Running head: Four Frames

(Artifact 1) A Four Frame Analysis of Linden Charter Academy Submitted by: Audrey Medlin EA 740 Schools as a Formal Organization Oakland University April 2012

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Abstract

Leaders of the 21st century must be able to navigate through rough terrain to be effective. As stated by Bolman and Deal organizations are: complex, surprising, deceptive, and ambiguous. They are compared to factories, families, a jungle and the theater. With all of this being said, effective leaders of today have the keen ability of visioning their organization through the use of the four important frames stated by Bolman and Deal: Structural Frame, Human Resource Frame, Resource Frame, Political Frame, and Symbolic Frame. The four frames are a reference used to view the challenges in todays organizations. The leaders with the ability to analyze and problem solve using the four frames are able to use multiple strategies and solutions. Leaders who limit themselves of their use of the structural frames limit their ability and perceptions. I will look closely at Linden Charter Academy using the four frames to analyze the organizations structure, and demonstrate my knowledge and understanding of Bolman and Deals organizational frames.

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A Four-Frame Analysis of the Linden Charter Academy By using the four frames as outlined by Boleman and Deal I will attempt to analyze the structure of Linden Charter Academy. Through the use of the four frames: Structural frame, Human Resource frame, Political Frame, and Symbolic frame I have been able to view what seems to be difficult or impossible problems with multiple solutions and perspectives. Bolman and Deal have provided me with a model to which I can begin to understand the challenges of organizations. My goal is to be able to navigate all four frames to have multiple tools to aid in my success as a school leader and prevent the over use of one or two frames. I have made suggestions in this paper with all four frames in mind. Introduction Linden Charter Academy is located on the north end of Flint. Flint has one of the highest crime rates in the country. Linden is a National Heritage Academy public charter school. National Heritage Academy (NHA) currently has seventy-five schools in nine states. Lindens charter is with Central Michigan University. Linden serves students between the grades K-8. Currently there are 764 students enrolled. The school was established in 1999. Ninety-eight percent of the students are African American with the remaining two percent being Caucasian and other. Ninety percent of the students are free and reduced lunch. Currently the school employs seventy five staff members. In each K-2 classrooms there is a certified teacher, an additional classroom teacher is provided for reading support in each grade and a para-educator is in each class. In 3-5 classrooms there is a certified classroom teacher in each room an additional teacher for each grade level for reading support and one para-educator for each grade level. In the middle school there is a certified teacher in each classroom with two para-educators for each

4 Four Frames grade level. Additional support staff consists of: one social worker, one parent liaison, one attendance secretary and three deans.

Structural Frame: Bolman and Deal explain that the structure of an organization is not always clear. The structure is as unique as the organization itself. All organizations have the same goal of productivity to the maximum however, how to use the human and other resources are not so clear. Before an organization considers a structural approach there are key elements to consider: Size and age, core process, environment, strategy and goals, information and technology and the nature of the workforce. Two approaches are described the vertical and lateral approaches. Regardless of structure checks and balances must be in place to prevent over allocation of resources. The structure of an organization is a delicate balance of too much or not enough. No one model is perfect. The structure of an organization must be negotiated with all stakeholders. It may be necessary for different structures to arise because organizations are unique and complicated. Therefore, the creation of work teams becomes necessary for success. Cohesive groups of people with a common cause who are held accountable for shared success and failures can be a successful approach. It is important for organizations must understand that the structure is never completely fixed it needs to be fluid and ready to change to meet new needs and concerns. The current structure and flaws: When making building decisions our principal and staff answer to many different stakeholders: The board, our headquarters which contains a CEO, Central Michigan University in which holds our charter, the community and families, and staff. All 75 of our schools within NHA serve inner city students and families. The majority of our schools look exactly the same. The structure on the outside is a deliberate

