structural perspective focuses on dividing work according to different types of tasks， then coordinating the efforts of the divisions。 The design of the organization is based on goals， technology and the environment。 Putting people in the right roles and relationships leads to success。 This is accomplished by the creation of job descriptions， procedures， routines， protocols and rules。 Changes， whether driven by inside forces or outside forces， require structural adaptation。 Unfortunately， structural adaptation always produces confusion and resistance， which must be managed。 tThe manager who focuses exclusively on these aspects of the organization might make the mistake of viewing people in the organization only as parts of a machine or as raw material。 She might overlook important aspects of their personhood and only see the ways they are directly relevant to the organization and its mission。 Some problems can be solved this way， but sometimes the solutions produced by this kind of analysis create bigger problems and end up weakening the organization。HUMAN RESOURCE FRAMEThis frame is rooted in psychology， and tends to view the organization as a family。 Recognition of each individual’s needs， feelings， prejudices， skills and limitations is paramount。 This frame challenges us to help people feel good about themselves and their work while they get the job done。 Managers affect people positively or negatively depending on what the managers believe and do。 Organizations benefit when individuals find satisfaction and meaning in work and organizations effectively use the talent and energy of each individual。 Examples of practices that motivate people include participative management， job enrichment， self-managing workgroups， management of diversity， and organization development。 Organizations and groups are more effective when members attend to group processes such as informal norms and roles， interpersonal conflict， leadership， and decision making。 Unfortunately managers and leaders who focus exclusively on the health and happiness of the people in the organization are sometimes distracted from the mission and purpose of the organization。 They may also neglect the other responsibilities and obligations of their position。 This frame must be balanced by the perspective of the other three frames。POLITICAL FRAMEPolitics is defined as the realistic process of making decisions and allocating resources in a context of scarcity and divergent interests。 This frame is rooted in political science and sees the organization as a jungle， arena， or contest。 Power and resources are scarce and must be won competitively， so conflict is normal， healthy and necessary。 Bargaining， negotiating， coercing and compromising are all key skills。 This theory assumes that organizations are coalitions; that values， beliefs， information， interests and perceptions differ; that resources are scarce; that conflict is central; and that decisions result from bargaining and negotiating。 In this environment the manager must have skills to complete four tasks: diagnose political realities， set agendas， build networks， and make effective ethical choices。This perspective also has its limitations。 Politics is an exhilarating intoxicating game for many people。 Participants easily lose sight of the big picture。 They can become obsessed with their own personal or department objectives。 They may fiddle around with succeeding as individuals or even leading their department to glory while the organization goes down in flames around them。 SYMBOLIC FRAMEThe symbolic frame is based on social and cultural anthropology and views the organization as a temple， tribe， theater or carnival where rituals， ceremonies， stories， heroes and myths fuel the culture。 Culture， symbols and spirit are the keys to success。 Initiation rituals， specialized language， group stories， humor and play and ceremonies all help form people into a team。This frame is based on five assumptions。 Events are not as important as our interpretation of them。 Events and actions have multiple interpretations。 Symbols help people resolve confusion and find direction， and also anchor hope and faith。 What is expressed is more important than what is produced。 Culture bonds an organization together， unites people， and helps an organization accomplish its purpose。 This frame highlights the tribal aspects of organizations and the power of symbols to mediate meaning。 It centers on complexity and ambiguity。 This frame focuses on how human beings make sense of the world。 Meaning， belief and faith are central concerns。 Meaning is something we create， and we build meaning systems out of symbols， including myth， vision， story， heroes and heroines， and ceremony。 This frame ceases to be effective when the symbols and culture of the organization no longer advance the goals and purpose of the organization。 It can be a temptation for leaders to focus on this frame when they have no idea how to actually accomplish the task at hand。 The final section of the book applies reframing to the issues of leadership， change and ethics。 In each case， leaders can discover new options and increase effectiveness by considering several alternative solutions。 The four frames open our eyes to see leaders as architects， servants， advocates， and prophets。 Reframing helps us to see that issues like individual needs and abilities， structural realignment， political conflict， and existential loss are always a part of implementing any new policies or ideas。 The ethical mandates of excellence， caring， justice and faith compel leaders to become a source of authorship， love， power and significance。 As the authors close with a look to the future， they explain the importance of both spiritual and intellectual development so that tomorrow’s leaders possess both conceptual flexibility and commitment to core values。 The power of breaking free from the prison of an impoverished palette of ideas。This book is powerful because it presents information that is relevant and useful。 It provides tools and methods instead of just a list of rules。 The information presented is often provocative， and a little unsettling， providing a fresh perspective that helps leaders and managers to see past the status quo and challenge business as usual。 Integration of major theoretical traditions helps insure a balanced thoughtful approach。 The authors assume what almost every thoughtful leader already intuits: There is more than one way to solve a problem。 Reframers report that the practice gives them a sense of choice and power。 Managers who can only see things one way are “imprisoned by an impoverished palette of ideas” （page 19。） Reframing empowers managers and leaders by providing them with alternative approaches to solving organizational difficulties。 Managers who can only see things one way are “imprisoned by an impoverished palette of ideas” （page 19。） Reframers have enough imagination to generate multiple stories， and wisdom to select the right one to tell themselves and their organization in each situation。 Lack of imagination， on the other hand， creates a chasm between noble aspirations and actual results。 Reframing is a powerful way to clarify， balance， brainstorm and strategize。 Reframing helps leaders see the excitement and possibility each situation contains。One possible criticism involves the metaphor of frames and reframing。 It is a little hard to visualize an organization as having multiple frames simultaneously。 I think the idea of looking at organizations through different lenses is much more helpful and easier to visualize。 I also found some of the charts and diagrams a bit tedious。 I would love someday to see these ideas creatively and specifically applied to families and churches。 I feel like many parents could benefit if they learned to analyze their family from different angles and viewpoints。 Few pastors have skills and training to do this kind of beneficial organizational analysis。 It might also be helpful to explore in what ways， if any， the church is different from other organizations and might not be amenable to some aspects of this kind of analysis。Relevance for Church Leadership and MinistryI think that we are more effective problem solvers when we have selected a possible solution from a list instead of just doing the first or only thing that comes to mind。 Also， we are much more able and willing to make necessary midcourse corrections when we have a handful of tools in our toolbox instead of just one great big hammer。An awareness of the four frames helps managers and leaders become aware of their weaknesses and blind spots。 A consistent reluctance to approach problems from a specific frame is a red flag that we are weak， untrained， or unskilled in that area。An awareness of the four frames can validate and normalize some aspects of the organization with which a leader or manager might not normally be that comfortable。 Structure， culture， relationships and politics all matter， and are all a part of every flourishing organization。Three specific areas that I thought might be helpful to pastors and churches were the sections on self-protective behavior， conflict， and story。 These are three issues that are ignored， undervalued， or often handled poorly in churches。Self-protective models of interpersonal behavior are discussed on pages 165-167。 This material can help us to think constructively about church staff relations， and church unity in general。 We need to think and talk about how often we blame， ignore， entrench， escalate and hold ourselves blameless when we conflict with others。 We need to work on skills like open communication， public testing of our beliefs， combining advocacy with inquiry， and finding and strengthening common goals and mutual influence。 The idea of conflict is explored during the discussion of the political frame。 Ongoing conflict is one of the ways we can tell that the church is not built around a charismatic personality。 Lack of opportunity for expression of dissent is not a sign of a healthy church。 Managing conflict so that it is healthy and productive is the key。 A church where everyone is marching in lockstep with the preacher is unhealthy。 Church growth inevitably involves conflict， because new people have new ideas。 It is unrealistic to imagine that the church will grow by adding new people just like the people we already have， people who will enjoy and appreciate everything about our organization。A church without conflict is a church that is not changing。 A church that is not changing is a church that is not improving。 In a healthy church the leadership allows ongoing civil dissent， always listening for the voice of the Holy Spirit。 In a healthy church the leadership can always identify areas of unresolved tension that are pregnant with the possibility of new initiatives that can move the church in new directions。 Conflict is inevitable， and can be productive。In the section describing the symbolic frame we learn that stories are essential for building organizational culture。 One of the tragedies of the Reformation is the devaluation of ritual and story in western churches。 Our gospel is so sterile， one dimensional， single-faceted， and inflexible。 Our suspicion of complexity and ambiguity pressures us to accept easy but inadequate answers to hard questions。 We inherit the most powerful stories in the history of the world， and we trade them for a stew composed of simplistic lentils。The church includes many supernatural elements。 However， it seems to me that most of the time it functions like other organizations。 These ideas and concepts would probably prove helpful to the vast majority of ministry leaders。 。。。more

