This document provides an introduction to Bolman & Deal's framework of organizational frames. It discusses that organizations can be viewed through structural, human resource, political, and symbolic frames. Reframing allows viewing the same situation through multiple frames for clarity and new perspectives. Educational leaders need the ability to frame and reframe issues. The four frames model expands mental models of organizations and leadership.

1. An Introduction to Bolman & Deal Reframing Organizations

2. Mental Models of Organizations: Factories Families Jungles Temples

3. The Power of Reframing Smart people do dumb things when they misread things, or use the wrong frame We need to use multiple lenses if we are to understand complex problems Organizational life is complicated, ambiguous, and unpredictable Organizations need leadership AND management Organizational theory has implications for practice

4. The 4 organizational frames Structural Frame factories Human Resource Frame families Political Frame jungles Symbolic Frame temples

5. Overview of the 4 frames (p. 16)

6. Why we need 4 frames Each of the frames is both powerful and coherent Collectively, they make it possible to reframe, viewing the same thing from multiple perspectives Reframing is a powerful tool for gaining clarity, generating new options, and finding strategies that work Educational leaders need to have the ability to frame and reframe the issues they encounter The world simply can’t be made sense of, facts can’t be organized, unless you have a mental model to begin with. GoranCarstedt (p. 13)

7. Organizational structure matters Structure Influences Behavior Structure in human systems is subtle Leverage often comes in new ways of thinking and through the quality of our relationships Reframing is a way of thinking differently Many of the ideas in organizations never get put into practice. One reason is that new insights and initiatives often conflict with established mental models. The leadership task of challenging assumptions without invoking defensiveness requires reflection and inquiry skills possessed by few leaders in traditional controlling organizations. Peter Senge

8. Structure Influences Behavior Administrators Parents Teachers

9. Reframing Leadership Traditional “mental models” of leadership are limiting Effective leaders can be architects, servants, advocates, and prophets Learning to apply all four frames deepens the appreciation for and understanding of the organizations we lead Bolman & Deal have synthesized organizational theory into a useful set of frames or lenses through which we can better understand the complex organizations within which we work, and the challenges we currently face The 4 frames will expand our “mental models” of organizations and leadership