5 Four Frames structural decision and it is a trademark of NHA (National Heritage Academies). When you drive past a NHA school you know that it is a NHA school. Our advertisement, colors and logos are all the same. It is the appearance of a school district. Many decisions are made in a Vertical alignment. Decisions such as: Curriculum, testing, data collecting decisions and processes, technology, and to some degree human resources are made at the head quarters two hours away. This year a transition to a new building wide management process has been handed to down from head quarters to all NHA schools. We are visited by a representative monthly to monitor building systems. Because some decisions are made from so far away from our building they are often cookie cutter and over generalized. Some decisions are not always the best for our school, because it does not meet the unique need of our community. Within our school we are also structured laterally. We are allowed to take pieces such as: curriculum and design and use them in our own unique way. We use the curriculum standards; however we choose the resources we use and the order in which we teach them. Teachers are responsible for yearlong planning and their professional judgment is validated through this process. However, yearlong planning is difficult for inexperienced teachers. I believe a pacing guide with identified resources would be helpful. Grade level strategies and goals are made at the building level. Linden makes use of teams and committees. Grade level planning time is critical and carved out of the weekly schedule. Committees are formed with representations from all grade levels and include other department representatives besides teachers. At Linden committees are often over used and not very effective because there are too many. Sometimes it is unknown who is on what. Additionally, some committees have not changed in the last ten years and they need to be updated and evaluated for their effectiveness. Doing too much can be a curse and lead to low morale.

6 Four Frames Our structural model at Linden favors a schools with-in a school model. There is a principal/dean for each level: k-2, 3-5, 6-8. The dean model is taking place in each NHA building. The model was put in place by a consensus from each building principal. Instructional and administrative staff both agrees with the effectiveness. This is a structural change that has taken place in the last four years. In this respect the structural decisions being made at Linden are fluid and can be done upon recommendation of the major stakeholders. Within this model different groups make recommendations to the deans they communicate this to the principal that then communicates it to headquarters. Headquarters then researches and makes decisions or recommendations to buildings. Sometimes headquarters does not allow necessary changes to take place in our building because it is not unilateral with what is happening in their other schools. NHA is organizing towards uniformity so that systems are standardized. Standardization of all schools does not allow for the uniqueness of the staff and the community it represents. Changes: There is very little support from our parent organization. Parental buy in is important to school wide success. I do know that some of our parents work for local companies and universities. I would like to see the parent group growing and I would really try to reach out to them for their support. Currently, the board holds their meetings during school hours. This makes it impossible for staff and parents to attend. I believe it is vital for both staff and families to be a part of board meetings so that their voices can be heard. I currently have no idea what is on the agendas for board meetings and this is something I would want to change both for staff and other stakeholders. If meeting times could not be changed I would provide opportunities for parents to receive board notes and write in questions and concerns.

7 Four Frames I do like the Dean model and find it very effective. I would like to see more vertical alignment especially in the middle school. Currently teachers are meeting with their grade level partners without any scheduled time for across grade level meetings. Across grade level meetings would allow teachers to modify assessments to fit students needs by sharing levels of information and to make sure there are no gaps in learning. Additionally, the current committees need to be evaluated and changes need to be made to support the schools improvement goals. In order to voice a strong opinion or to make valuable changes in the building that may conflict with the head quarters vision I would need to prove success over time. Additionally it would be important to build coalitions with the departments at the headquarters and within Lindens school community. I understand that change does not occur over night, but with success comes trust. Human Resource Frame:

Bolman and Deal explain that the Human Resource Frame is built on the core assumption that the worker and its job must fit each others need. The employee is as important as the consumer. It is within this frame that the organization believes that it exists to serve human needs. Organizations need talented people who bring their opinions, talents and skills as major resources. When the organization fails to meet the needs of the employees it is a system failure and employees suffer. An adverse effect of this becomes a decrease in productivity, poor attendance and low morale. It is the job of the organization to foster an environment that allows its employees to grow: Competitive wages and attractive benefits shared wealth/shared
ownership, protected jobs, promoting from within and employee training are necessary to retain and grow employees. Much of what a manager does according to this frame is manage relationships.

Team building is often necessary and beneficial because a team can learn quickly the roles of

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each member. When team members become connected they can bond and are more likely to work together and produce quality work.

