Running head: LEADERSHIP THROUGH THE STRUCTURAL FRAME
Leadership Through the Structural Frame
Carrie G. Connolly
Virginia Commonwealth University
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LEADERSHIP THROUGH THE STRUCTURAL FRAME
Leadership Through the Structural Frame
It is important for a leader to understand his or her leadership style in order to adapt to
situations. Leadership style can be defined as an approach to leadership, which a leader actively
chooses to take (Drath, 2001). Bolman and Deal (2008) suggest that in addition to understanding
one’s leadership style, one must also understand the frame of leadership. A frame is a set of
ideas of which a leader uses in situations to form his or her perspective and take action on the
issue. Different situations may require different frames in order to work through the situation
more efficiently, but every leader has a preference of frame (Bolman & Deal, 2008).
The Structural Frame
There are four frames of leadership: structural, human resources, political and symbolic
(Bolman & Deal, 2008). The author has a preference for the structural frame. The structural
frame uses ideas, such as facts, logic, organization, and analysis to lead. Leaders who use a
structural frame enjoy making decisions when a clear structure or policy is in place to support the
decision. A structural frame also ensures a high level of consistency in behavior as individuals
use the same guidelines to formulate decisions and little discretion is needed (Bolman & Deal,
2008). The author finds comfort in having consistency in her strategic planning based on
established policy and organizational goals. However, there are times when reframing is needed
to adjust to the demands of a particular situation.
Examples
Critical thinking is needed in any level of leadership, but having the structural frame
assists the author with making confident, well-informed and quick decisions that can be
supported with facts. One responsibility the author has in her current work position is managing
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the admissions process for the Honors College. The eligibility requirements are clear and written
out for all prospective students to read. Orientation sessions are also held by the author to
answer questions or clarify requirements. The author’s leadership principle of personal
dominance is exhibited during such sessions. Drath (2001) defines personal dominance as
leadership where followers are convinced of the truth by the leader, who is using inner qualities
to lead. During the orientation sessions, the author is confident in her abilities and her natural
leadership style takes over. Her structural frame allows her to stay to the facts of the program
and leave out the subjective admissions evaluations. If the human resources frame, making
leadership decisions on people and relationships, was used during the orientation sessions,
students would have concerns about inconsistent evaluations in applications based on personal
relationships (Bolman & Deal, 2008).
Another responsibility the author has in her leadership position is supervising a graduate
assistant. The author has duties and responsibilities clearly defined in a job description for the
graduate assistant. She has weekly meetings with her supervisee to address questions or
concerns related to job performance and duties. Her structural frame allows her to delegate
appropriate tasks as well as train the graduate assistants as they are hired. She created a binder
that outlines responsibilities each month, which is updated each year. The graduate assistant
works twenty hours a week, so she must be careful not to assign too many responsibilities.
Bolman and Deal (2008) note that leaders in the structural frame struggle with maintaining too
much structure and thus holding an organization back. If she gives the graduate assistant too
many tasks that are predetermined, he or she will not grow in their position. In addition there
might be needs that are not met because they are not included in the detailed list. When
descriptions are overly defined in a structural frame, employees can fall into status quo (Bolman
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and Deal, 2008). The author works her best to keep a balance of providing structure while
giving the graduate assistant the opportunity to create new programs. This approach allows the
graduate assistant the opportunity to grow professionally, and it also helps serve the needs of the
students he or she works with.
Bolman and Deal (2008) mention that leaders who use a structural frame must be
cautious not to forget the assignment of key responsibilities in projects. If left unassigned, these
tasks will not be completed because employees are used to working on a guide and not deviating
from it. However, when assigning tasks for a large project, the leader needs to check for overlap
in responsibilities to efficiently manage the project (Bolman & Deal, 2008). An example of a
large task that the author works diligently to delegate to several employees is the set up and
implementation of the Honors College commencement ceremony. Each team member is given a
list of individual responsibilities for the event, but they also have a large spreadsheet of the entire
team’s assignments to show how they work together. Each year this sheet is revisited to see if
the author needs to make adjustments.
Conclusion
Frames allow leaders to use a set of ideas and principles to make decisions that support
the goal of the organization. The structural frame provides a perspective based on facts, logic
and analysis. This perspective gives leaders the ability to think strategically with clear
expectations and guidelines. However, there can be challenges with the structural frame, which
may force leaders to adapt and use a new frame (Bolman & Deal, 2008). While the author has a
preference for the structural frame, she understands the need to use other frames as well to be an
effective leader.
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References
Bolman, L. G. & Deal, T. E. (2008). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice and leadership
(4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Drath, W. (2001). The deep blue sea: Rethinking the source of leadership (pp. 1-61). San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
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