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Essay
The political frame is a complex and multilayered concept that has to be adjusted when applying to a specific organization or a professional field. While it can easily be confused with the politicians and governmental policies, the political frame is more about the distribution of power, critical decisions, and compromise. At the same time, there are universal rules and concepts of the political frame that can be implemented within the domain of all organizations. In order to organize, structure, and develop something it is essential to take into account the interests of power players as well as the larger group. It is crucial to notice that the interests of more powerful agents will be always considered first. Overall, despite the constant striving to leave the hierarchal structure of the modern political power, today’s decision-makers still operate by its rules. At the same time, it was implied that in the contemporary environment it is more important to take into account the interests of all groups because of the popularization of the ideas of liberalism and processes of globalization.
At the same time, it is difficult to claim that in the modern days all interests of the individuals are met in the organizations. Employees are still supposed to follow the company’s agenda and pursue the corporate goals of the organization they work within. While the lower-level managers and workers got more attention from the executives, as the recent leadership frameworks recognize the power of people and their significance to the organization; yet still, the employees have to abide by the company’s politics and its political interests. It is correct to claim that the modern political frame is about the compromise between the agenda of the power figures in the organization and the other stakeholders, which makes the principles of governance more democratic rather than authoritarian. Still those who obtain more power have the right to make crucial decisions and persuade to follow their interests. However, it makes them more accountable and responsible than the other parties.
At the same time, it is important to remember that the smaller group controls the power, the fewer stakeholders have the chance to pursue their interests. It makes the situation dangerous for the people, as the people in power do not always follow ethical principles or try to pursue the interests of the larger groups. This statement can be applied to almost all areas, including education. It plays an essential part in providing people with the ability to think and make crucial decisions, including the political ones. Taking it into the consideration, the equation of education to indoctrination is incorrect. It is very dangerous to make education indoctrinated, as it is a basic propaganda, which will allow the power figures to manipulate citizens and pursue their personal agenda. Education is supposed to evolve people as the professionals as well as to make them erudite, reasonable, and intelligent by developing their skills in critical thinking, logic, and cognition. Indoctrination serves only as a tool to mislead, brainwash, and marginalize for making the citizens follow the political agenda blindly. Certain political powers try to make the citizens less educated, as it is benefiting for their purposes. It is easier to rule and control people who do not understand they are being manipulated, as they do not see the alternative way of executing power. In such conditions, it is easier to make decisions, even the unpopular ones, as the uneducated citizens will believe the decision-makers. Therefore, the main mission of education is to produce open-minded and clever people who will be able to recognize their rights and freedoms and unite by creating a larger group to affect those who are in power. It is the responsibility of the teachers as well as administrators in the educational establishments to recognize when the education becomes indoctrination and when the political power tries to manipulate the minds of the children and adolescents, which is the most convenient period for the decision-makers to affect the citizens.
Questions
For an educator, it is essential to preserve a healthy balance between the interests of all parties. One of the situations I have experienced showed me that in order to pursue certain interests, a teacher has to follow several basic steps of exercising political power. During one of the lessons, there was a conflict situation in the class, which later on involved the management of the organization and the parents of two children. In order to resolve the conflict, I had to identify the power players, which in this case were the parents and the administration. I knew that the parents of one child could resist, as the student could be temporarily suspended from the school, which can lead to the conflict with the administration of the school. Therefore, it was essential to maintain mutually understanding conversation between two groups of parents and involve the management of the company as the arbitrary in this case. The negotiation had to be particularly honest and be based on the facts and consider the interests of the parents, students, and the educational establishment.
In the result, the parents were still resisting getting their child suspended, despite the reasoning made by me and the administration. Consequently, the management of the school decided to implement stricter measures to maintain their agenda by threatening to exclude a student from the school if the parents do not stop resisting. I personally considered that such methods are overly harsh and not applicable in this situation, despite the fact that they worked. I expressed my opinion to the administration resisting the power and claiming that if the similar situation evolves, the parents will not choose our school in the future. I tried to use reasonable and well-grounded argumentation, which later on led to the apology made by the administration to the parents. Political power is not always good and it is not always right, as it is essential to take into account “human factor” before evaluating the actions of the power figures.