2 Structural Frame Worksheet

OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:
PCA-Structural Frame Worksheet

Worksheet Objectives:
1. Describe the structural frame
2. Apply the structural frame to your personal case situation
Complete the following making sure to support your ideas and cite from the textbook and other
course materials per APA guidelines. After the peer review, you have a chance to update this and
format for your Electronic Portfolio due in Module 6.
1) Briefly restate your situation from Module 1 and your role.
The situation I plan on researching is whether or not it is a smart strategic decision for
General Motors to follow the mainstream initiatives to downsize their efforts towards fuel
ran vehicles, and put majority of focus on all electric vehicles. Considering all electric
vehicles are fairly new to the market, there is plenty of learning curves and innovations to
be weary about jumping completely into the electric market. I will be observing this
scenario in a postion of an external professional consultant.
2) Describe how the structure of the organization influenced the situation.
The structure of the organization is a traditional top-down pyramid structural

basis. I think that this largely plays a role in influencing the situation as it ultimately
comes down to what the CEO and executive leadership decide what their main focus
is on making an impact. General Motors has been consistent with producing quality
American made but has been in competition with Ford Motor Company since the
beginning. With that being said, both entities were driven towards Fredrick W.
Taylor’s methodology of maximizing efficiency and keep things in constant motion.
(Bolman, 2021, Ch. 3) Although General Motors has evolved from an industrial
method of practice since the early 1900’s when the scientific management was
created, and has since then also adopted monocratic bureaucracy methodologies as
well. (Bolman, 2021, Ch. 3)
The main concern as to how the structure will influence the situation as to keeping
fuel ran engines still on a main focus for the company, or pushing full swing to
electric within the next 5 years. With sernior leadership making the decisions as to
what, where, and when to start focusing resources in certain areas of development
in the organization, leaves little room for the workers in the manufacturing plants to
have a say in what their jobs entail. That means if there is somone at the CEO level,
1
and they hate fossil fuels, the whole company could undergo a complete restructure
of assets, resources, and products; but is that the right plan for a product that has
many unknowns as to how it will look, operate, cost to make, cost to sell, longevity of
the product, safety concerns, etc. Considering Tesla has been extremely successful in
an American automotive industry. But no one has been able to mimic or come close
to a similar design, which shows there is major risks and speculation as a strategic
and optimizing strategy on the change.
3) Recommend how you would use structure for an alternative course of action
regarding your case.
I would use the strucute of the organization against itself in the process of trying to reach
a plausible consensous. Instead of going straight to the top, I would listen as to what the
top leadership would say, but would gather finite data from the lower levels of
management, down to the expert themselves. Just because the CEO thinks they know
what their capabilities are, there is infinite value that can come from networking through
the field experts and creativity from an outside perspective that is not bias within the
organization. With that being said, I would utilize the structure to what define what
questions I need answers to: How much would it cost to continue further research and
new technology for a completely electric sedan? – I would go to the VP of engineering.
But if I was asking how would it be possible to make the vehicle’s lifespan longer- I
would ask the electrical engineer manager, nowhere near the top of the pyramid but has
the everyday knowledge needed to be put into the equation.
4) Reflect on what you would do or not do differently given what you have learned
about this frame.
I would not give too much influence of neither the upper management nor the lower
management as to what I am gathering and analyzing. If too much acknowledgement is
given to either side in front of the opposite, there could be some level of tension or doubt
that misplaced on you. Upper management needs to be listened to and sweet talked but
still the down and nitty gritty information. While navigating the middle and lower level
management I would listen carefully to, giving praise to them rather than the upper
management, and express to them their expertise and knowledge is extremely valuable to
the situation at hand. Very shakey game to play when in an organization especially with a
tight knit top-down hierarchy, but if played well, can lead to very rewarding outcomes.
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Reference or References
Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2021). Chapter 3: Getting Organized. Reframing organizations:
Artistry, choice, and leadership (7th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

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OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA-Structural Frame Worksheet

1) Briefly restate your situation from Module 1 and your role.

2) Describe how the structure of the organization influenced the situation.

The structure of the organization is a traditional top-down pyramid structural

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