Efforts that are made to create a fit: National Heritage Academies makes a lot of decisions based on the human resource frame. All of their schools have adopted the CKH model (Capturing Kids Hearts). This model is a philosophy based on the belief that building relationships will increase school wide improvement. The CKH model is very important at Linden and is not only the focus of children to adult relationships, but also adult to adult relationships. The model is all about team building and appreciation. All staff members receive a monthly thank you gift of some sort, and is assigned to a group where as the leader touches base with you to make sure relationships are being built. In our staff surveys there are questions regarding how we feel about our jobs, if we have friends in our work place, if we are valued and listened to. We share good things at our monthly staff gatherings along with our classrooms with our students. We meet monthly for staff breakfast and are recognized by staff members with affirmations. All in-services have planned activities for team building. Initially when joining the staff at Linden I thought the climate was very contrived and somewhat humorous. Over time I started to understand the importance of the rituals and started looking forward to them. Overall the staff takes it seriously and the feedback is positive. This is all done to create a warm environment that can retain its employees.

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The Dean Model at Linden is also a human resource decision. Deans were put into place for several reasons: Have regular and frequent contact with the staff To build positive relationships with employees and students To give feedback by monitoring classroom instruction on a weekly basis Deans receive feedback and take suggestions for overall improvement of the wing.

All of these factors make a very positive work environment. By collecting classroom data weekly the deans have the ability to recommend promotion or suspend employment of staff. Our administrator worked for NHA schools for eleven years. Before she was promoted to principal she was a dean and a teacher. Our building principle was promoted from within, her philosophy is aligned with that of the organization and often her decision making is with consideration of this frame. Within NHA there is always room for growth and improvement. Successful teachers and leaders are promoted from within as the norm. Professional development is offered to staff frequently, and fully paid for including lodging and travel. This is within the effort to retain the best employees with excellent track records. Employees complete satisfaction surveys every year and the data is analyzed by the principles and staff. As part of the school improvement process low rated items are expected to be worked on. When schools have high marks for employee satisfaction the school and all of its employees are rewarded. The school budget has line items that are aligned to the human resource frame. Each classroom has a healthy budget; money is set aside for team building activities, staff rewards, staff breakfast, professional

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conferences, and other incentives. All of this is done as a model of what NHA also expects in all of the classrooms. One down fall of NHA is that it generally starts its teachers at lower wages than that of the regular public schools; therefore the retention rate of newer teachers is low. However, the retention rate of teachers that have been at Linden for three years is 90%. Additionally, teachers who have the most experience are paid a more comparable or competitive wage. There is not a regular pay scale at Linden. When employees are hired they are offered a salary and can negotiate it. Many new teachers do not realize they can negotiate pay with charter schools. I do feel that in order to retain new teachers we should offer a more competitive starting salary. Teachers are given regular raises yearly and bonuses based on performance. Because all employees that work for NHA are at will employees they are notified each year if they are being invited back. This guarantees the right fit. Human Needs: Addressing employee and student needs is essential to the climate at Linden. Because each NHA school has a moral focus program, it is important that all staff are caring to students and the community. Every year Linden surveys parents and students to make sure stakeholders are highly satisfied. Because of the clientele, the necessary programs are put into place to meet the basic needs of each child such as: Before and after school tutorials free lunch and breakfast A variety of communications/ both written and via phone

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A full time social worker and an at risk parent liaison Staff training consisting of programs such as, Capturing kids Hearts, differentiate instruction and more.

Any staff member that does not value the students and families at Linden would not be asked back. It is vital that all staff members connect, appreciate and understand the community and its needs. There is an observation protocol that all staff members are evaluated by and it includes building positive relationships. Within the philosophy at Linden and all NHA schools, staff members understand that building relationships with students are essential. Political Frame: Bolman and Deal describe the political frame as the jockeying between individual and group needs for scarce resources. In harsh or difficult economic times often the group holding the power can negotiate for resources. Therefore, power becomes a key resource. The political power struggle is present in public arenas were resources are very limited. The Grand Coalition sets goals which can be conflicting. The political frame derived from this process described by (Cyert and March) the manager/leader is viewed as the politician. Managers as politicians are expected to do the right thing for the majority. Managers set the agenda for getting resources, making changes internal and external, leaving seeds to think over and communicating the vision. Managers must be able to map the political terrain. They must know who to talk to, anticipate counter moves and strategies, and mobilize internal and external key players. Corinne Weaver the building administrator at Linden stated in an interview that she struggles with the current political terrain for several reasons:

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Many decisions are made by corporate and without a buildings choice. Some decisions are made to set a regular standard among all NHA schools, however this not always the right fit for Linden. When decisions are made by the corporate office without input from the staff it creates frustration and lowers moral.

