L08a Forces and Frames of Leadership 1

Forces and Frames of LeadershipMore than one role

Learning Objectives

• Be able to apply Sergiovanni’s 5forces of leadership to yourleadership to your context

• View your leadership through 4 frames

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The 5 Forces

Cultural

Symbolic

Educational

3

Educational

Human

Technical

(Sergiovanni, 1984, 2001)

Forces of Leadership: Technical

• Leader as management engineer

• Planning

• Organizing

• Schedulingg

• Contingency theory

• Fundamental to leadership

Technical

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Sounds like ‘management’

(Sergiovanni, 1984, 2001)

L08a Forces and Frames of Leadership 2

Forces of Leadership: Human

• Leader as human engineer

• Human relations

• Interpersonal competence

• Instrumental motivation techniques

• Provides support, encouragement and growth opportunity for ‘people’

5(Sergiovanni, 1984, 2001)

Human

Forces of Leadership: Educational

• Leader as leader of learning

• Influences teaching, educational programs, development and supervision

C l h

6(Sergiovanni, 1984, 2001)

Educational

• Counsels teachers

• Diagnoses educational problems

• Provides for staff development

• Influences curriculum development

(

Forces of Leadership: Symbolic

• Leader as chief

• Provides sense of purpose• Models important goals and 

behaviors• Signals what is valuable SymbolicSignals what is valuable• Highly visible to staff and 

students• Prioritizes education over 

management• Provides unifying vision in 

words and actions

7(Sergiovanni, 1984, 2001)

Symbolic

Forces of Leadership: Cultural

Cultural

• Leader as high priest• Articulates and strengthens 

enduring values and beliefs• Legacy builder to define an 

institutional characterA i l i i

8(Sergiovanni, 1984, 2001)

• Articulate purposes, mission• Socializes new members to 

school• Reinforces myths, traditions and 

beliefs• Bonds stakeholders together as 

believers

L08a Forces and Frames of Leadership 3

The “Guru” profile

• Click on the image for a short paper that uses the Forces to describe various leader profiles:

• Th G• The Guru• The Technocrat• The Politician

• Some implications for leadership are also discussed.

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Have you achieved the Learning Outcomes?

• Can you apply the 5 forces of leadership to leadership in your context? 

• What do B and D’s frames tell you about leadership y p

• Are you an engineer? A chief? A guru?

• Is there another metaphor shape (Elliot, 1992) that best depicts your leadership?

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Framing – it’s how you see it

Bolman & Deal, 2008  1112

L08a Forces and Frames of Leadership 4

The Four Frames

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The Structural Frame

Focus: Formal structure

• the importance of formal roles and relationship

f th th t• focuses on the way that structure develops in response to an organization’s tasks and environment

• Schools are guided by goals and policies

Bolman & Deal, 2008 

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The Human Resource FrameFocus: Relationships 

• Schools  serve human needs.• People need schools for 

intrinsic and extrinsic reasons.• Schools need people for their p p

energy, effort and talent. • When fit is poor, people feel 

exploited or they exploit.• A good fit benefits both. 

People find satisfying work, and schools get the talent and energy they need to succeed.

Bolman & Deal, 2008 

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The Political Frame

Focus: Power and influence

• Schools are coalitions of individuals & interest groups.

• People are different.

Bolman & Deal, 2008 

People are different.• Important decisions involve 

allocating scare resources.• Conflict is part of day‐to‐day 

dynamics. • Power most important asset.• Bargaining and negotiations 

are used to make decisions

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L08a Forces and Frames of Leadership 5

The Symbolic FrameBolman & Deal, 2008 

Focus: Culture

• Symbolic actions & activities impact an culture for better/ worse.

• Myth, vision & values imbue schoolMyth, vision & values imbue school with purpose

• Heroes through words and deeds serve as living logos.

• Rituals &ceremonies offer direction, faith, and hope. 

• Stories perpetuate values & keep feats of heroes alive.

• Symbols can also be negative.17

Overview of the Four-Frame ModelFRAME

StructuralHuman Resource Political Symbolic

Metaphor for organization

Factory or machine

Family Jungle Carnival, temple, theater

Central concepts Rules, roles,  Needs, skills,  Power, conflict,  Culture, p , ,goals, policies, technology, environment

, ,relationships

, ,competition, organizational politics

,meaningmetaphor, ritual, ceremony, stories, heroes

Image of leadership

Social architecture

Empowerment Advocacy and political savvy

Inspiration

Basic leadership challenge

Attune structure to task, technology, environment

Align organizational and human needs

Develop agenda and power base

Create faith, beauty, meaning

(Bolman & Deal, p. 18)

Source of ambiguity for leaders

(McCaskey, 1982 as cited in Bolman & Deal, p. 33) 19

Interpretations of school processes

Strategic planningStrategic planning

Decision making

Reorganizing

ProcessProcessStructuralStructuralFrameFrame

Human Human Resource FrameResource Frame

Political Political FrameFrame

Symbolic Symbolic FrameFrame

g g

Evaluating

Approaching conflict

Goal setting

Communication

Meetings

Motivation(Bolman & Deal, pp. 314‐315)

L08a Forces and Frames of Leadership 6

Leaders reframing school changeFRAME Barriers to change Essential Strategies

Structural Loss of direction, clarity and stability;Confusion, chaos

Communicating, realigning, and renegotiating formal patterns and policies

Human Resource Anxiety, uncertainty;People feel incompetent and

Training to develop new skills;Participation and involvement;People feel incompetent and 

needyParticipation and involvement;Psychological support

Political Disempowerment;Conflict between winners and losers

Create arenas where issues can be renegotiated and new coalitions formed

Symbolic Loss of meaning and purpose;Clinging to the past

Create transition rituals;Mourn the past, celebrate the future

(Bolman & Deal, p. 379)

Now that’s leadership

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