Human Resource Frame Research Articles

Impact of Malaysian polytechnics’ head of department multi-dimensional leadership orientation towards lecturers work commitment

The purpose of this study is to determine if the multi-dimensional leadership orientation of the heads of departments in Malaysian polytechnics affects their leadership effectiveness and the lecturers’ commitment to work as perceived by the lecturers. The departmental heads’ leadership orientation was determined by five leadership dimensions adapted from Bolman and Deal’s leadership frame and Sergiovanni’s leadership model. A total of 917 respondents comprise polytechnic’s lecturers and department heads, participated in this study. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to determine the department head’s multi-dimensional leadership effect on their perceived leadership effectiveness and lecturers work commitment. Significant positive relations were found between human resource and cultural frames and lecturers’ commitment to polytechnics and profession. However, department heads’ leadership frames shows no significant positive relationship towards lecturers’ commitment to students. In addition, the relationship between department heads leadership orientation and lecturers work commitment was influenced by the department heads’ leadership effectiveness as perceived by the lecturers.

Yüksekögretim Kurumlarinda Tesvik Esasli Bütçeleme ve Yönetisim Arasindaki Ilisk

This study focuses on the effects of an incentive-based budgeting system on faculty and administrators’ frames used during budgetary decision-making at a public higher education institution in the US. More specifically, this study explored the organizational frames (Bolman and Deal, 2003) used by faculty and administrators when they are involved in budgetary issues as well as how these frames have changed overtime. To explain this, a qualitative single institution case study was employed. The data used in the study came from two different sources: Individual interviews with faculty and administrators and institutional documents. The interviews with faculty and administrators took place over a fifteen-year period, corresponding with the implementation and ongoing use of responsibility center management as a budgeting method (RCM). These interviews were used to illustrate the organizational frames used by faculty and administrators at a public doctoral I institution in the Mid-West. The findings suggest that faculty and administrators use multiple frames in decision-making. When involved with budgetary issues, they both predominantly use structural frame, followed by political frame. In general, there has been a change toward a more rational decision-making process. This is made evident by the presence of structural frame being reported as particularly strong. On the other hand, the use of both human resource frame and of symbolic frame in the institution is described as eroding. Additionally, there exists a difference between the faculty and the administrators in the frames they most use.

The mediation of Representative Council of Learners policy in Western Cape schools: 1997 to 2003

We investigated how education policy was mediated at a representative number of Western Cape schools, from 1997 to 2003, using the structure, symbolic, human resource and political frames of Bolman and Deal (1997) as the basis of the investigation. The investigation produced diverse research findings. At the one end there were a majority of representative councils of learners that received the full support of the main role players. These councils were fully functional and were making a significant contribution to the effective governance of their schools. At the other end there were significant numbers of representative councils of learners that were not receiving the requisite support, and which were merely tolerated to ensure legal compliance. The factors responsible for preventing the development of education policy into praxis, at these schools, are divided into three categories: technical challenges, cultural challenges and political challenges. In conclusion suggestions are made as to how these varied and complex challenges can be met in the interests of furthering the democratic goals that underpin RPL policy.

Framing: A Method to Improve Performance Analyses

Due to the rapid rate of organizational change, performance improvement professionals need innovative ways to analyze issues affecting performance. Because most organizations lack resources to address all performance concerns in a timely manner, performance improvement professionals need a myriad of performance analysis tools. This research focuses on framing as an innovative tool in performance analysis. Framing is a method of attributing different perspectives to performance analysis data and understanding the beliefs and organizing principles within an organization. Using qualitative coding and analysis techniques, the four frames of structural, human resources, political, and symbolic were applied to a sample of interview and observation data taken in a large public research/teaching hospital. Results revealed that the human resource frame was the predominate frame and that framing is an innovative method of analyzing organizational culture and making meaning in organizations, adding another dimension to performance analysis techniques.

