Running Head: CASE STUDY ANALYSIS 1

Organizational Case Study Analysis

Jazmin Ramirez

Salem State University

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Premier University is a well-known large institution located in a small village.

The university has a total of 11,000 undergraduate students and a total of 3,000 graduate

students. It is more of a residential than a commuter institution with 55% of its

undergraduate population living in one of the fourteen residence halls on campus. In this

organizational analysis paper I will be taking a closer look into an organizational

dilemma at Premier University, as well as analyzing the case through a symbolic frame

and a human resources frame. In the end I will conclude the paper with the lessons

learned from this case study and a proposed resolution for the dilemma.

In the past three years there has been a significant increase in the amount of

alcohol consumption that has led to a constant need of transporting students to the nearest

hospital, which in fact is 20 minutes away from campus. Not only is this a problem on the

student level, but also it has brought a lot of attention to the campus. The school

newspaper, which is student led, has written an article with the title, What do you expect

when there is nothing else to do on this campus (Branch, 2000, p. 51). This newspaper

then led to comments being made on social media through avenues of Facebook and

Twitter. These messages have caught the attention of politicians in the area, many of

which graduated from Premier University. Since Premier University is a well-known

institution in the area, these messages can have a negative impact on the representation of

the school from external constituents.

Increase in the consumption of alcohol in the past three years is not the only

dilemma at Premier University. Olivia Felds, a Residence Life Area Coordinator at

Premier University, felt like her input in a departmental meeting did not matter. Every

two weeks William Stanford, James Porter, and Paul Timmons participate in a meeting
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with the Vice President of Student Affairs to discuss issues happening within the

department and/or within the institution as a whole. The upcoming meeting was dedicated

specifically to the issue of the increase of alcohol consumption on campus. At this

meeting, Olivia Felds was sent as the representative of the Office of Residence Life, since

the director, James Porter was unable to attend as a result of another campus project

taking place simultaneously. Michael Adams, the Alcohol-Drug Education Services

Coordinator at Premier University, was also invited to this meeting to present what he

had learned recently from a webinar on possible sanctions for alcohol violations. The

webinar included the idea of giving fines as sanctions for being transported or having had

alcohol violations.

Michael Adams is a strong advocator for giving fines to students with alcohol

violations as an immediate consequence (Branch, 2000). Michael Adams also strongly

believes in continuing to have conduct hearings, however, given students the opportunity

to appeal the fine through due process procedures if necessary. Olivia Feld is in

disagreement with Michael Adams, and tries to provide her suggestions on what approach

the university should take to decrease the amount of alcohol violations on campus.

Unfortunately, the group of individuals in the meeting, especially Dean Stanford,

dismisses Olivias suggestion when he states, Just write down the information about the

fines and make sure Porter receives it (Branch, 2000, p. 52). At that moment, Olivia Feld

felt extremely unwanted at the meeting and as if her opinion on the alcohol matter had no

importance to the other individuals in the room. From that moment until the end of the

meeting, Olivia Feld refused to state anything else. Instead, she wrote down the different
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statements that were said in the meeting, but most importantly she took mental notes of

how Dean Stanfords comment made her feel.

Olivia Feld made sure to leave the written notes on James Porters desk. However,

in the process Olivia Feld crossed paths with James Porter. James Porter asked Olivia

Felds how the meeting went, and she did not hesitate in stating the truth. Olivia Feld

stated how the men in the room made her feel. The way James Porter responded to her

concern made it seem as if he was not surprise that it occurred because he stated, the

group knows each other quite well and that is probably what she was sensing (Branch,

2000, p.53). Although Olivia did not like her experience and was hoping to not continue

with representing the department, James asked her to continue attending the meetings

until there was a solution to the problem. Olivia then starts thinking about a personal

dilemma that she encounters with proceeding with this campus project.

