Posted: November 30th, 2015

Reframing Your Organization

Paper Introduction:  The first half to three-quarters of page one should include a short summary of your organization – who it is, what it does, who it serves, etc.  After you introduce your organization, you should conclude your introductory section with a problem statement that briefly introduces the extent to which you plan to re-frame your organization.

Paper Body:  Use sub-headings for each frame that you choose to highlight.  Following the re-framing example from the Robert F. Kennedy High School on page 424 of Bolman and Deal (2013), identify the key areas of weakness/challenge in each of the frames, (remember, there could be a frame that does not need changing) and then discuss what options for change are reasonably available to strengthen that frame.  In Exhibit 20.1, Bolman and Deal did just that by asking the questions “What’s going on? and “What options are available?

It is possible that your organization may have many areas of challenge in any given frame but you do not need to identify them all.  Choose two or three of the most pressing issues.  If you choose not to include a frame in your paper, state why you believe there is no need for improvement.

Conclusion:  The last half to three-quarters of your paper should summarize the key points or arguments you made for re-framing your organization.  If you are unsure how to summarize or conclude a paper, look at how each of the chapters in most textbooks end with a section usually sub-titled Summary, Conclusion, or Recommendations.  The concluding section should serve as a check to make sure you wrote about what you said you were going to cover in the introductory section of your paper.

Important Points:  Remember to cite your sources in the body of your paper, even if it is just Bolman and Deal (2013).  Always include a reference list/bibliography at the end of your paper.

You are not required to include an abstract, but you may if you choose to.