July 11, 1997

The objective of SYSTEMS AND SYNERGY, is to increase the participant's understanding of the dynamics that affect organizational performance in order to improve his or her decision-making capabilities. "Every manager, consultant, or policy maker uses a personal frame or image of organizations to gather information, make judgments, and determine how best to get things done."¹ Decision-making is facilitated and judgment is improved when managers have a systems understanding of the interrelationships of organizational dimensions that SYSTEMS AND SYNERGY is designed to enhance that understanding through exposure to Bolman and Deal's four frames of reference for viewing and understanding organizations.

GAME REQUIREMENTS

• Introduction: 30 minutes to explain Bolman and Deal's four frames

• Play of the Game: 60 minutes including the discussion that follows

(minimum) or 5 (maximum) Players. Four players is ideal. One player

functions as the Game Director who keeps the official score for each

Round.

3. Materials Required: The materials required for the play of the game are Players-

INTRODUCING THE FRAMES OF REFERENCE

The Facilitator explains the four organizational perspective dimensions developed by Bolman and Deal in accordance with the attached "Introduction to Bolman and Deal." Participants understand this framework for decision-making in order to play the game.

EXPLANATION OF THE GAME

• The "Play Description" for all 10 Rounds.
• The "Players' Score Sheet."
• A deck of standard playing cards (with the jokers removed).

PLAYING THE GAME

1 . The Game Director spreads out a standard deck of playing cards in front of the Players and asks each Player to draw a card. The Player drawing the highest card is called the "Starting Player." He or she starts the play of the game. (In case of ties, the rank order of card suits from highest to lowest is as follows- spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs).

 

2. The Game Director shuffles the cards, the Starting Player cuts the cards, and the Game Director deals eight cards to each Player. These eight cards are the Player's "hand" which should remain hidden from the other Players.

 

3. The Game Director places the remaining cards face down as a "draw pile" from which each Player will draw after each Round.

 

4. The Facilitator reads the scenario described in the Play Description for Round 1. The Players read along with the Facilitator using their copy of the scenario contained in the Play Description.

 

5. After hearing the scenario, each Player decides which card to play for that Round. The Starting Player places the chosen card face up in front of the other Players. In clockwise order, each remaining Player chooses a card from his or her hand and places it face up on the table.

 

6. After all Playing Groups have completed playing their cards, the Facilitator consults the Scoring Index to determine the Score Points for Round 1. The most convenient method for communicating the Score Points for each Round is to use an overhead transparency of the Scoring Index with the Score Points for future Rounds carefully covered.

 

7. The Game Director for each Playing Group adds up the points of the played cards and enters the scores of each player on the Players' Score Sheet for his or her Playing Group.

 

8. The cards that have been played for that Round are placed in a special pile which will be re-shuffled by the Game Director when the draw pile is exhausted.

 

9. Each Player draws one card from the "draw pile," beginning with the winner of the Round and proceeding clockwise.

 

10. The Facilitator calls for a discussion about the scenario to determine why the Players chose the cards they did, and why they agree or disagree with the Score Points awarded for each of the choices.

 

 

PLAY DESCRIPTION

SCORING SYSTEM

Score Points for each Round are based on the suit of each card played. The Score Points may be positive or negative and thus will be added to or subtracted from the face value of the card. For scoring purposes, face cards (aces, kings, queens, and jacks) are valued as follows.

• King= 13 points
• Queen=12 points
• Jack= 11 points
• Ace= 1 point

In choosing a card to play, remember that each suit represents one of the perspectival dimensions of organizations, The suits and the frames of reference they represent are as follows.

The announced merger of Wonder-Grow, Inc. and Magic-Grow Corp. will combine the two biggest names in the plant fertilizer business to produce a consolidated operation with 38% of total market share. The two businesses, have very different corporate climates and organizational structures, but similar benefits. Wonder-Grow, founded in 1907, is based on the East Coast. It has slightly modified its original bureaucratic structure, but its executives still wear suits to work. Magic-Grow, founded in 1967, is based -on the West Coast. It has developed a matrix organizational structure and a strict group norms of "no suits." The new corporate -headquarters will be based in Chicago. As an organizational consultant, your job is advise the two companies in the impending merger of their businesses. Which perspective will you most rely upon in advising management?

Round 2

Global Motors Corporation has failed to keep pace with its rivals as measured by the time- required to bring a new product to market. As a result, its new car development costs are too high, the design of its cars is uninspiring, and its products seem vaguely dated at introduction. In an effort to improve the situation, the President of Global has created a "skunk works" for new car design and development that utilizes "temporary" employee assignments from across corporate functions and divisions. While Global remains largely bureaucratic, the new development unit (dubbed "Firestart") is marked by a flat structure, self managing work teams, and a minimum of direction from corporate. Firestart, however, has drawn the ire of some of the operating divisions of Global because of its alleged infringement on their turf, the "special concessions" made to the employees assigned to the unit, and the unorthodox way in which it deals with suppliers and customers. As a consultant brought in to analyze the situation, which perspective will you primarily rely upon?

