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Organizational Politics - Adapt or Die
The document discusses the inevitability of organizational politics in the workplace, highlighting both its positive and negative impacts on employee performance and organizational culture. It outlines strategies for managing workplace politics effectively to promote productivity while warning about the detrimental effects of negative political environments. The importance of understanding and navigating organizational politics is emphasized as crucial for both individual success and overall business performance.
Organizational Politics - Adapt or Die
- 1. Organizational Politics Adapt ordie? Emmaline Datey, PHR
- 2. Learning Outcomes Audiencewill have detailed knowledge of both positive and negative organizational politics and their impact on organizational performance. Audience will gain knowledge, applicable for both staff and Management, on dealing with organizational politics. Audience will have insights to the dynamics of power and politics in the business world Audience will be able to learn from experiences gained in different contexts Audience will develop the confidence to deal with organizational politics for maximum impact.
- 3. Introduction Organizational politicsotherwise referred to as office politics is a reality of the workplace. It will never go away. It's a part of company life. Organizational politics play a huge role in business, from governing how decisions are made to how employees interact with one another. Organizational politics may directly influence who has the power and determine whether the overall culture of the workplace encourages productivity. In a February 2010 "Bloomberg BusinessWeek" article, Beth Weissenberger asserts that everyone engages in office (Organizational) politics. Even if you are an employee who keeps to your small group of co-workers and tries not to be noticed, you are attempting to remain in your position, and you therefore have an agenda.
- 4. What is OrganizationalPolitics Organizational politics refers to a variety of activities associated with the use of influence tactics to improve personal or organizational interests. Organizations are political structures which provide opportunities for people to develop careers and therefore provide platforms for the expression of individual interests and motives.
- 5. Why Politics isInevitable… Two factors leading to why employees engage in political behaviours are: Individual antecedents of political behaviour. These include political skill, internal locus of control, high investment in the organization, and expectations of success. Organizational antecedents. These include scarcity of resources, role ambiguity, frequent performance evaluations and promotions, and democratic decision making. With organizational politics, individuals ally themselves with like-minded others in an attempt to win the scarce resources. They’ll engage in behaviour typically seen in government organizations, such as bargaining, negotiating, alliance building, and resolving conflicting interests.
- 6. Is Organizational PoliticsAlways Cancerous to Businesses? Effective politics isn’t about winning at all costs but about maintaining relationships while achieving results. Although often portrayed negatively, organizational politics are not inherently bad. Employees who learn to navigate the politics of an organization are more productive than those who are left out of the loop. The development of a political culture easy for employees to understand encourages productivity. Establishing clear policies and chains of command makes it easier for employees to find the answers they need and spend more time on producing quality work. Conflicting or diverse points of view, when managed well, leads to healthy debate which yields innovation and exchange of creative ideas and solutions for business improvement.
- 7. Signs of aNegative Political Environment Mind games and manipulation Lack of inspiration and support in managerial approach Setting up people to fail Not sharing information that is relevant in order to maintain control Responsibility avoidance and dilution Not hiring and promoting strong performers to protect one’s position. Favouritism and nepotism Backstabbing, Spreading rumours to damage someone’s position. Preference of obedience over loyalty False representation of accomplishment to make oneself look better then others. Taking credit for other people’s successful work. Micromanagement and excessive control
- 8. Effects of NegativeOrganizational Politics Disengaged and low performing staff: Research has it that employees in a negative political environment are less committed to the organization, have lower job satisfaction, perform worse on the job, have higher levels of job anxiety, and have a higher incidence of depressed mood. Loss of great talent: Negative Office Politics make BEST PEOPLE quit. Huge financial loss to the business: According to the American Management Association, there is a business case for making the necessary changes to reform office politics where you work. Consider: the estimated productivity loss because of stress-related factors is more than $100 billion in the United States alone. While that statistic itself is alarming, most companies will not be moved until they truly understand the connection between Politics and Performance.
- 9. Managing Workplace Politics • Researchreported in HR Magazine, found that managers waste 20% of their time managing politics. • Today, work in organizations requires skill in handling conflicting agendas and shifting power bases. • John Kotter wrote in Power and Influence, “Without political awareness and skill, we face the inevitable prospect of becoming immersed in bureaucratic infighting, parochial politics and destructive power struggles, which greatly retard organizational initiative, innovation, morale, and performance” (Kotter, 1985).
- 10. Don’t get involvedin toxic workplace politics. Get ahead of it. Be professional. Don’t pitch camps Focus on your focus. Shoot your shot. Be consistently consistent. Develop and Maintain the MVP status. Be a performer. Follow laid down rules, ethics, processes and procedures. Understand how the informal network works. Do not be scared of politically powerful people of the organization. Approach negative politics players with a sense of emotional intelligence
- 11. CONCLUSIVE REMARKS Businessdecisions need to be supported by data and a compelling business case. In a well-run organization, facts and principles are worth more than titles and personalities. What gets people ahead is looking for ways to work smarter, faster and better. It’s important to be aware of the potentially destructive aspects of organizational politics in order to minimize their negative effect. Individuals with political skills tend to do better in gaining more personal power as well as managing stress and job demands, than their politically naive counterparts. They also have a greater impact on organizational outcomes.
- 12. SETTING THE RECORDSSTRAIGHT
- 13. REFERENCES An introductionto Organizational behaviour: http://open.lib.umn.edu/organizationalbehavior/chapter/13-4- organizational-politics/ The 4 Types of Organizational Politics by Michael Jarrett The Impact of Power and Politics in Organizational Productivity by Stacy Zeiger American Management Association: http://www.amanet.org/training/articles/the-organizational-cost-of-office- politics.aspx Power, Influence & Politics in the Workplace by E.M. Rawes Office Politics make BEST PEOPLE quit by Oleg Vishnepolsky