Running Head: FOUR-FRAME MODEL
Four-Frame Model
Dawn Morgan
Bellevue University
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FOUR-FRAME MODEL
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Abstract
The Four-Frame model can be used to assess the American Red Cross (ARC). These frames,
Structural, Human Resource, Political, and Symbolic can all represent a separate aspect of the
ARC as a whole. Looking at an organization from each of these perspectives can enable
managers to view situations from different angles, giving them different options and conclusions
to choose from, removing limitations.
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Four-Frame Model
The ARC fits very nicely into each frame of the Four-Frame model (Bolman & Deal,
2008). Structurally, the ARC is a machine. Within the Human Resource frame, the ARC is one
big family (American Red Cross, 2011). Within the Political frame the ARC has its own internal
political conflict. Lastly, the ARC fits into the Symbolic frame as shown by the well-known
symbol of the ARC organization. This paper will delve deeper into these frames and give an
example of how the ARC fits into each one. Showing how one organization can be viewed in so
many different ways can help managers realize there is more than one solution to a problem and
help them remove limitations from their thinking. First, I will discuss the Structural frame.
Structural
The ARC is a machine and is governed by a strict set of rules. The organization is
guided by leaders who are bound by social perception and attempting to align strict task
guidance and goal completion with the satisfaction of the public (Bolman & Deal, 2008). An
example of this is how the supervisors on a blood drive must satisfy the blood donors, sometimes
at the expense of an employee. If a donor feels the staff member was too rough or abrupt, the
supervisor will make excuses for them and sympathize with the donor, usually finding another
staff member to finish the donation process. The next frame is the Human Resource frame.
Human Resource
The ARC fits the Human Resource frame because the internal culture of the organization
is to view the ARC as one giant family (American Red Cross, 2011) who builds on the skill-set
of the staff and encourages social relationships with the public. The ARC encourages leaders to
deal with individual situations as their instinct tells them and attempts to satisfy organizational
goals while not trampling on their employee’s needs (Bolman & Deal, 2008). An example of
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this is when a piece of equipment fails on a blood drive a supervisor uses her skills to find a work
around. As long as they stay within the established rules, they don’t need to ask permission to
keep going. The next frame of the Four-Frame Model up for discussion is the Political Frame.
Political
Fitting into the Political frame is a bit of a stretch, but the ARC does have its own
internal political struggles because, like anywhere, they deal with human attitudes and ambitions.
There is a certain amount of conflict for power and competition for recognition and the leaders
can be thought at times to be playing a political role exclusively for their positive image to the
public. Because of this, leaders work to create a basic “road map” for operations and established
roles, distributing power across these roles (Bolman & Deal, 2008), so one element is no more
powerful than another. The job descriptions for the ARC employees are very descriptive in
regards to how they fall into the organizational structure. As an Administrative Assistant, I
know where I fall vertically, in the organizational structure, but also where I lay horizontally,
among the other Administrative Assistants in the organization. This helps to eliminate the power
struggles which may come from a person in one position thinking they hold more power over
another position or someone in the same position. The last frame being examined in this paper is
the Symbolic Frame.
Symbolic
The ARC fits very well into the Symbolic frame, most obviously by the symbol of the
ARC itself (American Red Cross, 2011). The culture of the ARC carries with it the inspirational
image of lifesaving skills and efforts. Marketing ploys play on the public’s heartstrings to
encourage them to contribute either through volunteerism, monetary contributions, or blood
donations in order for the organization to generate continued success, thereby creating heroes of
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the blood donors and the employees who collect the blood. For example, by saying I work for
the ARC, I gain the appearance of being inspirational and selfless by my own actions in the eyes
of the public, just because I work there. I have seen this reaction from people when I tell them
where I work. Organizational leaders constantly face the challenge of promoting this persona to
the public in order to create faith and hope in what the organization can do (Bolman & Deal,
2008).
While internally, the ARC functions on strict rules and guidelines, externally a different,
more idealistic picture is painted to the public and if that picture slips, faith is lost in them. The
ARC can easily be seen within each frame of this Four-Frame Model. Structurally, the ARC is a
machine (Bolman & Deal, 2008). Within the Human Resource frame, the ARC is promoted as a
family, working together towards a common goal (American Red Cross, 2011). Within the
Political frame the ARC has its own internal power struggles, but attempts to minimize them as
much as possible. Finally, the Symbolic frame fits the ARC easily, in part because the symbol of
the ARC is one of the most recognized. This paper discussed these frames and gave an example
of how the ARC fit into each one. Additionally, by reviewing how just this one organization can
be viewed in so many different lights, managers should be able to see that by removing
limitations to their way of thinking can open up more solutions to problems they face. “Lack of
imagination…is a major cause of the shortfall between the reach and grasp of so many
organizations…” (Bolman & Deal, 2008).
In comments for a 2005 newspaper article, Carol
Coletta of Memphis, TN spoke of the importance of creativity in an organization stating,
“Creativity is the fundamental factor in today’s economy” (Lack of imagination often prelude to
failure, 2005, para. 17).
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References
American Red Cross. (2011). A Brief History of the American Red Cross. Museum – Explore
Our History. Retrieved from http://www.redcross.org/museum/history/brief.asp
Bolman, L. G. & Deal, T. E. (2008). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice and
leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Lack of imagination often prelude to failure. (2005, Jan 30). Virginian - Pilot. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.bellevue.edu:80/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/386985797
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