Spades = Structural perspective

Hearts = Human Resource perspective

Diamonds = Symbolic perspective

Clubs = Political perspective

Founded in 1950 by Edward Carlyle, Pegasus Printing & Publishing Corporation had reached annual sales of $560 million at the time of the founder's death in 1996 when his son, Edward ("Ted") Carlyle, Jr. took over as CEO of the privately-held business. Edward Carlyle, Sr. knew the first names of every manager and most of the employees; he provided many perks for families, including family leave for men and women, and was generous with health and retirement benefits. Ted Carlyle's financial advisors alerted him to the fact that Pegasus was not as profitable as some of its competitors, and the new CEO resolved to "tighten up" on some of the benefits and on some of the attitudes that he felt depressed production. "They're good people," he said of the employees, "but they need firmer leadership." You have been brought in as a consultant to squeeze more money out of the operation. Which perspective will you primarily rely upon in analyzing the situation at Pegasus?

Spades = Structural perspective

Hearts = Human Resource perspective

Diamonds = Symbolic perspective

Clubs = Political perspective

Round 4

Elizabeth Waldrop, the newly elected President of Beautiful Nights Manufacturing, a public company making private-label cosmetics, called a meeting of company managers to announce a few changes, as she put it, "in the way we do business." The new President told the assembled group that she was going to open a private dining room for managers "so they could meet together more conveniently," initiate reserved parking spaces "to make more efficient use of their time," and do away with the traditional last-Friday-of-the-month party for employees "in order to increase productivity." She also intended to eliminate free distribution of "Beautiful Night Christmas Cosmetics" packages to hourly workers, but was going to increase maternity benefits and introduce flexible work hours. Finally, the President said, she intended to stop "at whatever cost" the stories that were circulating about her tenure as President of rival New Woman Cosmetics and the tactics she had used to turn the company around. You have been brought in as a consultant to advise Ms. Waldrop regarding her newly announced moves. Which perspective will you primarily rely upon?

Spades = Structural perspective

Hearts = Human Resource perspective

Diamonds = Symbolic perspective

Clubs = Political perspective

In your new position as Vice President of Strategic Planning for Sun Belt Realty & Development Corporation, you have responded to the Chairman's call for "bold measures to catapult Sun Belt into a position of dominance in the American Southwest." While innovative and challenging, you believe your proposals represent a measured risk that the company can tolerate, but they are a significant departure from the traditional business of the company. You will need to get support for your proposals from the top executives above you, the corporate staff, the field managers, and various other constituents. Which perspective will you primarily rely upon in attempting to do so?

Spades = Structural perspective

Hearts = Human Resource perspective

Diamonds = Symbolic perspective

Clubs = Political perspective

Round 6

Jack O'Donnell became Group Vice President of Trylon Industries, Inc. at the age of 42, a remarkable achievement for the one-time high-school dropout who finished with a GED before going on to night school and realizing his potential as a software wizard. As Group VP, Jack is charged with motivating, coordinating, and controlling a large, diverse group of subordinates for the Software Division of Trylon Industries which includes research and development as well as manufacturing operations. As the primary contributor to Trylon's profitability, the Software Division is the crown jewel of corporate management and automatically positions him as a potential president of the company. As a staff advisor to the new Group VP, which perspective would you primarily rely upon in advising him how best to fulfill his responsibilities?

Spades = Structural perspective

Hearts = Human Resource perspective

Diamonds = Symbolic perspective

Clubs = Political perspective

Ryan Singleton's new position as General Manager of LawnCare Corporation's Mower Manufacturing Division comes at a time of transition within the company and in the marketplace. The founders of LawnCare, Evelyn and Robert Rose, have relinquished control to a new management group more qualified to turn their entrepreneurial success into a major contender in lawn care products. Ryan is fascinated by what he had learned in his night school MBA courses concerning self-managing teams and by what he had observed on the shop floor in his previous job at Lawn King, Inc. He is determined to improve the training of his employees and allow them greater decision-making power in hopes of increasing their morale, innovation, and productivity. Of course, he has to sell his ideas to the new management team, but he is confident that significant changes in the way in which manufacturing is conducted at the plant will result in significant increases in productivity and profitability. What perspective did Ryan utilize in reaching these conclusions?

Spades = Structural perspective

Hearts = Human Resource perspective

Diamonds = Symbolic perspective

Clubs = Political perspective

Round 8

No one, including the head-hunter who recruited her, had suggested to Katherine Bolin that her new position as Vice President of CFC, Inc. (formerly Ca'un Foods Corporation) would be anything but the challenge of a lifetime. She took over as General Manager of the Airline and Hotel Services Division at a time of increased competition and sagging profits. Her first task is to persuade senior management to increase the budget of the under-performing Division and then to convince middle and lower-middle management within the Division that the changes she has in mind are in their best interests as well as those of the Company as a whole. The Division is losing out to more service-oriented. competitors and is slow in bringing new products to market. Which perspective would be the most useful to Katherine in meeting her objectives?

