Running head: SPECIAL TOPICS 1 Recent Gubernatorial Election Politics as Seen Through Bolman & Deal s Political Frame and Drath s Interpersonal Influence Tracy H. Aitken Virginia Commonwealth University
Running head: SPECIAL TOPICS 2 a. From what you have observed, how would you describe the relationship between Bolman & Deal s political frame and Drath s interpersonal influence? A shake-up occurred in the Republican party during the 2013 Gubernatorial election in Virginia. A conservative ticket of nominees, including Ken Cuccinelli for Governor, E.W. Jackson for Lieutenant Governor, and Mark Obenshain for Attorney General, was confirmed at a nominating convention on May 17th, 2013. A widely-known deal between outgoing Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling and Governor Bob McDonnell included Bolling running for Governor in 2013 with McDonnell s support. Cuccinelli had initially expressed a desire to run for a second term as Attorney General, but revised his course in December of 2011, stating that he was instead running for Governor. Bolling responded by issuing a statement that accused Cuccinelli of putting his own personal ambition ahead of the best interests of the Commonwealth and the Republican Party. Two days following Cuccinelli s announcement, the Virginia Republicans held their annual statewide conference, setting in motion plans for a primary. The real controversy occurred in June of 2012, when newly appointed members of the party s State Central Committee voted to reverse the decision to hold a primary and instead choose a nominee in a convention to be held in 2013. Faced with recognition that it would be very challenging for him to be nominated at the convention, Bolling withdrew from the race in November of 2012. In Drath s (2001) discussion of interpersonal influence as the second principle, he comments that a leader can emerge as conditions change because changing conditions can alter the flow of influence and reconstitute someone formerly a follower as the current leader (p. 69). Ken Cuccinelli s emergence as the new leader of the Republican party following a wave of Tea Party grassroots support exemplifies Drath s meaning in the quote. The changing conditions are the growing influence of the conservative faction of the party and their grasp of power formerly held by the moderates. The alteration in the flow of influence relates to the
Running head: SPECIAL TOPICS 3 change in the nominating process from primary to convention. Finally, the emerging new leader is Ken Cuccinelli. Bolman and Deal s (2008) political frame also alludes to a dynamic arena such as the political environment that existed in the 2013 Republican nomination process. They assert that in the political framework Coalition members have enduring differences in values, beliefs, information, interests, and perceptions of reality (p. 194). The Republican party in Virginia, although united as a political entity, is comprised of members with differing philosophies and beliefs. The rise of the Tea Party and other conservatives within the Republican Party has arrived at the expense of more moderate members. Cuccinelli s supporters, along with those of Jackson and Obenshain, had a much stronger and vocal presence at the convention. Bolman and Deal (2008) might identify their platform as emerg(ing) from bargaining and negotiating among competing stakeholders jockeying for their own interests (p. 195). b. Give a minimum of 3 examples to support your observations. As long as Bill Bolling was in the position of Attorney General and enjoying the support and endorsement of Governor McDonnell, he held what Drath would describe as political dominance. This political dominance comes primarily from the weight of the office and subsequent standing in the Republican party. However, once the new election cycle began, his positional power became vulnerable. Drath s second principle of interpersonal influence began to take precedence. According to Drath (2001), the power of this principle is influence, the ability to connect to, shape and make use of the perspectives of others (p. 72). Ken Cuccinelli was able to make connections with the conservative factions of the party and form relationships with his constituents. His record as Attorney General included a controversial lawsuit challenging UVA s notable climate scientist, Michael E. Mann, and the first state lawsuit challenging the national health-care reforms, both very popular positions with Tea Party conservatives. Drath would describe Cuccinelli s connection with his followers as large enough to grant some legitimacy to traditionally marginalized people (Tea Party)... (p. 101).