Perceived Differences of Leadership Behaviors of Deans of Education: A Selected Study

The study design investigated the leadership behavior of deans of education that addresses an important aspect of leadership – leadership is created when there is alignment between the organizational leadership behaviors needed by the institution and the leadership behaviors provided by the organizational leader. A survey of a selected group of deans of education from 35 institutions addressed the questions: what do deans self-identify as their prominent leadership behavior and to what extent do deans use multiple leadership behaviors. The research of Bolman and Deal (1984) provided the frames for analysis: structural, human resource, political, and symbolic frames. The study response rate was 50%. The findings of the study indicated that the majority of respondents perceived their primary leadership behavior as most closely matching the human resource frame. Results also indicated that a majority of respondents did not perceive that they

Supporting academic staff as champions of service learning

Over the past five years or more, the innovative, challenging educational approach of service learning has been introduced at an ever-increasing number of South African higher education institutions. In this article, the focus will be on the gap that exists between the rhetoric of a renewed focus on community engagement (and service learning in particular) and the reality of staff members' perceptions in respect of the lack of substantial support for their efforts. The distinction made by KerryAnn O'Meara (2003) between intrinsic and extrinsic motivators for staff to engage in service learning will set the stage for the discussion. In addition, O'Meara's suggested reframing of incentives and rewards from different vantage points (i.e. the structural, human resource, political and symbolic frames) will form the basis for the evaluation of data acquired through a service learning staff survey conducted at the University of the Free State (UFS). This institutional example will illustrate how the UFS has only...

Creating a web of support: an important leadership strategy for advancing campus diversity

Research demonstrates that leadership, particularly among presidents, is important for moving a diversity agenda forward and make appreciable progress on it. The research questions pursued here are: What is the role of the college president in advancing a diversity agenda? What strategies do presidents identify as important to facilitating a diversity agenda? There were three main findings: (1) strategies are deployed in a non-linear way best represented through a web metaphor, (2) six sets of actors that serve as key nodes on the web and specific strategies were crucial to enhancing and deepening the web-developing an internal network, hiring, mentoring, partnering with faculty on the curriculum, supporting student affairs staff, working directly with and learning from students, and establishing external networks; and, (3) strategies within the human resource frame are noted by presidents as particularly important to moving a diversity agenda forward.

Health care leadership in an age of change.

This study examined the leadership practices of a sample of network and hospital administrators in metropolitan Victoria, Australia. It was undertaken in the mid-1990s when the State Liberal-National (Coalition) Government in Victoria established Melbourne's metropolitan health care networks. I argue that leadership, and the process of leading, contributes significantly to the success of the hospital in a time of turmoil and change. The sample was taken from the seven health care networks and consisted of 15 network and hospital administrators. Bolman and Deal's frames of leadership--structural, human resource, political and symbolic--were used as a framework to categorize the leadership practices of the administrators. The findings suggest a preference for the structural frame--an anticipated result, since the hospital environment is more conducive to a style of leadership that emphasizes rationality and objectivity. The human resource frame was the second preferred frame, followed by the political and symbolic. These findings suggest that network and hospital administrators focus more on intellectual than spiritual development, and perhaps this tendency needs to be addressed when educating present and future hospital leaders.

Religiosity in Christian Educational Leadership

This study investigated the primary leadership orientations of Christian school leaders and their association with religiosity. To this end, this study adopted two lines of thought and research; the religiosity theory proposed by Batson, Schoenrade, and Ventis (1993) and the leadership theory proposed by Bolman and Deal (1997). Participants of this study were 206 K-12 school leaders affiliated with a Protestant church in the United States. According to the analysis, the human resource frame was the primary leadership frame of the school leaders, and the structural frame was a close second. Quest religiosity was inversely related to the four frames of structural, human resource, political, and symbolic leadership, whereas intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientations were positively related to the frames. Despite this pattern of relationship, in general, the analysis found little statistically meaningful relationship between religiosity and leadership, and this fact engenders an important question whether or not religion has any impact on Christian education, leadership, and behavior.