Olivia thinks about the importance and urgency there is in finding a solution to

the increase alcohol consumption because she is afraid that a student may die from

alcohol poisoning. However, she really does not want to continue being part of the

meetings if her opinion is not taken under consideration or respected like everyone else

around the table. All in all, Olivia asks her supervisor, James, if she can take the night to

think about what she wants to do. Olivia and James will further discuss her decision the

following morning during a scheduled meting. On a more positive note, James states that

he would also like to discuss the strategies that she came up with to help with the alcohol

issue on campus. Ultimately, giving Olivia a sense of belonging and making her feel that

her opinion really does matter in the department and at Premier University.
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The Political Frame

In order to help make sense of Premier University and the dilemma at hand, the

first organizational frame that I have selected to analysis this dilemma is the political

frame. Through the political frame, organizations are viewed as coalitions with members

having different interests and coming from different functional areas or departments,

when looking at an institution. In the dilemma at Premier University, the different

individuals and interest groups are the following: James Porter, the Director of Residence

Life, William Stanford, the Dean of Students, Paul Timmons, the Director of the Student

Health and Wellness Center, Michael Adams, the Alcohol-Drug Education Services

Coordinator, and Olivia Felds, a Residence Life Area Coordinator. Each individual comes

from a different functional area of student affairs with the exception of James and Olivia,

whom both come from the Office of Residence Life, and Paul and Michael who come

from the Student Health and Wellness cluster. When looking through the political frame I

will discuss the core assumptions, define and apply key concepts, such as position power,

information and expertise, access and control of agendas, while making sense of the

dilemma through the key concepts identified at hand.

Core Assumptions of Political Frame

Through the political frame organizations are viewed as coalitions of assorted

individuals and interest groups. Within the coalition, members have differences in

values, beliefs, information, interests and perceptions of reality (Bolman & Deal, 2008,

p.194). One of the main concepts of the political framework is resource. The more

resources an individual has within an organization, especially scarce resources, the more

political power the individual has within that specific organization. Many of the decisions
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within an organization are done through the allocation of resources given to the

individuals within the organization. Through the political framework, conflict is often

present in many organizations because there is the constant combination of resources and

differences. The conflict created by the combination of resources and differences is often

settled by the use of power. The opinion of the individual that has the most power within

the organization has the most weight in decision making and moving the organization

forward. Which brings me to the last political assumption of having the organizations

goals and decisions developed from bargaining and negotiating, which are two other main

concepts of the political frame (Bolman & Deal, 2008). Each individual in the

organization has their own values and beliefs, and they are each a stakeholder within that

organization so they use that to negotiate and bargain to hopefully gain what they want.

Focal Concepts of the Political Frame

When taking a closer look at the political frame there are focal concepts that one

must consider having a better understanding of the overall frame and the organization.

When considering power within an organization, one must understand that power in

organizations is basically the capacity to make things happen (Boleman & Deal, 2008,

p.196). In the political frame, power comes in many forms. There is positional power,

which comes with authority and having a certain amount of authority to do certain duties

or responsibility because it comes with the position. For example, James Porter has

positional power over Olivia Felds because he is the Director of Residence Life, while

she is an area coordinator. When looking at hierarchy, James is above Olivia. Although

Olivia and Paul Timmons are from different departments, Paul technically has positional
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power over Olivia because he is a director of a department. Paul has more resources,

access and control of agendas and alliances and networks on a higher level than Olivia.

Another form of power within the political frame is information and expertise.

Information and expertise is really important when thinking of the interests of the

members within the coalition and the ultimate goal. At Premier University, Michael

Adams is the Alcohol-Drug Education Services Coordinator. In other words, Michael

Adams is well informed on alcohol and drug education and what that may mean on a

college campus. He has the experience and information to help move this campus project

forward. Michael Adams was invited to this meeting because of his area of expertise. He

recently had participated in a webinar consisting of using fines as a way of addressing

this issue (Branch, 2000, p.51). Paul Timmons and William Stanford invited Michael

Adams for his information to learn more from him. Because of his expertise, Michael has

leverage on Paul and William. Michael has something that the other two members of the

coalition need. Looking through the political framework, Paul, William and Michael have

more political power than Olivia. Although, Olivia is representing the Office of

Residence Life, she is an Area Coordinator which holds less political power than the

Dean of Students and the Director of Student Health and Wellness Center. It is safe to

assume that Olivia has less information on the overall institution when looking at the

different departments when considering Michael who is the Dean of Students. Olivia is

specialized in the office of Residence Life where Michael as the Dean of Students need to

be more aware of different aspects of Premier University to better assist and support the

students enrolled.
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In the meeting, James Porter was supposed to be present as the individual

representing Office of Residence Life. Unfortunately, James Porter was unable to attend

because of his obligation to another campus initiative that needed his immediate

attention. As a result, James Porter appointed Olivia Felds to represent the Office of

Residence Life. Although Olivia was physically present and a representation of an

important department in this meeting, her interests were not well represented. In fact,

Olivias interests were ignored as if her presence and representation was non-existent.

