Four-Frame Model

Reframing Organisations
Bolman & Deal identify four
distinctive ‘frames’ from which
people view their world -
Structural, Human Resources,
Political, and Symbolic.
Each frame comes with a range
of concepts, metaphors and
values which provide the
scaffolding for organising raw
experience of the world.
No one uses only one frame all
the time, although people
often show a preference for
one or two frames.
Frames
Lenses – focus, filter some
things and allow others to
pass through, help us
order experience.
 Frames
Tools – strengths and
limitations. Wrong tool
gets in the way, right tool
makes the job easier.

Possess a tool – but know

how to use it well.
 Structural Frame
• Origins - sociology &
management science.
• Goals, specialised roles,
and formal relationships.
• Structures fit
organisations
environment and
technology.
• Responsibilities, rules,
policies, procedures.
Structural Frame
Problem arises when the
structure does not fit the
situation.
 Human Resources Frame
• Organisations as • Origins - psychology.
extended family. • Capacity to learn – and
• Individuals with needs, capacity to defend old
feelings, prejudices, attitudes and beliefs.
skills and limitations.
 Human Resources Frame
Challenge is to tailor
organisation to people –
find a way for individuals
to get the job done while
feeling good about what
they are doing.
 Political Frame
• Origins - political science. • Bargaining, negotiation,
• Organisations as arenas, coercion, compromise,
contests, or jungles. and coalitions.
• Different interests
competing for power and
resources.
• Rampant conflict –
difference in needs,
perspectives, and
lifestyles.
Political Frame
Problems arise when
power is concentrated in
the wrong places or is too
broadly dispersed.
 Symbolic Frame
• Origins - social and
cultural anthropology.
• Organisations as tribes,
theatres, or carnivals.
• Culture – rituals,
ceremonies, stories,
heroes, and myths.
• Organisation is theatre –
actors play role while
audiences form
impressions.
Symbolic Frame
Problems arise when
actors play their parts
badly, when symbols lose
their meaning, when
ceremonies and rituals
lose their potency.
 Overview of the Four-Frame Model
Structural Human Resource Political Symbolic

Metaphor for Factory or Family Jungle Carnival, temple,

Organisation Machine theatre
Central Concepts Rules, roles, goals, Needs, skills, Power, conflict, Culture, meaning,
policies, relationships competition, metaphor, ritual,
technology, organisational ceremony, stories,
environment policies heroes

Image of Social architecture Empowerment Advocacy Inspiration

Leadership
Basic Leadership Attune structure Align Develop agenda Create faith,
Challenge to task, organisational and and power base beauty, meaning
technology, human needs
environment

Organisational Excellence Caring Justice Faith

Ethic
Leadership Authorship Love Power Significance
Contribution
 Choosing a Frame
Question Frame if answer is Yes Frame if answer is No
Are individual Human Resource, Symbolic Structural, Political
commitment and
motivation essential to
success?
Is the technical quality Structural Human Resource,
of the decision Political, Symbolic
important?
Are there high levels of Political, Symbolic Structural, Human
ambiguity and Resource
uncertainty?
Are conflict and scarce Political, Symbolic Structural, Human
resources significant? Resource
Are you working from Political Structural, Human
the bottom up? Resource, Symbolic
 Reframing Organisational Process
Structural Human Resources Political Symbolic
Strategic Planning Strategies to set Gatherings to promote Arenas to air conflicts and Ritual to signal responsibility,
objectives and participation realign power produce symbols, negotiate
coordinate resources meanings
Decision Making Rational sequence to Open process to Opportunity to gain or exercise Ritual to confirm values and
produce right decision produce commitment power provide opportunities for
bonding
Reorganizing Realign roles and Maintain balance Redistribute power and form Maintain image of
responsibilities to fit between human needs new coalitions accountability and
tasks and environment and formal roles responsiveness; negotiate new
social order
Evaluating Way to distribute Process for helping Opportunity to exercise power Occasion to play roles in
rewards or penalties and individuals grow and shared ritual
control performance improve
Approaching Conflict Maintain organisational Develop relationships Develop power by bargaining, Develop shared values and use
goals by having by having individuals forcing, or manipulating others conflict to negotiate meaning
authorities resolve confront conflict to win
conflict
Goal Setting Keep organisation Keep people involved Provide opportunity for Develop symbols and shared
headed in right direction and communication individuals and groups to make values
open interests known
Communication Transmit facts and Exchange information, Influence or manipulate others Tell stores
information needs, and feelings
Meetings Formal occasions for Informal occasions for Competitive occasions to win Sacred occasions to celebrate
making decisions involvement, sharing points and transform the culture
feelings
Motivation Economic incentives Growth and self- Coercion, manipulation, and Symbols and celebrations
actualisation seduction
 Reframing Leadership

Structural Human Political Symbolic

Resources
Effective Leader Analyst, Catalyst, Advocate, Prophet, poet
architect servant negotiator
Effective Analysis, design Support, Advocacy, coalition Inspiration, framing
Leadership empowerment building experience
Process
Ineffective Petty tyrant Weakling, Con artist, thug Fanatic, fool
Leader pushover
Ineffective Management by Abdication Manipulation, fraud Mirage, smoke &
Leadership detail and fiat mirrors
Process
 Reframing Change

Structural Human Resource Political Symbolic

Barriers to Change Loss of clarity and Anxiety, Disempowerment, Loss of meaning
stability, uncertainty, conflict between and purpose,
confusion, chaos feelings of winners and losers clinging to the past
incompetence,
neediness
Essential Communicating, Training to Creating arenas Creating transition
Strategies realigning and develop new skills, where issues can rituals – mourning
renegotiating participation and be renegotiated the past,
formal patterns involvement, and new coalitions celebrating the
and policies psychological formed future
support
 Four-Frame Model
• How do you see the four
frames in your
organisation/institution?
• What is the problem, and
what is the situation in
which it is embedded?
• Which frames are in play?
• Which frame(s) is most
likely to lead to the desired
change?
• How can the concepts,
metaphors, and values of
that frame be used to
reframe the situation to
resolve the problem?
 Reference
BOLMAN, Lee G. and DEAL, Terrence E. (2008).
Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and
leadership. San Francisco, Calif, Jossey-Bass.