Organizational Politics Clint Edmonson A Survival Guide

Disclaimer

Part 1: The Nature of Politics

Responsibility Authority Power Influence

The Purpose Driven Social System

Chaos Theory Point Attractors Cycle Attractors Strange Attractors

Life is like high school

Part 2: Who’s Got An Agenda?

Who’s Got An Agenda? Everybody’s got an agenda!

Your CEO’s Agenda

Economics In One Slide Profit = Revenue - Costs We live in a growth economy.

“ I need to grow the company”

Your CIO’s Agenda

Is the CIO a technologist who understands the business? or a business person who understands technology?

“ I need to add value to the business”

Your Director’s Agenda

“ I need to get the right people working on the right projects”

Your Manager’s Agenda

“ I need to make sure everyone is happy”

Your Coworkers’ Agenda

“ We want to work with great people who carry their own weight”

Your Agenda

“ I need to choose technologies with a future”

“ I need to focus on adding business value and project success – not necessarily efficiency”

Part 3: Survival Tips

Dress +1

Learn the art of small talk

Learn how to read a room

Plug into your company’s information pipeline

Seek out a mentor

Have a best friend at work

Learn the art of public speaking

Evangelize

Build an network of like-minded people

Build coalitions

Learn to the right way to gripe

Keep an eye on the sharks

Be prepared to have the “hard” conversations

Always maintain your composure

Master your political tools Compromise (win-win) Arbitration Escalation

Know your boundaries and limitations

Be a positive force

Learn to read the winds of change

Politics are always more interesting when discussed over a beer

References Systems Thinking – Gharajedaghi What the CEO Want’s You To Know – Charan CIO Wisdom – Lane, et. al. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Covey How to Win Friends & Influence People – Carnegie Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion – Cialdini Introducing Neuro-Linguistic Programming – O’Conner & Seymour

Clint Edmonson Blog: http://www.notsotrivial.net Email: [email_address] Twitter: @clinted