This is an example of access and control of agendas, another form of power. Access and

control of agendas is a by-product of networks and alliances to access the decision

arena (Bolman & Deal, 2008, p.204). Olivia was present, but she did not have a seat at

the table. In fact, Olivia was treated as the note taker of the meeting and her main

responsibility according to William Stanford was making sure she got all the information

discussed at the meeting back to James Porter.

With the different sources of power, one must think of the constant negotiating

and bargaining that occurs in organizations when looking through the political frame.

Negotiation occurs when two or more parties with some interests in common and others

in conflict need to reach agreement (Bolman & Deal, 2008, p.221). When two or more

parties are negotiating with each other they ultimately want to come towards a final

agreement that is considered a win-win for all parties. In order for all parties in the

organization to have a win at the end of the negotiation, all parties must bargain. In the

case study of Premier University, there are three parties that are being represented: Office

of Residence Life, Student Health and Wellness, and the Dean of Students. Together they

must discuss and come up with the final idea of possible solutions for the alcohol issue on
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campus. However, negotiation and bargaining is not really occurring with the Office of

Residence Life because the other two parties are not taking Olivias suggestions into

consideration. The positional power, information and expertise along with access and

control of agendas is hindering all parties ability to negotiate and bargain. What is

interesting to consider is that within the political frame individuals and groups depend on

each other (Bolman & Deal, 2008). There is always a need from individuals and groups

so it is important to understand the power relationship between individuals and groups

within an organization.

Proposed Resolution

After being able to clearly identify the dilemma at Premier University and

analyzing it through the political frame I have been able to formulate a proposed

resolution that would help Olivia and the organization through this dilemma. From a

political standpoint, I would recommend to not withdraw from the meeting, but rather

continue working on her reputation in the institution, as well as alliance and networks.

Reputation is extremely important in a political setting because it is a source of power.

Reputation is based on an individuals performance and overall accomplishments.

Interestingly people who have a good reputation tend to have more opportunities and

influence coming their way (Bolman& Deal, 2008). In Olivias case she has a well-

known reputation through the eyes of James Porter within the office of Residence Life.

Olivia has worked for three years at Premier University and she has gained the respect

of students and colleagues as a result of her leadership style and commitment to social

justice issues (Branch, 2000, p.50). However, she has not built her reputation with the

other departments or individuals around the table, which has shaped her experience with
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this opportunity. With having a good reputation comes the ability to obtain power through

alliances and networks. When completing tasks within your work field, you are often

working with others in the organization. Through group work, you are building

relationships and connections that will be beneficial in the long run. For example, the

more alliances and networks you have at work, the more enjoyable it is to complete the

work needed to get done. In Olivias case, she does not have Paul, William or Michael as

her alliance or network so it made it difficult for her to complete her task assigned by

James Porter. And by James comment of, the group knows each other quite well and that

is probably what she was sensing (Branch, 2000, p.53) it lets me understand that there is

a network connection already built between Paul, William and Michael prior to this

meeting.

If that is not the approach that Olivia would like to make, there is the option of

James Porter using his own reputation, alliances and networks to vouch for Olivia and

explain to the rest of the parties why Olivia should be part of this conversation. This

could help James create an atmosphere in the meetings where Olivia can have access and

control agendas. This action can either be done through email or James can set up a

meeting with Paul Timmons and Williams Stanford to inform them the importance of

having Olivia in the meeting. Hopefully, having a conversation with the higher ups would

allow for more consideration and open mindedness of having Olivia part of the

conversation in a successful way. Worse case scenario if that does not work, sending an

email to Paul, William and Michael about Olivias suggestions of what Premier

University should do to assist with the alcohol violation issues, but sending the email in a

way that makes it seem like the ideas were created by James Porter. I thought of it as, as
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long as the information is coming across to the designated individuals does it really

matter where the information came from? It could be seen as a form of negotiating and

thinking what is more important to Olivia. The decrease of alcohol violations, knowing

that she is afraid that a student will die from alcohol poisoning, or having credit for

creating and contributing those ideas?

