Organisational Complexity, Taming Through Framing

Abstract

Psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky explained how we can change people’s responses through framing. People would answer questions in different ways depending on how they are framed. We take this concept a step further and explain how people will operate in their working lives based on whether their organisation is Positively Framed or Negatively Framed.

In order to use Positive Framing we first explain the complexities of an organisation and the dynamics that exist within it. This is done by using the Integral Organisation Model that is based on Ken Wilber’s Integral Theory (Wilbur, K., 2016. Introduction to the Integral Approach [Online]. Available at: http://www.kenwilber.com/Writings/PDF/IntroductiontotheIntegralApproach_GENERAL_2005_NN.pdf. [Accessed 6 November 2017]). Wilber’s Integral Theory is a map that allows us to bring together all the research across four perspectives, which we have defined as Actions: Planning, Doing, Leading, and Belonging. We explain how we use these four perspectives to understand how a complex organisation works. This provides the basis to implement Positive Framing.