Understanding Effective Organizational Politics
The word “politics,” in most circles, calls to mind a surplus of gamesmanship and power abuse. Many people, including twenty-five-year-old me, say, “I refuse to participate in politics,” perhaps imagining they are somehow above the fray.
Let’s agree that power abuse and power-seeking behavior that isn’t aligned with an organization’s goals are both destructive and counterproductive; they can destroy an organization.
Breathe.
Now, let’s talk about why you care about politics—the necessary and mundane (not evil) kind.
All organizations have finite resources. If your organization is not well-managed, resources are often allocated in capricious and arbitrary ways depending on the position of the moon, sun, and stars; nepotism; favoritism; and whether members of the executive team have been taking their meds regularly.
If your organization is well managed, then somewhere high up in the organization chart is an ongoing discussion about how limited resources should best be allocated. This can be done ethically and rationally—and it is still a political decision. Every department probably has great ideas about how they could provide better service, or sell more widgets, or operate more efficiently—if only they had a little more investment in training, equipment, people, software, or facilities.
Good management tries to balance competing needs and assure that the essential resource demands are met. Politics figures more prominently in how “extra” resources are allocated.
Here’s what you most often care about:
- How big is your department’s bonus pool?
- Which departments are hit hardest by layoffs?
- Can we get funding for new equipment this fiscal year?
- Can we get an exemption from normal policy to send you to that out-of-state software conference?
All of these decisions are political. In healthy organizations, these decisions are based on who can make the most compelling case and which parts of the organization have a track record of effectively supporting the mission.
Once you realize you care about these things, you can still choose to be honest, ethical, and reasonable in your approach to politics. But if you choose not to participate, then you and your slice of the organization are likely to lose to those who do.
That’s why it is important to make sure your part of the organization gets credit for its successes. That’s why you should be honest about your shortcomings. It’s why padding your budget is a poor idea. When the deceit is discovered, it damages your credibility.
Imagine you were trying to run a complex organization effectively. You would have a voracious need for timely and accurate information to support your business decisions. You would need to know which of your subordinate organizations could be trusted and which were delivering the goods. Making that information transparent and assuring the message is delivered clearly is essential to organizational health.
