Toward a Political Framework for Flexible Management of Decline

Abstract

Research on organizational decline suggests that some organizations cope with decline by becoming more rigid, while others become more flexible and risk taking. Few studies have examined the specific managerial activities that lead to the more flexible course. This study reanalyzes a case of organizational decline in a small midwestern school district that coped successfully by implementing a carefully structured participation process. Administrative leaders in the district, in particular the superintendent, “opened a conversation” through a carefully arranged and supported task force with a broad group of citizens, staff, teachers and students about the goals and priorities of the district. The citizens' committee efforts continued for six months and resulted in a strong consensus for action (a tax levy, closing a school, restatement of program priorities and staff rollbacks). The case points to managerial actions that other organizations could follow to remain flexible and vitalized during decline. Critical steps included: shaping the perceptual fields of participants through information and disclosure in order to help participants recognize a serious and urgent problem without introducing crisis; careful management and operational support of task formats for broadened participation, with minimal influence on the substance of their recommendations; leadership through coaching of submanagers who facilitated the process indirectly; anticipating and dealing directly with conflicts by balancing views and channeling different interests into shared governance opportunities where heterogeneity was valued and institutional knowledge could be gained. The authors advance a political model, based on management as a process of governance, to explain how the leadership in this organization conceptualized its role. Management acted as a steward for decisions about organizational goals and legitimacy that others would make. By surrendering the power to shape reality for others and instead allowing them through discourse to establish a coherent policy out of heterogeneity, the superintendent created commitment to the organization during a time of stress and eventually a robust consensus which became the basis for action. A model of shared governance that was in harmony with the community's history and values and that reflected the superintendent's personal philosophy was implemented through specific activities. The shared governance model provides a unified conceptual explanation for why the superintendent acted as he did, and it highlights the specific functions managers might perform if the organization is to respond flexibly during decline. The political interpretation extends and refines current theoretical models of organizational decline processes and suggests approaches that are potentially applicable to other organizations.