Course Session #01
LDR6150 – Innovation & Organizational Transformation
Course Syllabus
o Textbook
n Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership, Bolman , Lee
G. & Deal, Terrence E., Jossey-Bass
o Sixth Edition: ISBN 978-1119281818
o Other Materials
n Blackboard Articles Posted to Blackboard
n Videos Linked in Blackboard
James D. Lux - LDR6150
Course Requirements
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Class Attendance & Discussion Board (15%)
Weekly Quizzes (20%)
Signature Assignment #1 (25%)
Signature Assignment #2 (40%)
Grading & Evaluation Standards (syllabus)
TurnItIn
James D. Lux - LDR6150
Signature Assignment #1
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Individual Assignment
Case Study on Proctor & Gamble
Apply Course Concepts to Case Situation
Due Friday of Week #3 at 11:59 PM
Five to Six Pages
James D. Lux - LDR6150
Signature Assignment #2
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Group Assignment
Case Study on Group-Selected Company
Apply Course Concepts to Company Situation
Due Friday of Week #6 at 11:59 PM
Twelve to Fifteen Pages
James D. Lux - LDR6150
Course Administration & Assignments
o Questions, Comments or Concerns ??
James D. Lux - LDR6150
The Power of Reframing
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Virtues & Drawbacks of Organized Activity
The Curse of Cluelessness
Strategies for Improving Organizations: The Track Record
Framing
Multi-Frame Thinking
James D. Lux - LDR6150
Virtues & Drawbacks of Organizations
o Prevalence of large, complex organizations is historically recent
o Much of society’s important work is done in or by organizations,
but…
o They often produce poor service, defective or dangerous products
and…
o Too often they exploit people and communities, and damage the
environment
James D. Lux - LDR6150
Signs of Cluelessness
o Management error produces bankruptcies of public companies
every year
o Most mergers fail, but companies keep on merging
o One study estimates 50% to 75% of American managers are
incompetent
o Most change initiatives produce little change; some make things
worse
James D. Lux - LDR6150
Strategies to Improve Organizations
o Better management
o Consultants
o Government policy and regulation
James D. Lux - LDR6150
What is a Frame?
o Mental map to read and negotiate a “territory”
o The better the map, the easier it is to know where you are and get
around (a map of New
York won’t help in San Francisco)
o Frame as window: enables you to see some things, but not others
o Frame as tool: effectiveness depends on choosing the right tool
and knowing how to use it
James D. Lux - LDR6150
Framing and “Blink” process
o Well-learned and practiced frames facilitate “rapid cognition” – the
capacity to quickly and accurately size up situations
o Qualities of rapid cognition:
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Nonconscious (you do it without thinking about it)
Fast
Holistic
Results in “affective judgments”
James D. Lux - LDR6150
Structural Frame
o Roots: sociology, management science
o Key concepts: goals, roles (division of labor), formal relationships
o Central focus: alignment of structure with goals and environment
James D. Lux - LDR6150
Human Resource Frame
o Roots: personality and social psychology
o Key concepts: needs (motives), capacities (skills), feelings
o Central focus: fit between individual and organization
James D. Lux - LDR6150
Political Frame
o Roots: political science
o Key concepts: interests, conflict, power, scarce resources
o Central focus: getting and using power, managing conflict to get
things done
James D. Lux - LDR6150
Symbolic Frame
o Roots: social and cultural anthropology
o Key concepts: culture, myth, ritual, story,
o Central focus: building culture, staging organizational drama
James D. Lux - LDR6150
Structural & Human Resource Frames
FRAME
Structural
Human Resources
Metaphor for
Organization
Factory or Machine
Family
Central Concepts
Rules, Roles, Goals,
Policies, Technology,
Environment
Needs, Skills,
Relationships
Image of Leadership
Social Architecture
Empowerment
Basic Leadership
Challenge
Align Structure to Task,
Technology,
Environment
Align Organizational &
Human Needs
James D. Lux - LDR6150
Political & Symbolic Frames
FRAME
Political
Symbolic
Metaphor for
Organization
Jungle
Carnival, Temple,
Theater
Central Concepts
Power, Conflict,
Competition,
Organizational Politics
Culture, Meaning,
Metaphor, Ritual,
Ceremony, Stories,
Heroes
Image of Leadership
Advocacy
Inspiration
Basic Leadership
Challenge
Develop Agenda &
Power Base
Create Faith, Meaning,
Beauty
James D. Lux - LDR6150
Expanding Managerial Thinking
Traditional Management Thinking Artistic Thinking
See only one or two frames
Holistic, multi-frame perspective
Try to solve all problems with logic,
structure
Rich palette of options
Seek certainty, control, avoid
ambiguity, paradox
Develop creativity, playfulness
One right answer, one best way
Principled flexibility
James D. Lux - LDR6150
Peculiarities of Organizations
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Organizations are complex
Organizations are surprising
Organizations are deceptive
Organizations are ambiguous
Sources of Ambiguity
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Not sure what the problem is
Not sure what’s going on
Not sure (or can’t agree) on what we want
Don’t have the resources we need
Not sure who’s supposed to do what
Not sure how to get what we want
Not sure how to know if we succeed or fail
Coping with Ambiguity: Conserve or Change?
oAdvantages of relying on existing frames and routines
n Protect investment in learning them
n They make it easier to understand what’s happening and
what to do about it
n …but we may misread the situation, take the wrong action,
and fail to learn from our errors
oChange requires time and energy for learning new
approaches but is necessary to developing new skills
and capacities
Common Fallacies in Organizational Diagnosis
o Blame people
n Bad attitudes, abrasive personalities, neurotic tendencies, stupidity or
incompetence
o Blame the bureaucracy
n Organization (a) stifled by rules and red tape, or (b) lack clear goals,
procedures and job descriptions
o Thirst for power
n Organizations are jungles filled with predators and prey
Signature Assignment #2
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Complete by Friday of week #2
Suggest a company for assignment focus
Follow guidelines at end of assignment instructions
Post to Blackboard | Discussion Board
o Five companies will be selected by Professor
o Join group with company of interest
James D. Lux - LDR6150
Next Week
o Reading
n Reframing Organizations, Chapters 3, 4 & 6
n Blackboard Articles
o Assignment
n Weekly Quiz
o Discussion Board
n Initial Posts due by Thursday Evening
n Response Posts due by Sunday Evening
n Closed & Graded on Monday
James D. Lux - LDR6150