Running head: SPECIAL TOPICS 4 The rise of the Tea Party demonstrates Drath s second principle of understanding leadership as a flow of influence. He argues that some constituents enter into conflict with the traditional sources of influence (Bolling and the moderates) to more forcefully win a larger share of influence (p. 101). The take-over of the nominating convention by Tea Party elements demonstrates their rise to power within the Republican party and are evidence of conflict with more moderate members. Their success at nominating all of the conservative candidates is evident of their victory and grasp of power. Bolman and Deal (2008) assert as one of their five political framework assumptions that...enduring differences put conflict at the center of day-to-day dynamics and make power the most important asset (p. 195). The transfer of power within the Republican party that took place at the nominating convention reveal that stark differences in beliefs and philosophies between the different Republican factions created conflicts that resulted in the exchange of power from the moderate to the conservative faction. c. In what settings do you observe one frame more often than the other? While the rise of the conservative faction and leaders such as Ken Cuccinelli is indicative of Drath s second principle of interpersonal influence, the dynamics of the nomination process are more prevalent in the political frame of Bolman and Deal. They describe two groups that are central to politics-authorities and partisans. Authorities are top-down decision makers with a position of power. Partisans initiate or agitate for influence with a bottoms-up approach (Bolman and Deal, 2008). The Tea Party constituents ( partisans) can draw power from a number of sources other than authority. One source of power utilized by the conservative factions at the nominating convention is access and control of agendas. Political systems often give some groups more access than others. The political primary system of electing nominees (the one favored by Bolling) offers no restrictions to voters regardless of political party, while the convention system favors those that are more involved in the party and willing and able to travel (restricting military personnel). According to Bolman and Deal (2008), when decisions are
Running head: SPECIAL TOPICS 5 made, the interests of those with a seat at the table are well represented, while the concerns of absentees are often distorted or ignored (p, 204). This resembles the take over of the nominating process by the more conservative constituents of the Republican Party. d, Reflect upon which frame (political or interpersonal influence) would be most effective in specific circumstances. If Bill Bolling had stayed in the race for governor, he could have exercised his position power as an authority. According to Bolman and Deal (2008), authorities must compete with others for leverage. They access various forms of power and compete for their share of scarce resources in a finite organizational pie (p. 209). Instead of conceding to Cuccinelli early in the race, he might have accessed his position power to leverage power and control of the message. If the Republican party moderates had utilized Drath s interpersonal influence principle in relation to some leadership tasks, they may not had to relinquish so much power. By setting direction and creating commitment, they may have empowered their base and held onto power. Under the interpersonal influence, a leader creates a shared vision by integrating a variety of differing perspectives (Drath, 2001, p. 110). Reaching out to the conservative faction and including them in dialogue and decision-making may have removed the conflict instigated by the authority-partisan relationship that exists within the party. Another source of political initiative described by Bolman and Deal is bottom-up political action as the driving force behind the increase of Tea Party influence on the Republican party. Their grassroots activities and instigations are an impetus for change within the party and a significant disruption in old patterns (Drath, 2001, p. 233). Their actions at the nominating convention certainly disrupted the status quo and changed the predictable path of a state election. Each of these three situations demonstrate how political positions and relationships can be described and understood by both Bolman and Deal s political framework and Drath s interpersonal influence.
Running head: SPECIAL TOPICS 6 e. Summarize your political and interpersonal influence frames that will effectively benefit your organization. Interpersonal influence is a knowledge principle that recognizes that challenges within the system cannot be solved through the personal dominance of one leader. Instead, leadership arises out of negotiations among many participants. Linda Lambert asserts that the days of the principal as the lone instructional leader are over (2002, p. 37). He is replaced by a principal who shares a vision with the school community, supports leadership in others, participates in collaboration, and facilitates dialogue among his staff. By following this principle of interpersonal influence, a k-12 school principal can build collective responsibility for learning among staff, students, and parents. Instead of looking to one individual (the principal) for leadership learning, the work of leadership is everyone s. In the political frame, organizations are competing against each other for power or resources. A successful leader in this environment must practice coalition-building. Often in a school, departments are competing for limited resources. If department heads and their key people worked together to assess needs and plan for resource attainment, they would be better prepared for negotiation. The political frame allows for bargaining and negotiations where the key players can present their needs and perspectives. A resource allocation plan that responds to these needs while minimizing conflict between competing parties can be an effective method of equitable resource distribution among school departments.
Running head: SPECIAL TOPICS 7 References Bolman, L.G., & Deal, T.E. (2008). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Drath, W. H. (2001). The deep blue sea: Rethinking the source of leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Lambert, L. (2002). A framework for shared leadership. Educational Leadership, 59(8), 37-40.