Discussion 3 Prompts

Prompt #1: What did you learn about organizations, and/or the behavior of individuals
within an organization? How do the ideas presented in Part Three (the Human
Resource Frame) of the B&D textbook enrich your understanding of the ways in which
organizations and the people working in them function?
Though it is hard to digest, business is business and as in the reading, we are reminded
the many companies "give lip service to the idea that employees are the firm's most
important asset"(Bolman & Deal, 2013, pg.117). I agree more with the idea that "People
and organizations need each other" (Bolman & Deal, 2013, pg.117). There are great
organizations out there which practice the ideals that organization sink or swim based on
the performance of its employees. I always fall back on the example of Apple with Steve
Jobs. Apple was run like a start-up to where each individual had the opportunity to
present their idea and share their opinion. There were not committees, everything was
held as a round table.
You always have to surround yourself with the right people. Companies "hire those who
fit the mold" (Bolman & Deal, 2013, pg.141). Organizations will go after those who can
make a positive difference in the organization. I see more and more companies going to
this ideal. Based on the reading, we already see example of such practices with
Enterprise and Southwest Airlines. I left the private for the public sector many years ago
yet still have the opportunity to see fiends at my previous job benefiting from the
organizations growth though profit-sharing practices. Organizations can do so much
better when they treat the employees as a true part of the organization rather than just
an employee number.
Prompt #2: How can you apply the concepts that you have learned about in the
readings to your personal or organizational life? Be specific.
Although items such as profit-sharing are frowned upon in the public sector, I still fall
back on the idea of surrounding one's self with the right people. Working in the law
enforcement field, I often work with different teams. I would associate team building with
the concepts learned in this chapter. I have at times worked on suppression and high
visibility teams. If we are in an area where there are potential language barriers, we look
at team members who can help in the field. I also look at team members who have
certain expertise in different areas. This can range from knowledge of a particular area to
specific knowledge locals.
Prompt #3: List the reasons cited in the text (Chapter 7) as why managers persist in
pursuing less effective strategies than those obtained through high involvement, high
performance or high commitment management practices. How have you experienced
these organizational pressures in your own work life (please elaborate)?
1. Fear of losing control (pg.139). In my current job, I have experienced a slight version
of this theory. The company that I work for is contracted by another larger organization.
This is based on a specialty service that is provided. The company which contracts us
always has a say in how we conduct business. We are the experts in our jobs yet they
always want to add their two cents. This has left me with the feeling that they always

want to tell us how to do our jobs in order to not lose control over us.
2. Investing in people requires time and persistence to yield a payoff (pg.139). At my
previous job, I had to endure upper management changes twice in three year. During
that transitional time, there were new park owners. I noticed that they wanted to see
quick returns on their investments. Employee events were cut back as well as employee
appreciation programs. I noticed morale declining throughout the park. This finally ended
with the newest park owner. Morale has increased over the last 5 years.
3. The dominance of a financial perspective that sees the organization simply as a
portfolio (pg.139). Just as in my above statement, investors see the park as a way of
making quick returns. Management now has to be the middle man between investors
and employees. The unfortunate park is that the employee is merely a means of
supplying the product which earns money. However sad it maybe, it is an unfortunate
part of some organization.
Prompt #4: As outlined by Bolman and Deal (Chapter 7), although every organization
with productive people management has its own unique approach, most of their
strategies can be captured in six general strategies. What are these six basic human
resource strategies? How have you experienced these general strategies in your own
work life (please elaborate)?
Build and implement an HR strategy
Hire the right people
Keep them
Invest in them
Empower them
Promote Diversity
In my current career, the idea of empowering them plays a huge role in our day to day
operations. Law enforcement is a difficult field to work in. By empowering a subordinate,
an organization is allowing that person to exercise their experience and get the job. I
have been micromanaged by some at which point I have given a task little effort. The
little effort that I present has shown as tasks are often left incomplete. When I am not
micromanaged, I take the time to research a project and seek out those who can give
me the best chance of completing a task. By empowering someone, you show that there
is a sense of trust. When I have been faced with bearing that trust, I feel obligated to live
up to that trust and give the project my full devotion.
Prompt #5: Throughout your progression in the Organizational Leadership program, you
have had a number of courses that include content complementary to the human
resource frame perhaps more connections here than with any other frame (in your
various leadership courses and courses like OGL 220 Behavioral Dynamics in
Organizations, or BIS 343 Social Processes). Please highlight what you would consider

