The Frames of Our Lenses

‘So we see the world, so it is’.

I was bored between a standardized test, just completely exhausted and weary, wanting to get away from an uninspired school day. Luckily, the math section and science section were over...but there was still more to do. I was talking to a friend between a testing period, and we talked a little bit, and she gave my a jolly rancher. It was sweet, delectable, the perfect sugary renewing force. After the test was over and I got the results, I did far better then I thought I would do. Did I get an extra couple points on my ACT because of the jolly rancher? Probably not, but it instantly changed my mood and how I felt. Oh the difference perspective makes.

A book is suggested to me is a great organizational development book called “Reframing Organizations” by Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal. Finally getting into it now, I find it a paragon example of excellent organizational learning. There was a particularly interesting section about taking a perspective.

There is an interesting story about a woman wanting to learn about organizations. She read four books, all with a different viewpoint on what an organization is. Here’s what she thought an organization could be.

• A Factory
• A Family
• A Jungle
• A Circus

Each of these organization viewpoints contains with them an individual focus:

If you see the organization as a factory, you might focus on the processes, the structure,
If you see the organization as a family, you might focus on the relationships, the people,
If you see the organization as a jungle, you might focus on the politics, the uncertainties
If you see the organization as a circus, you might focus on the culture, the perception of the organization

When trying to learn more about organizations, there is a particularly difficulty in trying to pin-down a vague construct. Some ways of understanding the organization might be more accurate or give us more information. It’s important to take into account the lenses we have when looking at an organization. Ultimately the views we take, the color we give to the perspective, is something we have to take responsibility for.