Political Frame: Intro to frame: The political frame assumes that competition for scarce resources creates an emphasis on 
power, conflict, and organizational politics. 
(Roddy 2010)

subordinates contesting decisions. Shafritz, Ott, and Jang (2005) offer a definition of power: “Power is the ability to get things done the way one wants them done; it is the latent ability to influence people” (p. 284).

There are two basic benefits to understanding organizations through this definition. First, this definition emphasizes the relativity of power. Second, it reminds the reader that conflict and use of power are often not about outcomes, but rather methods, means, and approaches (Shafritz, Ott, & Jang, 2005). {Roddy:2010th} organizations are redefined as “complex systems of individuals and coalitions, each having its own interests, beliefs, values, preferences, perspectives, and perceptions” (Shafritz, Ott, & Jang, 2005, p. 283). {Roddy:2010th}

The political frame is rooted in the power and politics organizational theory which describes organizations as places where power is exercised in the allocation of scarce resources (Durocher, 1996). The source of this power is found through authority, expertise, controlling rewards, and personal power or characteristics (such as charisma, intelligence, communications skills, etc.) (Bolman & Deal, 1984). {Roddy:2010th}

many have gone on to define politics as the tactics and strategies actors use to articulate this power or attempt to resist it, especially when goals and interests in the organization are conflicted. {Fleming:2014fr}

French and Raven’s (1959) bases of power perceptive (which includes coercive, reward, legitimate, referent, and expert modalities of power) {Fleming:2014fr}

Power in organizations consists of struggles within its formal boundaries to influence, maintain, or