to be two of the most important things (ideas, concepts, theories, models, processes,
skills, etc.) that you have learned in previous coursework that you can relate to the
Human Resource frame. Briefly discuss each key learning, the course where you
learned it, and its connection with the Human Resource frame.
In BIS 343, the idea of cohesive teams playing such a large role in organizations today is
a part of the human resources frame. "Groups have more knowledge, diversity of
perspective, time, and energy than individuals working alone"(Bolman & Deal, 2013,
pg.174). When understanding that there needs to be a strong foundation on which to
build a team. During some of the course work in my BIS 343 class, a discussion prompt
was geared towards talking about what skills are needed to build a successful team. In
my opinion, the best foundation is the understanding that all of the team members are
different. We all come from different backgrounds. Our perceptions are guided by life
experiences, whether it stems from gender, cultural backgrounds, or even differences in
age. "Hire the right people" is one of the direct basic human resources strategies
mentioned by the authors.
In my BIS 360 - International Organization course, the idea that our world has evolved
so much through technology that the increasing number of international organizations is
steadily raising. As a human resources strategy, "Keep Employees" I am reminded of the
diversity among companies that new doors are opening each day. If organizations fail to
retain employees, the global market will offer them a new home quickly.
Frame or Reframe an Organization from a Human Resource Perspective
Prompt #6: How do the Human Resource aspects discussed work in an organization
with which you are (or have been) affiliated? What sorts of personnel policies and
management strategies are espoused theories versus those in use? (This is about the
concept/frame not an HR department.)
Several of the human resources strategies mentioned in the book were apparent at my
old job. While working for an amusement park, I oversaw the day-to-day operations.
Being an amusement park, our hours were seasonal. This meant that our workforce was
primarily made up of seasonal employees who were either in high school and college.
The ability to retain employees from season to season became difficult at times. Loosing
employees due to the start of a new school year presented the largest problem. In order
to keep people, companies often "give people a piece of the action" (Bolman & Del,
2013, pg.142). This was not an easy thing to do in our industry. We were competing with
school schedules. The park offered incentive programs which were scarce at the time.
Prompt #7: How does morale or other human resource issues affect outcomes in your
place of employment (for customers, employees, stockholders, surrounding community
and/or any other stake-holders). Describe enough of a situation concretely to provide
context and use concepts from the readings in your response. If you dont think there
are healthy or unhealthy aspects in your organization relating to the human resource
perspective going on, think again more carefully and perhaps revisit the readings to
broaden your definition and understanding.
Morale plays one of the largest if not largest parts in the service industry. Any time that
you are dealing with the general public, low morale will trickle down to the guest or
customers. In hiring the right people, you can fall into a world of hurt if your hire people

with a lack of humor or desire. Imagine you take your kids to the amusement park. You
are ready for a fun-filled day. Your kids are smiling the weather is perfect. When you get
to the first ride, the operator greets you and your family with a smile. Your day continues
without a care in the world. At the next ride you walk up to, the operator has an angry
look on their face. There is no greeting, they hurry you onto the ride so that you can
hurry and go away. That impression will stay with you longer than the happy greeting you
received prior. Morale affects not only the team members, but the customers as well.

Reference:
Bolman,L.G.,&Deal,T.E.(2013).Reframingorganizations:Artistry,choice,andleadership(5thed.).
SanFrancisco,CA:JosseyBass.