Human Resource Frame

After taking a look at Premier University and the dilemma at hand through the

political frame, I have decided to select another fresh set of lens to reanalyze the

dilemma. Moving forward, I will be analyzing the dilemma through the human resource

frame. It is important to acknowledge that the human resource frame values the

individuals in their organization. The people are the most important asset to the

organization (Boleman & Deal, 2008). There is a constant desire of viewing the needs of

the individuals and the needs of the organizations and being able to combine those needs

to both, assist and develop the individuals while also further developing the organization

as a whole. The human resource focuses on how both individuals and organization can

profit and help one another. There is no organization without people; people make an

organization.

Core Assumptions of the Human Resource Frame

Similar to the political frame, human resource frame has its own assumptions.

Mary Parker Follett and Elton Mayo argued that peoples skills, attitudes, energy, and

commitment(Bolman & Deal, 2008, p.122-123) are essential elements to keep an

organization on its feet. The assumptions for the human resource frame are surrounded by

the idea that organizations are built to serve the needs of individuals. In order to be a
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successful organization, people and organizations need to work together for the common

good. The last two assumptions of the human resource frame are around the idea of

good fit. If there is a good fit between the organization and the individual within the

organization, both parties end up benefiting from that positive connection. If there is an

absence of a good fit connection between the organization and the individual then one

party if not both parties suffer from it (Bolman & Deal, 2008). The last assumption is on

the idea of how does a good fit between an organization and individual look like. From

the human resource frame, a good fit is having individuals feel satisfied in the work they

do and appreciated in their work environment. While the organization is gaining the

positive energy and influences they need in order to successfully move forward. The

overall arching theme of the human resource frame is the importance of both organization

and individual. They are equally as important for one another in order to succeed.

Focal Concepts of the Human Resource Frame

The human resource frame has focal concepts that help individuals understand the

main outlook on caring for both people and its organization as a whole. When taking a

closer look at the dilemma at Premier University involving Olivias feelings and

interpretation of how the meeting went, I believe it is extremely important to consider

Maslows Hierarchy of Needs and Motivation. Maslows theory on human needs consists

of the following five different needs: physiological, safety, social/belonging, esteem and

self-actualization, in that order of lowest to highest importance. Maslow believes that

when the lower two human needs are fulfilled, every other needs falls into place. An

individual must first feel safe and physically be okay (Bolman & Deal, 2008). . In

Olivias case it was hard for her needs to be met, especially her ability to reach self-
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actualization because the need of belongingness was not fulfilled. During the meeting

with the vice president of student affairs, Olivias suggestions and opinions on how

Premier University should approach the alcohol issue on campus was not included in the

overall conversation. As a result of her inability to contribute her suggestions because

they were not welcomed, made Olivia feel uncomfortable, not included, and feeling like

she does not belong in the meeting. In the end, Olivia was hoping to not continue being

part of the meetings to address the alcohol issue on campus. To go deeper into Maslows

hierarchy of needs and motivation and Olivias dilemma, her sense of not belonging and

not being included leads to not fulfilling the need of esteem. How is Olivia suppose to

have her ego needs met to then feel motivated to contribute and reach her potential of

self-actualization if the needs on the lower end of the hierarchy are not met? It creates a

ripple effect that later on affects the professional and personal growth of the individual

within the organization. This outcome is completely against the organizations values and

mission of being for both the people and the organization.

Another concept that we must visit to her a better understanding of the dilemma at

Premier University is theory X and theory Y, theory Y which was created taking into

consideration Maslows hierarchy of needs and motivation. Theory X represents

individuals that are somewhat lazy, not self-led and have little to no ambition in the

workplace. Theory X individuals often want to be led by their managers and are not fans

of change (Boleman & Deal, 2008). On the other hand, Theory Y represents individuals

whose needs are being met within the organization. Therefore, these individuals are able

to work in an environment where they are able to reach their own goals, while achieving

the goals of the organization. Theory Y individuals find satisfaction in their work because
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again their needs are being met which helps them provide a positive contribution.

Looking through the human resource frame and considering theory X and theory Y,

James Porter might have to rely on a theory X individual in the office of Residence Life

because Olivia will not be able to have a Theory Y outlook if her needs are not being met

in the organization. Although, James Porter suggested Olivia to be part of this initiative

on campus, she demonstrated traits of being motivated, self-led and a hard worker. Before

the meeting, Olivia made sure to do her personal research on the subject matter to be

more than prepared with ideas to share around the room.

