For this
assignment, the first of Shoemaker and Russo hazards associated with
"frame blindness" and how to guard against it have to deal with “Seeing
the Frame by Conducting a Frame Audit”.
As the saying goes, you cannot address a problem if you do not know
and understand what the problem is. The
same goes for frames. However, before a
person addresses a particular frame, they must understand that they cannot fix
all frames (thought processes). Of the
three steps mentioned for conducting a frame audit, understanding the frame of others stands out the most in my opinion. At one time in my career, I served as a first
sergeant in the military during military deployments. Basically, this position entailed ensuring
several teams of individuals were relocated to a new location to perform a
group of tasks for a certain period of time.
From the beginning, I began to coordinate the project using my past
experiences. I was pretty sure I covered
all the critical areas and had the team ready to go almost a full week early. The problem in the whole situation was my
failure to understand the frame of others
involved in this endeavor which caused me to have to readdress the project
from a different perspective. My first step should have been to present the
process to all the stakeholders in a pictorial manner so everyone could
visually walk through the same process (later, I did follow this process). This process of self-reflection taught me
that even when you think you have an understanding of a complex decision-making
situation, there is always something you can learn. As for additional tools or "frames"
that would've helped you through the process; I am not sure I needed any. My problem was at that time I became so
myopic and focused that I forgot to open up and welcome different perspectives from
the other stakeholders. As for risk
assessment of my before and after recommendation, it’s hard to predict what
could have happened. If I did not change
the decision making process as I did, I think the biggest issue would have been
a slowdown in operational efficiency. However
as a young leader, I did learn to appreciate emerging frames (technology and
thought processes had changed a lot since the last time I did such a project)
and to slow down and look at the big picture; from others eyes, not just
mine.
The next of
Shoemaker and Russo hazards associated with "frame blindness" and how
to guard against it have to deal with Identifying and Changing Inadequate Frames. I interpret this process as how to update our
thinking process, which also includes upgrading the tools we use to assist
us. One of the biggest issues to
addressing changing inadequate frames I have to deal with concerns the new
generation of college students; which includes my kids. I have learned on numerous occasions that the
past frames I have used were ineffective when it comes to educating the new
generation of young adults. There is
definitely a difference in educating a 19 year old student versus educating a
40 year old student. Quite often I have
to frame discussion forum case studies differently to get students to seek out
the correct answer. This especially
relates to #4 on the list provided by the author; “is the frame easily
communicated to and understood by others”?
What I have had to learn in this situation is that one size does not fit
all especially, when addressing complex decision-making situations. Also I have to acquire a better understanding
of “recognizing my key assumptions”. I cannot speak for all educators but I know
that I have the predisposed view that everyone should be dedicated to their
studies…it led to success for me so it should work for you also. I could not be any more wrong. Education in the world today is a choice, and
there is no rush to finish but these students…to many of the new generation, it
is about the experience more than what I learned. My biggest risk in this is not being able to
connect with my audience when trying to teach them how to address and answer
case studies. What I did learn from this
experience is flexibility and the value of understanding how frames must be
adjusted to accommodate both the teacher and the student…all stakeholders.
The last of
Shoemaker and Russo hazards associated with "frame blindness" and how
to guard against it have to deal with Master Techniques for Reframing. This
area has a lot of information that can be used to address frame blindness. However, I will only address two strategies
(use multiple frames) that will support my answer. As I stated in the discussion forum, I
believe all framing starts with focusing on the objective. Many times early in my career I had been
presented with an organizational objective and instantly I tried to figure out
how to modify it to fit my own needs.
Too often, without knowing it, I would apply the highly recognized term
WIIFM (what’s in it for me). As stated
by the text, I should have been focused on tangible results and future
problems. Without a doubt, I had to
learn to frame situations differently, not from a myopic view point. This
process of growth and maturity taught me a lot about complex decision-making; it’s
about the organization, not the individual.
Tools or "frames" that would've helped me through the process
are navigating multi-stakeholder and environmental complexity. By using these frame, I would have been able
to listen to and understand fellow stakeholders and assist in building a consensus
for accomplishing the task of complex decision making. This alone would have reduced the overall failure
risk of making decisions. As far as learning through such as exercise, I am not
finished. This process is ongoing and
will continue to be until I no longer have to make decisions for an
organization.
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