Submitted by: Submitted by desertnomad86
Views: 720
Words: 2950
Pages: 12
Category: Business and Industry
Date Submitted: 06/01/2011 07:52 AM
Deepwater Horizon: British Petroleum’s Response to a Catastrophe
On April 20, 2010 an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon, a deepwater oil drilling station owed by British Petroleum, begins spewing crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico – at the rate of 5,000 barrels per day (CNN 2010). After the blast, eleven people are missing and presumed dead, another seventeen are injured. The oil rig sank two days later.
As oil fills the Gulf, Americans are watching and wondering, “Why has this happened and what are they doing to stop the leak?” Many are reminded of the Exxon Valdez spill and are worried that the effort to contain the leak will be slow and ineffective. What can we learn from this and how will looking at the organization through different frames help find a solution?
Bolman and Deal (2008) present the idea of framing, or reframing an organization to get a better picture of how the overall organization looks –it broken into four categories. There are the Structural, Human Resource, Political, and Symbolic Frames. Looking at decisions through the use of frames will aid leaders in making decisions that benefit the entire organization, rather than just its parts.
September 19, 2010 Americans get the news that the leak has been stopped. During those five long months, Americans were subject to a barrage of positive media from BP; from employees talking about the cleanup effort, residents of the Gulf attesting to BP’s “Make it Right” campaign, and to the United States government forcing BP to set up a fund to help those most affected by the spill. Residents of the Gulf were left hanging in the balance; their livelihoods were affected, their confidence in deepwater drilling was shaken, and were handed another devastating setback - just a few years after Hurricane Katrina.
The Human Resource Frame
According to Bolman and Deal (2008), the Human Resource frame’s focus is on the fit between the organization and the individual. How well do the needs,...