An important idea or correlation that one must also consider is the personality of

the individual and the organization. Chris Argyris discovered a conflict between

personalities of individuals and management practice with an organization (Bolman &

Deal, 2008). This conflict is known to be a person-structure conflict that often frustrates

individuals as a result of the way management is handled within an organization. Olivia

demonstrated signs of frustration at the meeting when the Dean of Students did not

acknowledge her desire to contribute her researched suggestions and everyone else in the

room remained silent. A main option of dealing with such frustration is the option of

withdrawing themselves from the responsibility or staying on the job physically, but not

mentally being there. These two results of frustration was demonstrated by Olivia during

the meeting with the vice president of student affairs and after when she spoke with

James Porter on what happened. During the meeting, after Williams comment Olivia

mentally withdrew herself from the conversation and just remained in the background.

Then when Olivia had her conversation with James Porter, she demonstrated the desire to

not want to continue attending the meetings. In other words, Olivia was considering
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quitting. However, other forms of coping with frustration as a result of managerial

practice is the resistance through restricting output, deception and sabotage, and forming

alliances to redress the power disparity (Bolman & Deal, 2008). When individuals are

feeling a sense of frustration or inability to grow professionally or personally because of a

lack of support and needs not being met, it affects the progression of the organization.

Proposed Resolution

After being able to clearly identify the dilemma at Premier University and

analyzing it through the human resource frame I have been able to formulate a proposed

resolution that would help Olivia as a professional and help the overall goal of

minimizing the alcohol violations on campus. In my opinion, James Porter was being

supportive and compassionate of Olivias foul experience in the meeting. James Porter

asked to discuss Olivias suggestions in a prescheduled meeting the next day. Although,

the case study was left off with Olivia not wanting to continue, James gave her the

opportunity to contribute her thoughts. Unfortunately, Paul, William and Michael did not

create a space where Olivia could contribute evenly like everyone else, but James did

create that safe space for her during their meeting. Ultimately, ending he conversation

with Olivia having her physical and safety needs met when looking at the organization as

the Office of Residence Life. When looking at the organization as the student affairs

department at Premier University her needs are not being met. However, this allows for

some growth within her office.

I would suggest, James investing in Olivia. It is important for employers to take

the time to invest in their employees so that employees can grow and be developed into

committed and talented individuals, which would later on benefit the organization as a
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whole (Bolman& Deal, 2008). Even if Paul, William and Michael do not want to invest

their time and resources on Olivia because it might not later on positively impact their

specific department, James should create that space for Olivia. James would not want for

Olivia to fall into a Theory X category because that would not benefit her as a

professional or the organization in the long run. As the director of residence life, James

must keep in mind the mission and goals of their specific office, while taking into

consideration the personal goals and needs of every employee in that office, including

Olivia. If Olivia becomes a theory X individual, yes management will have no choice but

to rely on her, but that is not what an organization wants when considering the human

resource frame. If Premier University as a whole, cannot be viewed as a family, the least

thing that James can do is start enforcing that belief and feel in his office.

Which brings me to my last proposed resolution, conducting an assessment of the

office in evaluating how the needs of employees and the needs of the organization are

being both met and aligned with one another. And if they are not being met or aligned on

both parties, creating ways of how they can start working towards that goal as a team.

One aspect of the human resource frame is their image of leadership, which is

empowerment. Empowerment and motivation is given to individuals, like Olivia, when

they are feeling valued and their needs are being met. During the meeting that James and

Olivia will be having the next day, James should ask her how could he best be supportive

in his situation. When conducting an assessment, there are some questions that I would

ask: Is there a human resource strategy in place? How is the hiring process? Are you

hiring the right people? How are you keeping your employees in the organization? Are

you investing in them? If so, how? Are you empowering your employees? If so, how? Is
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your office promoting diversity? It is important to develop a shared philosophy when

managing individuals in an organization, know what people you want in your

organization, consider if you are being selective and know how to reward your employees

when they have demonstrated an accomplishment (Bolman & Deal, 2008). The human

resource frame really focuses on the small details of what an organization can do to create

an almost family like feel to the workplace. This is something that James Porter should

consider when looking into Olivias situation, and to help stop it from happening to

another person in the future.

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References

Bolman, L. G. & Deal, T. E. (2008). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and

leadership (4th edition). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Branch, K. (2000). Less drinking or professional sinking? In Linking theory to practice:

Case studies for working with college students (pp. 49-53). Taylor & Francis.