The head quarters is often difficult to map, because it is often changing either peoples positions or positions themselves. Not knowing who you are talking to, or who to call is frustrating and it does not allow for a coalition to be formed between the buildings and corporate office.

The building principal does not receive support from staff and the community during board meetings, because the meetings are held during school hours. Board members make hasty decisions, because they are not in position to be face to face with frustrated staff members and families.

Central Michigan University has our charter and our building must fulfill their requests which are often non negotiable.

My principal once told me that the most difficult part of her job was making everyone feel comfortable and confident that she and the staff are doing everything possible. She stated that the board is the most difficult political arena to answer too. The board does not care about why scores are low compared to suburban areas. They only care that there is a plan in place that increases scores.

The key to navigating and building political alliances within NHA is student success. If a building administrator can highlight student success this gives that administrator more political power. The most powerful relationship between the building leaders and corporate office is with the

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DSQ (Director of School Quality) this person is assigned to monitor and evaluate the overall performance of the building principal and all systems in place at the school. The DSQ is the building advocate. Symbolic Frame: Bolman and Deal explain that symbols are deeply rooted in our society. They are a part of everyday life. Myths and legends are the stories behind the story. They begin in the beginning of an organization. Organizations are the theater where: music, video and the presentation is played up. A theatrical presentation of the reality plays out in front of stakeholders. The leader is the hero and the world is the stage. The myths are what define the values of an organization. The myths create visions for the company and shape the workforce. Visions are built on core ideas and become the values. Rituals give people a feeling of safety and sure footing. Organizations have rituals and in order to be accepted in the company a person must quickly learn them. Ceremonies celebrate the past, present and future. Humor and play is important to bring people together and illuminate and break frames. Play allows people to break away from the rules have fun and promote creativity. The employees are motivated by performance, power and form of play that create bonds. Play is at the spirit of the company. Recognizable Symbols: Lindens mascot is the Lion. It is a fierce leader. All students recognize him at all of our school celebrations. His face is printed on all of their sweat shirts and t-shirts and displayed in all major meeting areas. He is at the center of moral focus, because he stands for courage, patience and success. The initials of our school are: L.C.A and is translated by our students and staff as Lead, Care, Achieve. Every morning students attend moral focus and pledge their allegiance to the

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flag, additionally they sing patriotic songs as a part of morning rituals. Linden has a large trophy case that displays student success in athletics. Medals are handed out to students who score in high stakes tests as proficient. Every bulletin board displays student test scores and student work as a symbol of achievement. Every year a new staff logo or saying is developed. This year the saying is, To College and Beyond with a picture of a rocket ship. This symbol leaves the impression of a new plan of action each year and a symbol of high expectations. Heroes and Heroines: National Heritage Academies does have a hero. In all new teacher trainings and in weekly newsletters you will hear or read the story of J.C. Huizenga. He is the entrepreneur who invested his own money to begin schools of choice for disadvantaged students. It is said that Mr.Huizenga has received many awards for his business success. He became interested in schools when he became a parent. He is a religious person who wanted to bring back the focus on morals. The way the story goes he founded NHA because he wanted to give back. He invested millions without a return. Conclusion: The four frames are tools/lenses in which leaders can effectively diagnose difficulties and examine the structure of an organization. It is imperative that leaders become confident in the use of the four frames in order to maneuver through sometimes deceptive and difficult terrain known as an organization. Schools are complicated organizations. There are many stakeholders and outside contributing factors that add to the sometimes misleading terrain. After a close look at Linden Charter Academy it is apparent that all four frames are played out in the organization, however it is also apparent that three of the four frames are easier to maneuver

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for the current leader. The human resource, the structural and the symbolic frames seem to be the dominant frames used to alter Lindens environment. The political terrain is the most difficult to manipulate at Linden Charter, because so much of the politics are occurring outside of the building, but having a direct effect on decision making. Through the use of the four frames I have been able to analyze what is working at Linden, diagnose and make recommendations for change. I now have four lenses in which to analyze organizations. As I looked closely I was able to uncover the layers of which make up the complicated and sometimes illusory layers of what makes up Linden Charter Academy.

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References
1.

Bolman, L.D. & Deal, T.E. (2008).Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. (4thEd.).San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Weaver,Corinne personal communication, March 17, 2012.

2.