Reframing Organizations

  We’ve talked a bit already about the impact of Chris’s legend on his career. Today, let’s delve a little deeper.  Throughout his career, Chris has maintained good relationships with the city council and other government officials, both before and after the myth. The myth was believable because, although it was an embellishment, it was still the embodiment of his personality and leadership style.  It could be argued that Chris’s success in relationship-building and leadership was in part due to the myth, but the myth alone could never carry him through an entire career. His path, like the paths of most people, is a combination of both his actions and people’s perception of him. It’s difficult to say how much his omission of the truth shaped people’s perception, because it is one piece in many aspects of his career.  We can safely say, however, that there is an impact as people continue to tell the story. And the impact would be even greater, if, now, Chris were to t...

  In our last post, we talked about the impact the Legend of Chris had on his colleagues, and on the atmosphere in his department. So far, it’s a myth that hasn’t caused any trouble- it’s just one of those stories people like to tell.  But should the story ever have ever come into being? Chris unknowingly had the opportunity to stop the story before it began by fully disclosing that he had saved the positions by simply uncovering a mistake. And really, he should have, because being transparent and open with your colleagues is an important way to build trust.  Chris didn’t really purposefully lie, but he wasn’t transparent either. Still, in the end, that one act could have been like many in the office environment and faded away from memory. In the beginning, it’s easy to see Chris’s motives. He liked the attention that came from being a hero, and it seemed harmless— funny, even.  Fast forward several years, however, and Chris is now in an unenviable position. Like all...

  For as long as humans have interacted with each other, we have told stories. It’s a part of nearly every cultural tradition, and it’s more than just a way we communicate necessary information.Through stories, we live shared experiences and we learn about others. It’s never just about the story itself. It’s about what the story tells us about the characters’ values, personalities and motivations (Bolman and Deal, pg 248).  And, in what became the Legend of Chris, we were able to learn that Chris, a city government director, is a fierce defender of his department and employees. According to the story, Chris was so passionate about defending his department from position cuts, he chained himself to a city council member’s chair in a flamboyant act that saved the positions in his department.  That’s not what truly happened. In reality, Chris behaved professionally as well as passionately, and was ready to fight for his department. But in the city council chambers, he learned...