Organizational Behavior and Leadership

Primary Artifact: Organizational Analysis of North Carolina 4-H
Authors: Caroline Goss and Sarah Kocher
Date: October 14, 2022

Reflections:

4-H participants build a chicken tractor during 4-H Summer Fun.

This analysis, completed with another cohort member and fellow 4-H Agent, allowed us to take a deeper look into North Carolina 4-H through the four frames. Through our research into our organization including interviews with the Director of NC State Extension, Dr. Bonnano, and the State 4-H Program Leader, Dr. Yoder, we identified NC 4-H strengths including a focus on high quality, research based education along with vertical and lateral coordination which drives the organization’s success. We also identified areas for improvement including prevalent communication gaps and a lack of responsiveness to the external environment amongst 4-H. 

We then utilized the Four Frames approach to suggest solutions to the issues facing North Carolina 4-H. These included utilizing the structural and human resource frames to improve communication within the organization and reframing via the symbolic and political frames to be more responsive to changing needs amongst 4-H’ers.

By incorporating concepts learned throughout the course, we were able to present solutions to meet the changing needs of our constituents and were able to look at the future of NC 4-H in the process. This project connected me to leaders within my organization more closely and gave me a richer understanding of the climate in which North Carolina 4-H operates along with challenges and opportunities for growth for the organization.