Reframing the infomated household-workplace

‘Reframing’, a managerial tool for understanding organizational complexity (Bolman & Deal, 1997), is applied to Australian households that possess a large amount of information and communication technology (ICT). Applying reframing to interviews conducted in households indicates that major changes, including some contradictory changes, are occurring as a result of adopting ICT and home-based working. Viewed through the structural frame, boundaries between work and home are blurring, while simultaneously attempts are being made to reinforce the separation of these activities. The human resource frame indicates ICT is improving communication, convenience and recreation, but hampering relationships and increasing interference and distractions. Looked at through the political frame, power shifts and new ICT-related conflicts occur, but members are also empowered by having their own ICTs to achieve individual goals. Finally, symbolism arises from the very presence of ICT and work activities in the home, enabling the emergence of dual identities, ‘household’ and ‘workplace’. The findings are discussed in the context of contradictory organizational consequences of ICT reported in other situations. In relation to remote working, it is suggested that the household is a vital third element, in addition to the employer and employee, and that reframing can be used by those considering home-based working, to help them understand the likely impacts on their household and to facilitate the transition to home-based working.

Leadership behaviors for successful university--community collaborations to change curricula.

What constitutes effective leadership in a collaborative effort to achieve enduring curricular and student career changes? This question was investigated as part of a larger evaluation of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation's Community Partnership Health Professions Education, a five-year initiative involving projects at seven sites. The goal was to produce more primary care health providers by making enduring curricular change. Data were collected from participants with respect to predictors of project success and leaders' use of 16 behaviors via telephone interviews, mailed surveys, and focus groups. Focus groups also gathered project leaders' views of skills and knowledge necessary for effective leadership. Leadership strategies associated with positive outcomes were: consistent leader; use of multiple cognitive frames, especially a human resource frame; use of a broad range of leadership behaviors, particularly participative governance and cultural influence; and a majority of community representatives on the partnership board. The primary leader, compared with a leadership team, is most influential in achieving positive outcomes. Effective leaders use a broad array of behaviors, but particularly emphasize the use of participative governance and culture/value-influencing behaviors. In addition, the more frequent use of these behaviors compared with the use of organizational power behaviors is important. It is helpful to perceive the project from a human-relations frame and at least one other frame. Using a leadership team can be helpful, especially in building coalitions, but the importance of the primary leader's behaviors to project outcomes is striking.

Human Resources or Politics: Framing the Problem of Appointing Managers in an Organizational Democracy

Problem framing is the setting of a problem within a cognitive context that delineates its components and imposes upon them a particular organization and meaning. Although organizational effectiveness has been attributed to the ability of people to skillfully frame and reframe situations, little empirical research has been done on the ways in which organizational members actually frame real organizational problems. This study tests two hypotheses about how members of the Israeli kibbutz frame the problem of appointing managers: (a) kibbutz members tend to perceive the problem's causes, its implications, and the desired solutions either through a human resource frame or through a political frame, and (b) a member's particular way of framing the problem is related to social status groupings within the kibbutz. These hypotheses were tested through a questionnaire administered to 114 kibbutz members from four status levels. The hypothesis that there are two distinct frames was confirmed. The hypothesis that framing is related to social status was only partially confirmed because subjects from all status levels preferred the political framing of solutions. The study concludes that the framing of causes may be loosely connected with the framing of desired solutions. The implications of framing for addressing the problem of appointing managers in an organizational democracy are also discussed.

Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership.

MAKING SENSE OF ORGANIZATIONS. Introduction: The Power of Reframing. Simple Ideas, Complex Organizations. THE STRUCTURAL FRAME. Getting Organized. Structuring and Restructuring. Organizing Groups and Teams. THE HUMAN RESOURCE FRAME. People and Organizations. Human Resource Frame in Action. Groups and Interpersonal. THE POLITICAL FRAME. Power, Conflict, and Coalitions. The Manager as Politician. Organizations as Political Arenas and Political Agents. THE SYMBOLIC FRAME. Organizational Culture and Symbols. The Organization as Theater. Organizational Culture in Action. IMPROVING LEADERSHIP PRACTICE. Integrating Frames for Effective Practice. Reframing in Action: The Power of Scenarios. Choosing a Frame. Reframing Change: Training and Alignment. Reframing Leadership. Leaders as Architects and Catalysts. Leaders as Advocates and Prophets. Epilogue: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership.