Term paper

On
Organizational Politics

Course name: Organizational Behavior

Prepared by: Naimah Islam ( ID-!6221081)

Name of Department: Department of BBA in Finance and

Banking
Section: A

Prepared for: Lecturer Sanjana Hossain

Date of submission: 27th October,2016
 Letter of Transmittal

27 October 2016
Lecturer Sanjana Hossain
Faculty of Business Studies
Bangladesh University of Professionals

Subject: Submission of group term paper.

Dear Maam,
I would like to state that you assigned me with a term paper on
Organizational Politics . And you specified 27th October 2016 as the date of
submission for the term paper.
So, I hope that you would be kind enough to accept our term paper and
oblige thereby.

Sincerely Yours
Naimah Islam
ID- 16221081
Section-A
Department of BBA (Finance & Banking)
 Acknowledgement

First of all, I place my sincere thanks and gratitude to Lecturer Sanjana

Hossain who helped me much while preparing this term paper. She guided
me in a wonderful way and familiarized me with the topic and thus helped
me to increase my knowledge about the topic. She made it easier for me to
prepare this term paper by lending her helping hand.
We also express our gratitude from the bottom of our hearts to all those
friends of ours who helped us to prepare this term paper and always
encouraged us. Without their assistance, it would have been really difficult. I
could not have completed this term paper in a desired way without the
support from our families. Their patience in helping me directed me to make
this term paper a success.
Lastly, I express my sincere gratitude to all those wonderful people who
helped me directly or indirectly in making this term paper a success.
 Table of Contents

1.Executive summary

2.Main body

3.Conclusion

4.Refernces
 Executive Summary
It is useful to remember that in its original meaning, the idea of politics stems
from the view that, where interests are divergent, society should provide a means of
allowing individuals to reconcile their differences through consultation and
negotiation. In ancient Greece, Aristotle advocated politics as a means of
reconciling the need for unity in the Greek polis (city-state) with the fact that the
polis was an "aggregate of many members." Politics, for him, provided a means of
creating order out of diversity while avoiding forms of totalitarian rule. Political
science and many systems of government have built on this basic idea, advocating
politics, and the recognition and interplay of competing interests that politics
implies, as a means of creating a non-coercive form of social order. Organizational
politics are a natural result of the fact that people think differently and want to act
differently. This diversity creates a tension that must be resolved through political
means. There are many ways in which this can be done, for example: autocratically
("We'll do it this way"); bureaucratically ("We're supposed to do it this way");
technocratically ("It's best to do it this way"); or democratically ("How shall we do
it?"). In each case the choice between alternative paths of action usually hinges on
the power relations between the actors involved. An organization's politics is most
clearly manifest in the conflicts and power plays that sometimes occupy center
stage, and in the countless interpersonal intrigues that provide diversions in the
flow of organizational activity. Politics occurs on an ongoing basis, often in a way
that is invisible to all but those directly involved. One does not have to be
consciously cunning or deviously political to end up playing organizational politics.
Political behavior is a fairly natural response to the tensions created between
individuals and their organizations. The setting of budgets and work standards, the
day-to-day supervision and control of work, as well as the pursuit of opportunity and
career, are often characterized by sophisticated forms of gamesmanship. Take, for
example, the situations that reveal the guile with which factory workers are able to
control their pace of work and level of earnings, even when under the close eye of
their supervisors or of efficiency experts trying to find ways of increasing
productivity. The workers know that to maintain their positions they have to find
ways of beating the system, and do so with great skill and ingenuity. Individuals who
systematically wheel and deal their way through organizational affairs merely
illustrate the most extreme and fully developed form of a latent tendency present in
most aspects of organizational life. The potential complexity of organizational
politics is mindboggling, even before we take account of the personalities and
personality clashes that usually bring roles and their conflicts to life. Sometimes the
conflicts generated will be quite explicit and open for all to see, while at other times
they will lie beneath the surface of day-today events. For example, relations in
meetings may be governed by various hidden agendas of which even the
participants are unaware. In some organizations disputes may have a long history,
decisions and actions in the present being shaped by conflicts, grudges, or
differences that others believe long forgotten or settled. The manager of a
production department may align with the marketing manager to block a proposal
from the production engineer not because he disagrees with the basic ideas, but
because of resentments associated with the fact that he and the production
engineer have never gotten along. Though such resentments may seem petty, they
are often powerful forces in organizational life.
 Main Body

Organizational politics are informal, unofficial, and sometimes behind-the-scenes

efforts to sell ideas, influence an organization, increase power, or achieve other
targeted objectives.

Organizational politics and the process of gathering a network to create change can be secretive
and self-promoting when it is used in a negative manner. These political actions may taint the
cooperation by impacting information sharing, social groupings or the cohesiveness of a team
and the effectiveness of organizational policies and procedures.

When used in a positive manner, organizational politics is not as manipulative or viewed as

secretive. For example, when a boss is stressed and not in the best frame of mind to make a
major corporate decision, an employee may choose to wait until the boss is in a better mood
before presenting him with information on an important company matter. This helps to ensure the
best possible decision is made.

Using organizational politics to a person's advantage in a positive manner may include

volunteering for high-profile tasks, expressing praise to senior executives and superiors for their
accomplishments and self-promoting successful accomplishments in a company newsletter.

Organizational politics are informal, unofficial, and sometimes behind-the-scenes efforts to sell
ideas, influence an organization, increase power, or achieve other targeted objectives. Politics has
been around for millennia. Aristotle wrote that politics stems from a diversity of interests, and
those competing interests must be resolved in some way. Rational decision making alone may
not work when interests are fundamentally incongruent, so political behaviors and influence
tactics arise.

Today, work in organizations requires skill in handling conflicting agendas and shifting power
bases. Effective politics isnt about winning at all costs but about maintaining relationships while
achieving results. Although often portrayed negatively, organizational politics are not inherently
bad. Instead, its important to be aware of the potentially destructive aspects of organizational
politics in order to minimize their negative effect. Of course, individuals within organizations
can waste time overly engaging in political behavior. Research reported in HR Magazine found
that managers waste 20% of their time managing politics. However, as 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.

Politics are a part of organizational life, because organizations are made up of different interests
that need to be aligned. In fact, 93% of managers surveyed reported that workplace politics exist
in their organization, and 70% felt that in order to be successful, a person has to engage in
politics. In the negative light, saying that someone is political generally stirs up images of
back-room dealing, manipulation, or hidden agendas for personal gain. A person engaging in
these types of political behaviors is said to be engaging in self-serving behavior that is not
sanctioned by the organization.

Examples of these self-serving behaviors include bypassing the chain of command to get
approval for a special project, going through improper channels to obtain special favors, or
lobbying high-level managers just before they make a promotion decision. These types of actions
undermine fairness in the organization, because not everyone engages in politicking to meet their
own objectives. Those who follow proper procedures often feel jealous and resentful because
they perceive unfair distributions of the organization's resources, including rewards and
recognition. Researchers have found that if employees think their organization is overly driven
by politics, the employees 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.

The negative side of organizational politics is more likely to flare up in times of organizational
change or when there are difficult decisions to be made and a scarcity of resources that breeds
competition among organizational groups. To minimize overly political behavior, company
leaders can provide equal access to information, model collaborative behavior, and demonstrate
that political maneuvering will not be rewarded or tolerated. Furthermore, leaders should
encourage managers throughout the organization to provide high levels of feedback to employees
about their performance. High levels of feedback reduce the perception of organizational politics
and improve employee morale and work performance. Remember that politics can be a healthy
way to get things done within organizations.

Antecedents of Political Behavior

Individual Antecedents
There are a number of potential individual antecedents of political behavior. We will start off by
understanding the role that personality has in shaping whether someone will engage in political
behavior.

Political skill refers to peoples interpersonal style, including their ability to relate well to others,
self-monitor, alter their reactions depending upon the situation they are in, and inspire confidence
and trust. Researchers have found that individuals who are high on political skill are more
effective at their jobs or at least in influencing their supervisors performance ratings of them.
Individuals who are high in internal locus of control believe that they can make a difference in
organizational outcomes. They do not leave things to fate.

Therefore, we would expect those high in internal locus of control to engage in more political
behavior. Research shows that these individuals perceive politics around them to a greater
degree. Investment in the organization is also related to political behavior. If a person is highly
invested in an organization either financially or emotionally, they will be more likely to engage
in political behavior because they care deeply about the fate of the organization. Finally,
expectations of success also matter. When a person expects that they will be successful in
changing an outcome, they are more likely to engage in political behavior. Think about it: If you
know there is no chance that you can influence an outcome, why would you spend your valuable
time and resources working to effect change? You wouldnt. Over time youd learn to live with
the outcomes rather than trying to change them.

Political Skills
Political skill refers to peoples interpersonal style, including their ability to relate
well to others, self-monitor, alter their reactions depending upon the situation they
are in, and inspire confidence and trust. Researchers have found that individuals
who are high on political skill are more effective at their jobs or at least in
influencing their supervisors performance ratings of them. Individuals who are high
in internal locus of control believe that they can make a difference in organizational
outcomes. They do not leave things to fate. Therefore, we would expect those high
in internal locus of control to engage in more political behavior. Research shows that
these individuals perceive politics around them to a greater degree. Investment in
the organization is also related to political behavior. If a person is highly invested in
an organization either financially or emotionally, they will be more likely to engage
in political behavior because they care deeply about the fate of the organization.
Finally, expectations of success also matter. When a person expects that they will
be successful in changing an outcome, they are more likely to engage in political
behavior. Think about it: If you know there is no chance that you can influence an
outcome, why would you spend your valuable time and resources working to effect
change? You wouldnt. Over time youd learn to live with the outcomes rather than
trying to change them.

Individual and organizational antecedents can both lead to political behavior.

Organizational Antecedents
Scarcity of resources breeds politics. When resources such as monetary incentives or promotions
are limited, people see the organization as more political. Any type of ambiguity can relate to
greater organizational politics. For example, role ambiguity allows individuals to negotiate and
redefine their roles. This freedom can become a political process

Research shows that when people do not feel clear about their job responsibilities, they perceive
the organization as more political. Ambiguity also exists around performance evaluations and
promotions. These human resource practices can lead to greater political behavior, such as
impression management, throughout the organization. As you might imagine, democratic
decision making leads to more political behavior. Since many people have a say in the process of
making decisions, there are more people available to be influenced.

POLITICAL STRATEGIES AND TACTICS

To make effective use of organizational politics, leaders must be able to

make appropriate use of specific political strategies and tactics. Remember
that ethical behavior is regarded as an important requirement for effective
leadership.As one of many guidelines, The Center for Business Ethics at
Bentley College has developed six questions to help evaluate the ethics of a
specific decision. Before engaging in a particular influence act or political
tactic, they recommend that a person seek answers to the following
questions;
* Is it right? (based on absolute principles of moral rights)
* Is it fair? (based on absolute principles of justice)
* Who gets hurt? (the fewer the better)
* Would you be comfortable if the details of your decision or actions
were made public in the media or through electronic mail? (based on
the principle of disclosure)
* What would you tell your child, sibling, or young relative to do? (based
on the principle of reversibility)
* How does it smell? (based on common sense and intuition)

Let's look at a representative group of political tactics and strategies,

categorized in the following two sections as ethical or unethical, although
many of the strategies and tactics could fall into either category, depending
on motivations and methods of implementing them. Used with tact,
diplomacy, and good intent, ethical influence tactics can be quite effective.
Sequencing of tactics is another important consideration. In general, it is
best to begin with the most positive, or least abrasive, tactic. If you do not
gain the advantage you seek, proceed to a stronger tactic. Also, begin with
low-cost, low-risk tactics.

Essentially Ethical Political Strategies and Tactics

This section describes a sampling of ethical political behaviors, divided into
three related and overlapping groups: strategies and tactics aimed at (a)
directly gaining power, (b) building relationships with superiors and
coworkers, and (c) avoiding political blunders. All of these approaches help a
leader gain or retain power. They also help the leader cope with the fact that
organizations are not entirely rational.
Avoiding Political Blunders

A strategy for retaining power is to refrain from making power-eroding

blunders. Committing such politically insensitive acts can also prevent one
from attaining power. Several leading blunders to avoid are described next.
Embarrassing or criticizing the boss in a public forum. One of the oldest saws
in human relations is to "praise in public and criticize in private." Yet, in a
moment of anger or stupidity, we may blurt out something that can be costly.

Declining an offer from top management. Turning down top management,

especially more than once, is a political blunder. You thus have to balance
your other interests against the blunder of refusing a request from someone
powerful in the organization. An increasing number of managers and
professionals today decline opportunities for promotion when the new job
requires geographic relocation. For these individuals, family and lifestyle
preferences are more important than gaining political advantage on the job.

Conclusion
After reflecting on the realities of political dynamics and behaviors in organizations,
it seems appropriate to reevaluate the myth of a highly rational, objective, non-
political organization. The idea of rationality seems to be invoked to overcome the
contradictions inherent in the fact that an organization is simultaneously a system
of competition and a system of cooperation. An emphasis on rationality could lead
us to construct an organization that does not manage the diversity of interests
present and, therefore, is ineffective and unstable.

I believe skillful and appropriate use of organizational politics is necessary for a

leader to acquire and retain power and to accomplish major goals. Although
political behavior can be unethical and destructive, it also can and should be ethical
and contribute to a balanced set of interests. Perhaps we can join Aristotle in
viewing organizational politics as a means of reconciling differences through
consultation and negotiation, and as a means of creating order out of diversity while
avoiding abuses. As Adolf Berle wrote in 1969 ,Your democratic institutions... must
foster, defend, and enlarge institutions by which knowledge can be made greater
and choices wider and more certain. ...The real function of power and the order it
creates... is the liberation of men and women to think and be and make the most of
themselves.
 References

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Culbert, Samuel A. & McDonough, John J. (1985). Radical management: Power

politics and the pursuit of trust. New York: The Free Press.

Dubrin, Andrew J. (2001). Leadership. (3rd ed) New York: Houghton Mifflin

Morgan, Gareth (1996). Images of organization (2nd ed). Newbury Park: Sage

Pettigrew, Andrew (2003). "Strategy as process, power and change," in Stephen

Cummings & David Wilson (2003), Images of Strategy. Malden, MA: Blackwell.

Pfeffer, Jeffrey (1992). Managing with power: Politics and influence in organizations.
Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

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