Four Leadership Frames

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If you had to choose a metaphor for your company which would it be - a machine, a family, a jungle, or a temple?

You could work in an environment with a strong management hierarchy, tight policies, clear responsibilities, or rigid processes that might make you choose machine.  Perhaps the complex relationships between team members, specialized skills, or naturally occurring emotional situations makes you think of a family.  If your company has people constantly in conflict, struggling for power, or overt organizational politics you may feel like a jungle metaphor fits best.  A company with a temple metaphor may have strong meaning, rituals, or stories behind the things that take place with a heavy influence of the company culture in everything.

These metaphors outline the four basic frames of an organization - Structural (machine), Human Resource (family), Political (jungle), and Symbolic (temple).  Chances are, there are a few aspects of each metaphor that fit.

It's our job as leaders to understand which frame (or mixture of frames) we're dealing with in order to select the types of processes and guidelines to find a successful outcome.  Here's some leadership characteristics you can use when working within each frame -

Structural -

  • Do your homework.  Use data, research, and information to help drive decision making.
  • Focus on implementation.  Don't underestimate the challenges with putting things into motion including training, stakeholder management, and buy-in.
  • Experiment and innovate.  Look at all the different aspects and the nature of the situation; think beyond the standard way of doing things.

Human Resource -

  • Communicate your belief in people.  Empty words alone don't do this; people can feel if you are genuine or not.  If you can't believe in someone it should be addressed. 
  • Be visible and accessible.  Have a look at the article "Get in the Gemba" and focus on being physically present.
  • Empower others.  Everyone has a stake in the company's success so empower others by allowing them to be involved with making decisions. You can see some companies go a long way with empowerment including never referring to people as "employees" but instead as "partners," "associates," or "owners."

Political -

  • Clarify what you want and what you can get.  Be a realist and avoid letting what you want cloud your judgment.  People need to know the truth and what it means to them.
  • Assess the distribution of power and interests.  By thinking carefully about the key players and what they want, you can act accordingly.  Ask questions like: Whose support do I need?  How do I go about getting it?  Who are my opponents?  How much power do they have?  What can I do to overcome their opposition?
  • Build linkages to key stakeholders.  Focus your attention on building relationships and networks.  As Jack Welch puts it - stack your chits.
  • Persuade first, negotiate second, and coerce only if necessary.  Understanding others' concerns and interests is the beginning of how to work things out to better everyone; use your power judiciously.

Symbolic -

  • Lead by example.  Inspire others by not holding anything back.
  • Use symbols to capture attention.  Look for something visible and dramatic to signal that change is on the way.
  • Communicate a vision and tell stories.  Give a persuasive and hopeful image of the future that addresses both the challenges of the present and the hopes and values of. This is especially important in times of crisis and uncertainty.
  • Respect and use history.  Understand that things didn't start with your arrival so you don't alienate others.  Link your initiatives to the values, stories, and heroes of the past.

As I've said many times, leaders should use many different techniques depending on the situation - some situations may fall into a structural, human resource, political, or symbolic framework.  Understanding our strengths, working to expand them, and building diverse teams that can address all four frames will increase our chances of success.

 

Bolman, L. & Deal, T. (2008). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. (4th ed.).  San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.