Reframing Organizations

Expanding on ideas first introduced in Modern Approahces to understanding and Managing Organizations (Jossey-Bass 1984), Bolman and Deal argue that managers can use the method dubbed reframing - deliberately looking at situations from a variety of vantage points - to bring order out of confusion and to build high-performing, responsive organizations. They divide organizational theory into four practical perspectives, or frames - the structures, human resources, politics, and symbols - that help managers understand what is going on in their organizations. And they show how to apply these frames to common management problems, such as building effective work teams and managing technological change. Enlarging the focus of their earlier book, they offer five new chapters on leadership and organizational change.