According to George Washington, “The basis of our political system is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government.” Replace ‘people’ with ‘students’ and this becomes a powerful declaration about the politics within the organization of the California Future Farmers of America (FFA). As with any political arena the FFA is an organization where power bases and allies are developed; however, it is the students who define those relationships. The five underlying principles of the political frame are clearly present within the FFA. Bolman and Deal suggest that the first guiding concept is that organizations are coalitions made up of individuals and interest groups (2008) and in order to build a strong coalition an organization must …show more content…
The questions that arise center around what is the most beneficial for students and agriculture, as well as what is the most profitable. Even though the FFA is guided by their desire to do well for each student within agriculture, “scarce resources and incompatible preferences cause needs to collide (p. 201). It is precisely these “scarce resources and these enduring differences that put conflict at the center and power as the most important asset” (p. 194), which is the fourth principle as defined by Bolman and Deal. This can take the form of differing opinions between Agriculture teachers and their local administration, as well as officials at the top of the National FFA and state officials. Fortunately, the FFA has successfully navigated these difficulties thanks to the power given to the students. Ultimately, in any organization it boils down to coalitions needing one another; this is certainly true of the FFA where are all concerned with the future of agriculture and the growth of the individual