Rachel Robins ，

I'm reading this for a graduate class for educational leadership。 It's more of an HR/business book for me， but I do see the applications。 It's pretty dense material--let's be real， textbooks aren't a thrill a minute--but it had good formatting/organization and just enough narrative embedded to keep me awake！ I actually liked reading about all the businesses and real life examples。 Not too shabby for a textbook。 I'm reading this for a graduate class for educational leadership。 It's more of an HR/business book for me， but I do see the applications。 It's pretty dense material--let's be real， textbooks aren't a thrill a minute--but it had good formatting/organization and just enough narrative embedded to keep me awake！ I actually liked reading about all the businesses and real life examples。 Not too shabby for a textbook。 。。。more

Lisa Hillord ，

Feel good vignettes mixed with watching paint dry。

Caroline ，

This is a really great textbook that I'm using for Communication Theory & Organizational Dynamics。 The course focuses on understanding organizations from various perspectives and acting within those organizations using frameworks/theories。 The text is perfect for this: it's well-researched， relevant， and interesting。 I also listened to the audio version， and it held my attention from start to finish。 This is a really great textbook that I'm using for Communication Theory & Organizational Dynamics。 The course focuses on understanding organizations from various perspectives and acting within those organizations using frameworks/theories。 The text is perfect for this: it's well-researched， relevant， and interesting。 I also listened to the audio version， and it held my attention from start to finish。 。。。more

Iselin Rønningsbakk ，

I read this book for a project management course， and I really enjoyed reading it。 It is easy to read， full of examples and made me start reflecting on my own personal and professional experiences。

Meg ，

A classic on organizational structure。 The four frames are very helpful when thinking about leadership。

Michelle ，

Great concepts， way too long