Assignment:
Case
The Political Frame
Assignment Overview
In the Case, you will write your thesis-style paper - relating to the Political Frame. Using specific examples of "politics" (i.e., the "jungle") as defined by Bolman and Deal, you will use the Political Frame as a lens through which you will analyze the downfall of Walt Disney Company CEO Michael Eisner.
Begin the Module Case by visiting the Walt Disney Company website:
The Walt Disney Company. (2014).
The following articles provide a good starting point concerning former CEO Eisner's tenure with the Walt Disney Company:
White, D. (2005, Oct 01). When Mickey finally turned on his master. Michael Eisner's reign at Disney is over. Dominic White reports. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved from Proquest.
Consider Michael Karpeles' article relating to politics in the Disney boardroom:
Karpeles, M. D. (2005). Boardroom lessons from the Disney/Ovitz case. Corporate Board, 26(155), 6-10. Retrieved on June 10, 2014 from EBSCO - Business Source Complete.
Finally, read the following case study:
Forbes, W., & Watson, R. (n.d.). Destructive corporate leadership and board loyalty bias: A case study of Michael Eisner's long tenure at
Disney Corporation. City University London.
Case Assignment
After you have reviewed the contents of the Walt Disney Company website, completed the above readings and those provided at the Background page of Module, and performed additional research from the library and the internet, write a 6 to 7 page paper in which you do the following:
Using the following five assumptions of the Political Frame, complete an in-depth assessment of the Walt Disney Company:
1. Organizations are coalitions of diverse individuals and interest groups.
2. There are enduring differences among coalition members in values, beliefs, information, interests, and perceptions of reality.
3. Most important decisions involve allocating scarce resources-who gets what.
4. Scarce resources and enduring differences make conflict central to organizational dynamics and underline power as the most important asset.
5. Goals and decisions emerge from bargaining, negotiation, and jockeying for position among competing stakeholders.
Keys to the Assignment
The key aspects of this assignment that are to be covered in your 6 to 7 page paper include the following:
• Using Bolman and Deal's Political Frame, analyze the political behaviors surrounding the departure of Disney CEO Michael Eisner.
Specifically, address the following:
o Briefly identify and discuss the key political forces that led to Eisner's downfall.
o How does the "Jungle" metaphor apply to the Eisner case?
o Describe the coalitions that formed at Disney. Then, identify those salient interests that caused the division between coalitions, and how these differences were ultimately resolved.
o Discuss the Eisner case study in the context of two or three of Bolman and Deal's Political Frame assumptions included above. How do the assumptions you've chosen inform what happened in the Michael Eisner case?
o Briefly comment on the significance of the "Toxic Triangle" (see Figure of Forbes & Watson's case study about Eisner's departure), and discuss how this model informs the Eisner case study.
o The background readings will not give you all the answers to the Case. Therefore, you are required to perform some research in the library, and use a minimum of 3 to 4 scholarly sources from the library to support and justify your understanding of the case.
o Your paper must demonstrate evidence of critical thinking (if you need tips on critical thinking, https://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/college-and-university-students/799 is an excellent resource). Don't simply restate facts - instead, be sure to interpret the facts you have accumulated from your research.
o Remember that the Module 4 Case will also serve as your session-long thesis-style paper.
The Political Frame
Overview
You will write a 3 to 4 page paper in which you will apply the Political Frame to the organization in which you are currently employed (or in which you have worked previously).
Assignment
The requires that you write a 3 to 4 page paper, in which you address the following:
After giving a brief description of the organization in which you presently work (or in which you have previously worked), apply the Political
Frame to 2 to 3 examples of political behaviors that are presently occurring - or have occurred - within your organization.
Keys to the Assignment
The key aspects of this assignment that should be covered in your paper include the following:
• Briefly describe your organization - name, what it does, size (number of employees, annual revenue, relative market share, etc.);
• Choose 2 or 3 examples of political activities within your organization. These might include, e.g., networking and coalition building, informal communications, bargaining and negotiation (for power or for resources), etc. etc.
• Using Bolman and Deal's Political Frame as a lens, discuss the relative impact of the political characteristics or events you have identified (do the political behaviors you have cited have negligible impact on the organization as a whole, or are do they have more significant impact instead?).
• What are the consequences and outcomes of the political behaviors you have identified? Are they positive or negative, good or bad for the company for the short-term? For the longer run (decisions that benefit the short-term are often in conflict with longer-term outcomes, and vice-versa)? Explain.
Resources
Bolman, L. G. & Deal, T. E. (2003). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership (3rd ed.). San Francisco: John Wiley.
Hogan, R. L. (n.d). Chapter 9: Power, conflict, and coalitions. Eastern Illinois University.
Jacobs, R. M. (n.d.). Theories of practice: The political frame. Villanova University.
Karpeles, M. D. (2005). Boardroom lessons from the Disney/Ovitz case. Corporate Board, 26(155), 6-10.
White, D. (2005, Oct 01). When Mickey finally turned on his master. Michael Eisner's reign at Disney is over. Dominic White reports. The
Daily Telegraph.
Optional resources:
Forbes, W., & Watson, R. (n.d.). Destructive corporate leadership and board loyalty bias: A case study of Michael Eisner's long tenure at Disney Corporation. City University London.
Holson, L. M. (2005, September 26). A quiet departure for Eisner at Disney. The New York Times.