Structural Frame Paper

II. The Structural Frame

The structural frame considers that right roles and relationship for people working in an organization to be one of the main keys to success. According to Bolman and Deal (2008), organizations are characterized by goals and objectives, well defined structure and division of labor, various forms of coordination and control, rational conduct and policies. These features help to make an organization more efficient and improve its performance. When an organization faces problems, they are resolved through analysis and restructuring.

The first characteristic of the structural lens is a well-established organizational goal. According to the web site of Al-Furqan academy, its goal is to raise knowledgeable students, striving

From the interview with the principal of the school I learn that the structure of Al-Furqan academy is quite simple and flat (Principal, 2016). The school is supervised by the school board, who hires the principal – an administrator that manages school. The recruitment of other staff members is a responsibility of the principal. The control and coordination system of Al-Furqan academy is not complex: the principal monitors and coordinates the staff of the school that reports to him, while the principal himself has to report to the school board. According to Bolman and Deal (2008), this is an example of a simple hierarchy where a middle manager, in this case, the school administrator, reports to the boss – the school board, and in his turn supervises and coordinates with other people in the organization. This is an example of vertical coordination, where higher levels of management the school board and the principal, control and coordinate the work of subordinates, as they set the rules, define policies, plan activities and monitor their implementation (Bolman & Deal, 2008). The top management represents authorities with legitimate power to make decisions, negotiate conflicts, cope with problems, evaluate employees at the lower level in a hierarchy and shape their behavior (Bolman & Deal,

The employees of an organization take certain roles in order to accomplish tasks, roles that are prescribed by “job descriptions, procedures, routines, protocols, or rules (Mintzberg, 1979, cited in Bolman & Deal, 2008, p. 52). As the principal of Al-Furqan academy claims, all the employees in the organization have clear, well-defined job descriptions (Principal, 2016). The staff working in this school can be divided in five categories that follow Mintzberg’s five-sector logo (cited in Bolman & Deal, 2008, p. 78). The teachers in Al-Furqan academy represent the operating core. These are those people, who essentially provide services or create products for customers. In the case of the school, teaching is a service that is provided by teachers. Teaching is a core process of an educational institution, performed by the operating core of an organization – teachers. Above the operating core are located an organization’s administrators and managers, who form the administrative component. These people supervise the work of the operating core, monitor and coordinate them. In our case, the principal represents this component. At the top of the structure, in the strategic apex are situated senior managers. They determine the mission and design of an organization and monitor changes in the environment. In Al-Furqan academy, the school board represents the apex. The Mintzberg’s structure houses two