Spades = Structural perspective

Hearts = Human Resource perspective

Diamonds = Symbolic perspective

Clubs = Political perspective

Mary Weston became Divisional Vice President of Western Consolidated Industries at a time of major reorganization and expansion as the company made the transition from medium-sized producer to major player. As Divisional VP, she is charged with budgeting and, ultimately, implementing a strategic plan that calls for new product lines and rapid expansion in sales, manufacturing, and research and development activities. The acknowledged innovator in its field, Western Consolidated is the leader in telecommunications technology and a potential take-over target if the founding family sold any more of its stock. "No more underwriting," came the decree from the Family. Which perspective should Mary utilize in making her decisions?

Spades = Structural perspective

Hearts = Human Resource perspective

Diamonds = Symbolic perspective

Clubs = Political perspective

General Carl Powers (U.S.A.F. retired) assumed command as the new President of Eastern Electric Power & Light at a time of transition and increased competition in the power generation business. General Powers (who is referred by employees as "the General") was given the task of transforming the company from a stodgy producer of electricity for a fixed market to a global competitor in generating, managing, and supplying electric power. He quickly changed the company's name to Eastern Power Corporation, modernized the logo, opened overseas offices, expanded the product line, revitalized and retrained the sales force, developed new incentive programs and awards for achievements in innovation and productivity, welcomed new employees with an initiation ceremony that some grumbled resembled an Air Force induction, and became a legend within the company about whom numerous stories circulated. Which of the perspectives had the General relied upon in making these changes at Eastern Power Corporation?

Spades = Structural perspective

Hearts = Human Resource perspective

Diamonds = Symbolic perspective

Clubs = Political perspective

INTRODUCTION TO BOLMAN AND DEAL

Bolman and Deal have consolidated the major schools or organizational thought into five perspectives which they have labeled frames to characterize the different vantage points. "Frames are both windows on the world and lenses that bring the world into focus. ... Frames help us to order experience and decide what action to take. Every manager, consultant, or policymaker uses a personal frame or image of organizations to gather information, make judgments, and determine how best to get things done."'

The frames of reference are:

• Structural frame
• Human resource frame
• Political frame
• Symbolic frame

1 . Structural Frame

• Objective- Organizational structures (e.g. the organization chart) should be designed to fit an organization's environment and purpose.
• Emphasizes formal roles, goals, technologies, and relationships.
• Responsibilities are allocated to participants (division of labor).
• Rules, policies and management hierarchies are used to coordinate diverse activities.

2. Human Resource Frame

• Objective: Tailor the organization to people by developing a better fit between people's needs, skills and values--and their formal roles and relationships. Develop a form that enables people to get the job done while feeling good about what they are doing.
• Emphasizes the interdependence between people and organizations.
• Fundamental premise is that organizations are inhabited by people with needs, feelings, and prejudices.
• People have skills and limitations" capacity to learn and capacity to hold onto old attitudes and beliefs.
• Includes efforts to motivate and inspire.

3. Political Frame

• Views organizations as arenas in which different interests groups compete for power and scarce resources.
• Conflict is everywhere because of different needs and perspectives of different groups.
• Bargaining, negotiation, coercion, and compromise are all part of everyday organizational life.
• Coalitions form around specific interests and change as issues come and go.

• Abandons the assumptions of rationality that appear in the other frames.
• Focus on problems of meaning, belief, and faith.
• Treats organizations as tribes, theater, or carnivals.
• Organizations are cultures propelled more by rituals, initiations, ceremonies, stories, heroes, and myths than by rules, policies, and managerial authority.
• Problems arise- when actors play their parts badly, symbols lose their meaning, ceremonies and rituals lose their potency.

Systems Frame

• Cuts across the other perspectives.
• Based on Von Bertalanffy's general theory of systems and Weiner's conception of cybernetics as the science of control and communication in animals and machines.
• A system is a set of interacting and interrelated parts.
• Human organizations are open systems.
• Human organizations are capable of negative entropy, i.e. they can survive and grow rather than decay and die.
• Systems are arranged hierarchically.
• A system is more than the sum of its parts
• Organizations tend to maintain steady states, i.e. states of dynami c equilibrium in which diverse forces are approximately balanced. To maintain a steady state, open systems need adaptive processes, including feedback loops.

SCORING INDEX FOR FACILITATORS

In order to score a Round Of SYSTEMS AND SYNERGY,, add or subtract the Score Points for each card suit shown in the Scoring Index for that Round to the value of each Player's card. Score Points are designed to reward correct choices of perspectives and to penalize incorrect choices. It is helpful to use an overhead transparency of the Scoring Index, being careful that the Players do not see the Score Points for subsequent Pounds.

For scoring purposes, the following values are attached to the face cards.

Spades = Structural perspective

Hearts = Human Resource perspective

Diamonds = Symbolic perspective

Clubs = Political perspective

 

Round	Spades Structural	Hearts Human Resource	Diamonds Symbolic	Clubs Political
1	4	-2	6	0
2	6	-2	0	5
3	0	7	4	-2
4	-2	4	7	0
5	3	1	2	7
6	7	7	2	0
7	5	7	-2	4
8	2	4	-2	7
9	5	3	1	7
10	4	4	6	0

 

ROUND PLAYER1

 

Round	Player 1	Player 2	Player 3	Player 4	Player 5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Total: